Fresh Off The Field

From an old tyre attached to a tree to representing PNG, Shannaz Apelis has had quite the inspiring netball journey. For someone who was dragged away from soccer by her Mum to try netball, Apelis has taken big leaps in recent years training and playing in Australia alongside experiences at the Pacific Games in Honiara too. Hear her story as well as sports news from Melissa Fare and Lailanie Burnes...

Jemina Otoa is on a mission to inspire others who wear the same shoes as her and it goes way beyond winning Pacific Games medals. After taking home silver in Honiara in 2023 she's dedicated to improving funding, coaching standards and the lives of people living with a disability in the Solomon Islands. Sam Wykes chats to Otoa about her story and she has also got an interview with fellow para-athle...

For the first time since 2004, the Fiji men's netball team will play an international game when they head to Singapore for the 'Nations Cup' in December. Coach Jioweli Vakamoce and captain Kitione Waqavonovono talk to us about the acceptance of the sport in Fiji for men, the recognition they're getting and the legacy they hope to leave. Sam Wykes is joined by Fijian Finau Vulivuli and Samoan Fia L...

Despite Valerie Mai's family not wanting her to play AFL at first, Mai turned them around and has now represented the PNG Flames on an international level. Mai is also actively developing the game in her homeland, helped write a children's book on her cousin Hewago Oea and is about to play in the Pacific Cup in Australia for the Flames. Sam Wykes is also joined by Fijian Lailanie Burns and Papua N...

Varun Lal left his family in Fiji to pursue a career in engineering in Australia but it's powerlifting that's connected him to his new homeland. Lal is about to represent Australia in a sport that he's only been doing for one year, but has changed his life and made him feel like he has a community away from Fiji. His mean curry making skills have also helped him get to the USA for the powerlifting...

Samoan Australian basketballer Keli Leaupepe spent five years playing college basketball in the USA and is now in the NBL with the Sydney Kings. We chat about his basketball journey, learning more about his Samoan side, the first impressions he gives with his size and his big dreams for the future. Sam Wykes steps up for his first episode and is joined by Indra Singh from Fiji and Teitirake Teanoa...

Bobby Macumber wraps up her time on Fresh Off The Field after an amazing 60 episodes talking sport in the Pacific. Bobby hands over the baton and welcomes in the new host Sam Wykes. Patricia Keamo from PNG covers sports mismanagement and OFC beach soccer and Tongan Kalo Manu-Moli speaks about the Pacific Championships Rugby League and body building. Plus, there's a third pregnancy announcement on...

Sean Cotter helped Samoa move through to the next stage of T20 Cricket World Cup qualification and talks about that amazing experience. Cotter tells us about his connection to his Samoan culture, being an overseas based player and what he hopes for the future of the sport in the tiny Pacific nation. Bobby Macumber is also joined by Lailanie Burns from Fiji and Cynthia Seda from the Solomon Islands...

Tahnee Norris is royalty in women's rugby league and ahead of the Pacific Championships and PM's XIII games, she tells us why she jumped at the chance to coach the PNG Orchids. Norris talks about her first impressions from being in Papua New Guinea recently, her amazement at the country's obsession with the sport and what needs to happen for PNG to enter the NRL and NRLW.  Bobby Macumber is also j...

Papi Alaalatoa's Samoa team just went through the Oceania Netball Youth World Cup qualifiers without losing a match and will head to Gibraltar next year to try bring home some silverware. Alaalatoa speaks about her pride in wearing the blue dress, how they dealt with their limited preparation and why she was nervous to be captain. Bobby Macumber is also joined by Finau Vulivuli from Fiji and Jamie...

One has been playing for the Cook Islands for decades and the other is in the green jersey as a 16-year-old. Jordina Katu has turned her mind to coaching while her daughter Meiya Lemafa is a player on the rise and both attended the FIBA high performance camp on the Gold Coast alongside 12 other Pacific Island nations. We hear about their learnings in the camp, why Jordina didn't want to cry in fro...

After making a big impression at her debut Paralympics, 19-year-old Fijian Irene Mar is keen to change people's preconceived ideas in her homeland about people living with a disability. Mar talks us through her historic para-taekwondo victory and Paralympics experience as well as the hurdles she had to overcome to get there. Bobby Macumber is also joined by Patricia Keamo to keep us across all the...

Eva Karpani grew up with a single mother and eight siblings and as she seeks out more about her Tongan side, a humbling recent highlight was the trip with the QLD Reds to play against Tonga Lofa and seeing her beautiful people. We hear about the trip, why she chose rugby union as a youngster and the full circle opportunities she's had to help discover more about her Tongan culture. Tiana Fidow fil...

The Fiji Baby Pearls warmed up for the Youth Netball World Cup by hosting Australia, NZ and Singapore in Suva and coach Simone Nalatu and netballer Varanisese Vula chat about the experience. Vula tells us what it means to represent her country and Nalatu, a netball legend in Fiji, details why these testing games will help the future of the sport in Fiji. Joining Bobby Macumber this week is Patrici...

Ongiou Timeon couldn't throw a shot put far at all when he first begun but now he's proudly representing Kiribati in Paris at the Paralympics. Living with vision impairment and in a country where shot put's aren't readily available or the right weight, Timeon has overcome serious challenges and is excited to inspire others in his home nation. Bobby Macumber is also joined by Priestley Habru with a...

Fresh off a debut Olympics where she carried the Palau flag in the opening ceremony, sprinter Sydney Francisco tells us about her race, what happened when she met one of the world's greatest sprinters and why she couldn't talk to media afterwards. We also hear about her excitement and plans for the next Pacific Mini Games in her hometown of Koror in Palau in 2025. We also hear from Indra Singh and...

Playing rugby league wasn't on Maatuleio Fotu-Moala's radar a few years ago, but after flying over from NZ to train with the Dragons she's the latest Tongan to debut in the NRLW. Fotu-Moala grew up in a strict Tongan house and with footy on a Sunday, it was a no go zone for most of her youth. Fast forward to now and Leio has played for the Mate Ma'a Tonga and is hungry for more. Bobby Macumber is...

We’re in the latter half of the Olympics, closing in on the events our Pasifika athletes excel in! Bobby brings in another journalist from Paris, Solomon Islands woman Elizabeth Osifelo, to fill us in on highlights and the latest news happening over there.  Patricia Keamo and Fia Liakong return to chat about the latest sporting news in Papua New Guinea and Samoa, as well as battle it out in Fresh...

Olympic fever has swept across the world and Bobby Macumber fills you in on all the Pacific Island nations competing at Paris 2024. Bobby also chats to Fijian sailor Sophia Morgan who has come a long way since her fear of water to now being a two time Olympic sailor. Co-host Kalo Moli reflects on the recent QLD Reds trip to Tonga including hearing from a couple of players involved, Pua Pedro from...

Georgia-Leigh Vele discovered an old journal not long ago where as an 8-year-old her number one dream was to attend an Olympic Games. This week she will fulfill that childhood dream and even get to carry the Papua New Guinea flag in the Opening Ceremony so we chat about her story, the pride in her country and this huge honour. We also hear about what it's like dating another professional athlete a...

After competing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games as a 15-year-old, Lanihei Connolly is feeling more experienced but just as nervous for the Paris Olympics. The teenager will lineup for the Cook Islands in the swimming and is hoping to inspire the next generation of young Pasific Island girls to achieve their wildest dreams. Patricia Keamo and Finau Vulivuli talk Olympics too for PNG and Fiji and hel...

Annie Shannon grew up playing tennis in Fiji and it took her all the way to a College in the US as a teenager. These days Shannon has shifted her focus to coaching and making sure the next generation of Fijian and other Pacific Island tennis players can compete with the best up and comers around the world. Indra Singh and Kalo Manu-Moli join Bobby to chat about the biggest stories in Fiji, Tonga a...

Growing up in Adelaide with a Ni-Van mother, Vanuatu footballer Jared Clark's favourite times in his youth were the trips back there. The food, lifestyle and endless hours of football shaped him as a person. We hear about the OFC Men's Nations Cup in Vanuatu and why the history making final for the home team is a career highlight. Bobby also gets the latest sporting news from Finau Vulivuli in Fij...

With Bobby Macumber as your pilot, Fresh Off the Field is going to magically take you to the Marshall Islands as well as Vanuatu all in the one episode. We'll hear about the final medal tally in the Micronesian Games as well as check in with Declan Byrne who is live in Port Vila in Vanuatu for the OFC Men's Nations Cup finals. There's also plenty more sport to get through with the help of co-hosts...

Vaimo’oi’a Ripley always wanted to see a Pacific Island nation's flag alongside the big guns in sailing at the Olympics, given the sport's cultural significance and ties to the region. Now, she's weeks away from competing for Samoa at Paris 2024 and doing just that! We hear about her resilience, why a 'never give up' attitude paid off and what her Olympic goals are. As well, Indra Singh and Kalo M...