Player Joe Vagana

[mt.wellington]

Joe Vagana

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Joseph Sonny Vagana (born 21 January 1975), also known by the nickname of "Big Joe", is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a Prop forward in the 1990s and 2000s. During his career Vagana played for the Auckland Warriors, and the Bradford Bulls, and also represented both Samoa and New Zealand in international competition.

Joe was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He is the cousin of fellow rugby league international Nigel Vagana, and the New Zealand netballer Linda Vagana.

Whilst a student at St Pauls College, Vagana played rugby league for the Richmond Rovers club in the Auckland Rugby League competition. In 1993 he played 9 games for Auckland. He then played for the successful North Harbour Sea Eagles in the 1994 Lion Red Cup. Vagana played for the Junior Kiwis for three seasons, between 1992 and 1994.

In 1995 Vagana was signed by the Auckland Warriors as they prepared for their début season in the Australian Rugby League. He made his début for the club on 18 March 1995 in the Warriors second ever premiership match. In 1995 Joe represented Western Samoa in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. Vagana was selected for the New Zealand team to compete in the end of season 1999 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament. In the final against Australia he played at prop forward in the Kiwis' 22–20 loss. He went on to play 116 games for the Warriors, leaving the club when Eric Watson bought the franchise, but not the player contracts, in 2000. Vagana also played 25 times for the New Zealand national rugby league team, including playing in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.

Despite competition from other Super League and Australian clubs, Vagana signed for the Bradford Bulls in 2001. He became one part of the Bradford Bulls' Awesome Foursome, a phrase coined by the media, alongside Stuart Fielden, Brian McDermott and Paul Anderson. Vagana played for the Bradford Bulls at prop forward in their 2001 Super League Grand Final victory against the Wigan Warriors. As Super League VI champions, the Bradford Bulls played against 2001 NRL Premiers, the Newcastle Knights in the 2002 World Club Challenge. Vagana played as a prop forward in Bradford's victory. He also played for Bradford at prop forward in their 2002 Super League Grand Final loss against St. Helens. Vagana played for the Bradford Bulls at prop forward in their 2003 Super League Grand Final victory against the Wigan Warriors. Having won Super League VIII, Bradford played against 2003 NRL Premiers, the Penrith Panthers in the 2004 World Club Challenge. Vagana played from the interchange bench in the Bradford Bulls' 22–4 victory. He also played for Bradford at prop forward in their 2004 Super League Grand Final loss against the Leeds Rhinos. Vagana played for the Bradford Bulls from the interchange bench in their 2005 Super League Grand Final victory against the Leeds Rhinos.

As Super League champions Bradford faced National Rugby League premiers Wests Tigers in the 2006 World Club Challenge. Vagana played from the interchange bench in the Bradford Bulls' 30–10 victory. A destructive tackler and strong runner with the ability to off load the ball, Vagana rarely missed a game for the Bradford Bulls and became one of the most popular players at the club. He also wrote a weekly column for several Bradford newspapers and the Bradford Bulls' website.

In 2006 Vagana was awarded the Bradford Bulls' Clubman of the Year Award. He signed a one-year extension on 18 August 2006 to keep him at the Bradford Bulls for the 2007 season. After a long absence he was called up by New Zealand for their game against Great Britain in 2006 but did not play in the match. In June 2007 Vagana signed another one-year contract with Bradford, signalling his intent to play out the 2008 season. Vagana was sent off for the first time in his Bulls career against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats on 5 August 2007. In August 2007 he was named in Bradford's team of the Century.

In 2008 whilst playing for Bradford against Wigan Vagana broke his arm attempting to tackle Stuart Fielden. Vagana retired at the end of the 2008 season after 8 years with the Bradford Bulls.

In 2009 and 2010 he coached the East Coast Bays Barracudas alongside Willie Swann.

Joe Vagana - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

One of the tallest players to ever represent NZ, forward Joe Vagana represented Western Samoa in 1995’s World Cup before making his Test debut with the Kiwis the following year. He spent six seasons with the Warriors’ after the club’s debut in the ARL, but following the Kiwis’ World Cup campaign in 2000, in which Vagana appeared in 6 matches, he shifted to England and played for the Bradford Bulls. He was a member of the Bradford team which won the English Challenge Cup and Super League grand final in 2003.
- ALAN WHITICKER

Joe Vagana - Playing Career - RLP

A summary of the career stats for One of the tallest players to ever represent NZ, forward Joe Vagana represented Western Samoa in 1995’s World Cup before making his Test debut with the Kiwis the following year. He spent six seasons with the Warriors’ after the club’s debut in the ARL, but...

www.rugbyleagueproject.org

 

[Inruin]

 

[run_it_str8_again]

What an awesome prop. Right from day one. I remember how big he appeared in promotions with whoever was the other prop and hooker looking smaller (other prop was a big bigger too.)

So interesting how player shapes and proportions have changed.

 

[mt.wellington]

#18 Joe Vagana​

Big Joe is Operations Manager at Trow Group. Below is his company profile and below that is an article from 2018 detailing what they do and Joes role...

JOE VAGANA​

OPERATIONS MANAGER


Former New Zealand Warrior and Kiwi league legend, Joe Vagana, is the Operations Manager and Partner at TROW Group.

Joe manages the day-to-day operations across the entire TROW organisation and heads Health and Safety critical for all our people and projects.

He is responsible also for HR and TROW’s various work programmes. As a coach and mentor, Joe is passionate about creating pathway opportunities for young Pasifika and Māori through self-confidence, tool skills, training and employment.

Joe brings strong commercial skills from his experience as founder and director of Hire Connect machine leasing, a sister business of TROW Group which Joe had the opportunity to become involved with when it was being established at the same time as TROW in 2013. Joe built up the Hire Connect business with effective strategic planning, client relations and business development, before moving on to TROW.

In 2008, Joe founded not-for-profit charitable trust, ‘REACHES Youth Mentoring Trust.’ The trust came about from his passion for mentoring youth and assisting them on their pathways, teaching disciplines such as attitude, hard work, commitment and self-belief. It was founded after he retired from rugby league and returned to New Zealand.

Joe’s professional rugby league career spanned over 14 years, playing over 350 1st grade games for both the (formerly known as) Auckland Warriors in the Australian competition, and the Bradford Bulls in the English Super League Competition. Joe Also represented both Samoa and the New Zealand Kiwis in the 1995 and 2000 Rugby League World Cups, respectively.

Joe and Saia have learnt a lot along this journey and they both share similar beliefs and a vision for making TROW Group a success for the communities it supports.

Our Team - Joe Vagana - Trow Group

trowgroup.co.nz

Front-row forward turned construction entrepreneur gives back​

JACKSON THOMAS August 15, 2018 • 5:04pm

On the field he was one of the game's most destructive runners, capable of tearing a defensive line to shreds.

But life after footy for Joe Vagana is more about putting things back together than ripping them apart.

Vagana, now 43, played professional rugby league for both the Warriors in the NRL and Bradford Bulls in the UK, between 1995-2008.

And while he's still in the business of knocking things over, these days he does it with the intention of recycling what's left in ruin.

Five years ago, Vagana established Trow Group, a civil contracting and machinery hire company that works to salvage and recycle material from their building sites to be used in schools, community centres and churches in New Zealand and the Pacific.

Like all good ideas, Trow Group was born from a conversation with a mate over a few beers, Vagana said.
"Me and a mate of mine had this idea, call it a lightbulb moment I suppose. I then had to just take the risk, sell it to my wife to put our house on the line and five years later we haven't had to sell the house so, success in that sense."

The demolition side of the company also provides work to young Māori and Pasifika people who could otherwise "be lost in the system" and provides them with a foundation from which to build a career in the civil construction industry.

"We are a commercial company, but we have a community responsibility as well," the former front-rower said.

"When we demo a building or office space instead of going to landfill we redirect it to schools, churches, stuff like that as well providing work opportunities for our local youth.

"In this industry there is no shortage of work. And not all of our kids are university inclined, so this is a place where they can start at the bottom and work their way up, earning good money."

Despite being kept busy with the demand of working in civil infrastructure, Vagana still finds time to give back to his junior rugby league club as well and can be found down at the Richmond Bulldogs club rooms most Saturdays.

The father of four now has three "talented" sons playing rugby league, carrying with them a name with a fair amount of sporting weight behind it.

Joe is the cousin of fellow rugby league international Nigel Vagana and former New Zealand netballer Linda Vagana.

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz