- Son was born three days into jail sentence
New Zealand Warriors legend Manu Vatuvei has opened up about discovering he had become a father for the first time while sitting in a jail cell – and why he still thinks being put behind bars was the best thing for him.
Vatuvei, 40, was convicted of importing methamphetamine into New Zealand and sentenced in early 2022.
Because of the conviction, he missed the birth of his son Frankie, who arrived just days after the former Warriors winger spent his first night in prison.
‘I didn’t know she [his partner] had the baby until, I think, a week later when I got my first letter,’ he told Fox Sports.
‘That’s what changed my mind. I wanted to get out, do well for my son, and guide him the right way.’
Vatuvei was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison but served only a third of that time before being released on parole in 2023.
Manu Vatuvei (pictured) has opened up about missing his son’s birth after he was jailed
Vatuvei (pictured with son Frankie) has revealed he only discovered he’d become a father a week after his wife gave birth
The Warriors winger (pictured in 2016) is a club legend who has had a raft of legal issues
The winger who was nicknamed ‘The Beast’ due to his extremely physical style has also opened up about how jail changed his life for the better and helped him confront his issues head-on.
‘To have that fall from grace was something I kind of needed – that wake-up call to overcome a lot of demons inside me and move forward with my life,’ Vatuvei said.
‘Going through everything I went through, and the changes I’ve made now, I don’t think it would have happened if I hadn’t gone inside.
‘You’re in the cells 24/7 by yourself, looking at the walls, thinking about a lot of things.
‘It made me reflect on my life. It made me reflect on the trauma, or whatever you call it, the depression, the hardest times I went through.’
Vatuvei became a father for the second time early last year when his partner gave birth to another boy, Murphy.
The footy great played for the Warriors in their most recent grand final appearance in 2011 and remains the club’s leading try-scorer.
Vatuvei scored 152 NRL tries across his 14-season career and was also part of New Zealand’s memorable 2008 Rugby League World Cup triumph.
