This story was first published on Stuff.co.nz and has been republished with their permission.
The sad demise of Manu Vatuvei from being one of the most popular sporting figures in New Zealand to pleading guilty to the importation of methamphetamine is movie material.
The former Warriors star had it all for most of his career, which went from 2004 to 2017. But once the fame, money and regimented lifestyle went, he struggled to cope.
It could be said that sport let him down, by not preparing him for life after the game. But the point could also be made that rugby league kept him on the straight and narrow for so many years.
Whether it’s in league or rugby, the lifespan of wingers does tend to be shorter than those who play other positions. Once that speed is gone, there’s nothing they can do to replace it.
Vatuvei played 28 tests for the Kiwis and won the World Cup in 2008. He scored 152 tries in 226 games for the Warriors, but by the end of his time with the club he was no longer at NRL level.
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In 2017, Warriors coach Stephen Kearney favoured Ken Maumalo ahead of him and Vatuvei was given an early release to join Salford Red Devils in England’s Super League.
It wasn’t easy to dump a legend and the Warriors tried to send him out in style by renaming Mt Smart Stadium as Manu Vatuvei Stadium for the final game in his time on the club’s books.
Vatuvei didn’t play – by that stage he was only getting games in the Warriors’ reserve grade NSW Cup team.
His move to Super League wasn’t successful. He scored five tries from eight games in his first year, but in 2018 picked up an injury in preseason.
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It was when he was given an early release from his Salford contract that things really headed south.
He tried his hand at boxing, a route numerous league players seem to go down at the end of their careers, but the discovery of a cyst on his brain in December 2018 brought an early end to that.
He entered and won Dancing with the Stars, however, he still wasn’t willing to accept his sporting days were over.
“I haven’t really announced my retirement or anything because I’m still in denial that I can still play,” Vatuvei said in June 2019.
“It’s always been tough, I never watched a game when I came back from England, I never watched a game and I never went to a game or anything.
“I was missing it and getting itchy feet all the time.
“That’s something I’m still trying to heal from. It was one of [the] hardest moments, but when I did this dancing it made it easier for me to get over it.
“I had to get over it somehow … it was a tough challenge for myself and I’ve enjoyed it.”
A month later though, Vatuvei acknowledged the inevitable.
“I wasn’t ready to or accept that my time is up and can honestly say it’s been tough and now I’m ready to accept and announce my retirement,” Vatuvei wrote on Instagram.
In 2018 he stated in an interview he had friends who were gang members and sometime after Vatuvei was clearly heading down the wrong path, to the point where a year later he was charged with importation of methamphetamine.
On Wednesday, Vatuvei pleaded guilty in Manukau District Court to charges that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Given that Vatuvei has a young family, this is an especially tragic tale of a fall from grace by a New Zealand sporting icon.
Maybe this is another example of a sportsman not getting good advice or knowing what to do with themselves once the money, fame and order in their lives has gone.
But maybe that shouldn’t be an excuse for the decisions Vatuvei made. Ultimately he brought this on himself, and it looks like he is going to pay a heavy price.
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