The recent Oceania Cup held in Fiji was no doubt, a cultural experience beyond anything the participants could dream of.

The coming together of five nations, to play a game that most have never been exposed to only two months ago, was an amazing experience that brought out the best in individuals attending.

New Zealand Hawks captain, Sami Tuitupou should be congratulated and the rousing speech he gave at the opening ceremony.

The host nation Fiji, greeted all attending with a traditional Kava ceremony and this was followed by the fantastic voices of both the Samoan and Tongan teams.

Cori Ieli and Brandon Sucu share ties with the Fijian team

Not to be outdone, New Zealands newest captain stood before the five attending nations and spoke on behalf of New Zealand. After initially welcoming all nations in their native toungues, he then proceeded to talk on how every one of the attending nations was represented within the New Zealand team. To add to the mix he spoke on the Maori, Pakeha, South African and Scottish ancestoral links the Hawks also contained within their playing ranks.

"A special moment to be amongst new friends and old family ties" and he wished all competitors luck for the upcoming tournament.

The speech was greeted witha loud round of applause and closely followed by a scramble by the other nations to enjoy photograph opportunities with the varying links they had with the New Zealand team.

New Zealanders of Samoan decent mix it with the Samoan team

Sami was thanked and congratulated by AFL High Performance Manager Jason McCartney for his words.

Tuitipou admitted at the end of the tournament he had never spoke in a public forum and has in fact never captained a team before the New Zealand Hawks, certainly a leader beyond his years.