The Big O – The Life and Times of Olsen Filipaina

‘Olsen was a pathfinder, the first to show what Polynesians could do, and he was the face of hope for his community. He was a great player who was misunderstood, and this is a very important book to explain his role in the Polynesian rise in rugby league.’

 – Sir Graham Lowe

The Big O, The Life and Times of Olsen Filipaina, is on sale now in book stores across Australia and New Zealand.

The Big O is the story of Olsen Filipaina, a New Zealand Hall of Fame rugby league legend who paved the way for the Pacific Revolution – the influx of Māori and Pasifika players who today dominate the NRL.

It tracks Olsen’s story from his rise out of working-class South Auckland to overcoming depression, racism and cultural dislocation in Sydney, to the Cinderella story of his success for the New Zealand Kiwis enabled by the culturally competent man management of coaching legend Sir Graham Lowe.

Forty years after Filipaina burst into the Australian rugby league scene, Skene’s biography relates the journey of a humble and principled man who overcame barriers to dethrone the greatest player of all.

To purchase a copy of the Big O online, click here.