The Mangere East Hawks are a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

club based in

Māngere Māngere () is a major suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, located on mainly flat land on the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of Manukau, Manukau City Centre and south of the Auckland CBD, Auckland city centre. ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. The Hawks compete in

Auckland Rugby League The Auckland Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Founded in 1909, the ARL has played a pivotal role in the development and promotion of rugby league in Auckland and beyond. ...

's Fox Memorial competition.

History

The club was formed in 1963, the first fourteen junior teams took the field in 1964.''The Hawks: 40 years of Rugby League'', Suburban Newspapers Publishing, 2003. Before this, teams from the area had been attached to the Otahuhu club. In 1969 the club won the Senior B championship and the Norton Cup and were promoted to play in the

's premier grade the following season. In 1971 the club was able to afford a $50,000, 6000sq ft club house which was built at Walter Massey Park, the club's home ground since its foundation. The club adopted the nickname "The Hawks" in 1973, after forming a sister club partnership with the Ryde-Eastwood Hawks in Sydney. They were one of the first clubs in Auckland to adopt a nickname. In 1977 Olsen Filipaina became the first Hawks junior to represent his country and in 1978 the club, coached by Ernie Wiggs, made its first Fox Memorial grand final, being defeated by Otahuhu. OPn 29 June 1991 five of the Ropati brothers;

Tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...

, Iva, John, Joe and

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

all played together for the Mangere East senior side. In 2003, the club's 40th jubilee season, the Hawks won their first Fox Memorial title.

Notable players

Other notable former players include; * Olsen Filipaina (1980-87

Balmain Tigers The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995 to 1996) are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain, New South Wales, Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and on ...

, Eastern Suburbs &

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) * Joe Ropati (1986-89

Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England. They play home games at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league system, British rugby league. Warringto ...

Manly Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Manly club debuted in the 1947 New South Wales Rugby Football League seaso ...

) * Shane Cooper (1987-97 St. Helens &

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) * George Mann (1988-00

Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league team based in Newcastle, New South Wales that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, the Knights joined the top-tier competition in New ...

, St. Helens &

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) * Tea Ropati (1988-98

Auckland Warriors The Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Aucklan ...

) * Brian Laumatia (1995-97

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) * Iva Ropati (1994-97

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) *

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(1997-07

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) * Jerry Seuseu (1997-06

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) * Ali Lauitiiti (1998-2014

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) * Jonathan Smith (2000-01

) * Jeff Lima (2004-17 West Tigers,

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South Sydney Catalan Dragons&

) * George Tuakura (2005-07

) * Kim Uasi (2006-09

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

) * Frank-Paul Nu'uausala (2007-17

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) *

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(2008

) * Sam Moa (2008-

, Hull F.C. &

) * Sebastine Ikahihifo (2012-

) * Mataupu Poching (2010

) * Nafe Seluini (2010-13

Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based west of the cen ...

) * Jason Taumalolo (2010-

North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest city in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). Sinc ...

) * Marvin Filipo (2011- 12

) * Peni Terepo (2013-

) * Agnatius Paasi (2014-

Gold Coast Titans The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership, Australia's elite rugby league competition. Since 2008, the ...

St Helens R.F.C. St Helens R.F.C., commonly known as Saints, is a professional rugby league club in St Helens, Merseyside, England. Founded in 1873, the club is one of the oldest members of the Rugby Football League, and one of the most successful clubs in its ...

) * Albert Vete (2014-

) * Herman Ese'ese (2015-

Canterbury Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilitated by ...

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...

) * Ken Maumalo (2015-

New Zealand Kiwis The New Zealand national rugby league team () has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name. The team's colours ar ...

& Toa Samoa) * Francis Tualau (2016-17

) * Zane Musgrove (2016- South Sydney, West Tigers) * Marata Niukore (2018-

) * Ofahiki Ogden (2018-

* Edward Kosi (2021-

) * Greg Marzhew (2021 -

) * Falakiko Manu (2021 -

) * Leka Halasima (2024 -

) * Robert Toia (2025 -

) * Peter Leitch aka "The Mad Butcher" is a noted fan of the club.

References

External links

Official Website
{{Rugby League in Auckland Rugby league teams in Auckland Rugby clubs established in 1964 1964 establishments in New Zealand Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board Area