18 Joe Vagana - Mentor at Reaches Pacifica Mentoring.
Link
Still a mentor at Reaches Pacifica Mentoring which targets Maori and Pacific youth. According to the 2014 Annual Return for the company he is still the sole Director and owner.
Corey Rosser did a great catch up interview with him just this year that pretty much covers his current whereabouts and reflects on his career. Great read.
Interview: Joe Vagana
Posted on Mar 4 2014 - 7:00am by Corey Rosser
Former Kiwis Test prop Joe Vagana. Photo:
www.photosport.co.nz
Big Joe Vagana ended a 15 year career when he retired in 2008, bowing out a Kiwi and Bradford Bulls favourite. Now back in Auckland, he is enjoying the warmer weather and having a lawn to mow. Corey Rosser caught up with him to reflect on a wonderful rugby league career.
CR: First of all Joe, what are you doing these days?
JV:
I have got a couple of things going on, I have a youth mentoring trust, targeting Maori and Pacific Island youth, and I also have a machine leasing company, leasing out diggers, trucks and so on. That keeps me busy along with four kids.
CR: Last year you coached the Western Springs College league team, you must still enjoy your footy?
JV: Yeah, I try and keep involved in grass roots level and give back, maybe help out our next Sonny Bill Williams or Benji Marshall – but more importantly giving them the messages of education rather than just focusing on the footy side.
CR: Do you wish you had a coach with that advice when you were younger?
JV: I have been pretty blessed, but obviously I look back and I could have done things a lot better, looked after my money a bit better, but I was young and came across all this money when I was 18. I wish I could go back and study while I played as well.
CR: What was it like being a part of the Warriors in that first year?
JV: The 15 years prior to that was about parents driving me around and selling raffle tickets to support me, so to be part of the 1995 Warriors setup was an awesome experience – to play in front of my friends and family, for my home team.
Joe trucks it forward against Newcastle at Mt Smart Stadium in 2000. Photo:
www.photosport.co.nz
CR: Were you able to cash in during the Super League war?
JV: I had enough to put some nice pieces of steak on our dinner table! I can honestly say I didn’t get the amounts that some other guys got, but I wasn’t on the lower end of the spectrum.
CR: How did you come to sign with the Bradford Bulls in 2001?
JV: I had signed a four year deal at the Warriors but a short time after that the takeover with the new owners happened. I was expecting to be there for another three years, I was looking at being a one team man, but that wasn’t meant to be. I was close to going to the Bulldogs, but I thought at that stage it was going to be tough to play against my mates so I chose to go overseas for a new challenge.
CR: Auckland to Bradford – that must have been a big dose of culture shock?
JV: I landed on January 4, my wife was about five months pregnant and it was snowing, I had never driven in snow. I am an Island boy and lava lavas don’t go too well over there when it’s snowing. I got a few weird looks walking around in that and my jandals. But I got used to it.
CR: At times Bradford was like a second team from New Zealand, such was the number of Kiwis playing there, did that help you fit in?
JV: For sure, when I moved there in 2001 Robbie and Henry Paul, who I played with as juniors and in Test matches, were there. Also Tevita Vaikona who I played in the Junior Kiwis with back in the day. The big thing for me was that the club was big on looking after the families – which is probably why I stayed there for the length of time I did, because at that stage there were bigger offers from other clubs.
CR: Bradford in the 2000’s were at times untouchable, which trophy meant the most?
JV: Obviously the first one for me (vs Leeds) – to have 80,000 people at Millennium Stadium was an awesome experience. It was also against my best mate, Willie Poaching, and we had flown our fathers over to watch. The victories over Leeds always meant a bit more.
CR: You come from a very sporting family, with both Nigel and Linda Vagana as cousins, were you three competitive growing up?
JV: No we weren’t actually! We are a pretty close family, our fathers are all brothers. We spent a lot of time with each other, Nigel and I pretty much played together all the way from under eights, all the way through to test matches. We always supported Linda with the Silver Ferns, on a regular basis we would go and watch her and hold up our signs.
CR: What is your best memory from your time in a Kiwi jersey?
JV: The most memorable times were when we beat the Aussies. There was a Tri Nations final against Australia (in 1999) and we were down with five to go I think, I put a ball out to ‘Nige’ who ran away down the side to score. We were jumping around with joy only for Wendell Sailor to score a try with under two minutes left – it was a pretty cool moment until then!
CR: Last year you were named in the Richmond Rovers team of the century, what did that mean to you?
JV: I said to them on the day that I have been all over the world but Richmond is always going to be home – you never forget where you come from. I still head down there to support them. There are some great families and names to come out of that club and I was pretty wrapped to get named in the TOTC there.
CR: And finally, after 13 years playing top grade rugby league how is the body holding up?
JV: Long distance running is out of the question for me these days. Actually it was even when I was playing! My knees have taken a battering and I still have two plates in my arms. My fingers are facing all kinds of directions, but compared to some guys I am not too bad, I just have to make sure I don’t put on too much weight. I need to go see Ruben and get some more of his Wiki love!
https://www.runitonthelast.co.nz/2014/03/04/interview-big-joe-vagana/#comment-616
This is the latest pic I could find of big Joe. Taken February 2014...
