By Fraser Smith
By Luke Worthington.

Due to its global nature, rugby can provide athletes with the opportunity to travel the world by simply doing what they love.

23-year-old Perth Spirit fullback and rugby journeyman Manihera Eden has proven you can turn your love of the sport into a career.

Growing up in the small town of Puketapu in Napier, New Zealand, Eden played his rugby with home club Taradale. He joined the Napier Boys High School as he grew older, while still continuing his affiliation with Taradale. [SP1]

Straight out of school, he made a life changing decision that shaped his rugby career in the long term, moving to Northern Ireland and playing club rugby for Armagh in 2014.

Having never left New Zealand, he said the move was a big decision and an even bigger stepping stone.

“It really was a life-changing moment for me,” he said.

“I was just used to mum and dad doing all my chores, cooking dinner and washing my clothes. Going over there and having to do that all for myself, and also go to work and train really opened my eyes to the bigger picture of the world.

“It was also my first time travelling on a plane, which was what I thought was unreal.”

Eden found the Northern Irish people and the Armagh rugby community so welcoming that he returned for another season.

“I got offered another opportunity to go over to Northern Ireland with a higher ranked club called Ballynahinch, so I went back over there because I enjoyed it so much the first time,” he said.

But as an attacking-minded, hard-running ball carrier, Eden found he may be more suited to the Southern Hemisphere’s style of rugby.

“I enjoyed the rugby in Northern Ireland, but it didn’t really suit me because it was more forward orientated just due to the weather and the pitches,” he said.

With his rugby career, and the thought of having more than two months of warm weather in mind, he packed up his life and headed to Perth.

“After not having a summer season for a few years I decided to come to Perth.”

“I was going to go back home but I had a couple of friends in Ireland who had played a couple of seasons at Palmyra, so they got a hold of the club for me and that’s where I’ve come to this season.

“My friends rated Palmyra quite highly and said the rugby would really suit me. It’s a lot more expansive and they play open, running rugby.”

Eden quickly established himself as a cornerstone of the Palmyra backline in the No.15 jersey with his kick returning and excellent footwork helping Palmyra reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2008.

In 13 appearances for the ‘Palms’ Eden chalked up eight tries including some spectacular long range efforts.

This outstanding effort caught the attention of Perth Spirit head coach Dwayne Nestor, who called him up for the 2016 Buildcorp National Rugby Championship (NRC) season.

Nestor said he has been impressed with both Eden’s play, and his attitude towards the game.

“A good way of describing Mani [Eden] would be outstanding work ethic,” he said.

“He is really keen, really eager and wants to be involved. He has been around the traps and played plenty of rugby over the last few years just going from season to season, so it’s obvious the guy loves his rugby and that reflects in the way he goes about his business.

“He has been really good for us, but I think the standard of rugby he’s playing has challenged him. He used to be able to do things at Premier Grade level that he isn’t getting away with at NRC level, so it has been a huge learning opportunity.”

Now a regular starter for the Spirit, Eden scored two tries during the regular season and ran the ball 44 times to make up 242 metres – an average of 5.5 metres per carry.

He said the experience and opportunity to play with Super Rugby players was daunting at first, but has proven invaluable to his career.

“I have learned so much, I was quite worried at the start with knowing that a lot of the Super Rugby players were coming to play in the NRC.”

“But Dwayne has mixed us all in quite evenly and has given us a fair shot against the Super Rugby guys.

“I have learned so much with the majority of the team being Western Force players. They teach you how to be confident with speaking out in front of the team and help you out on the side at training too.

“The leadership side is very strong in the squad, which helps us club players out a lot. It gets us up to their level and makes you feel like you’re not just a club player – everyone is equal.”

Pencilled in to play another season for Palmyra in 2017, Eden is motivated to take his passion for rugby as far as possible in the city he now calls home.

“I would have to say I’m ultimately hunting for a Super Rugby contract, but I am going to take it as it comes and keep improving my game. Hopefully if I’m lucky I'll be back for the Spirit again next season.”

You can catch Manihera and the Perth Spirit in action this Sunday from 12:00PM (AWST) as they face the Sydney Rays at Pittwater Park in the NRC semi-finals, LIVE on Fox Sports 2 (502).

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