Fai family touched by support from NRL players, clubs

More than 500 NRL players and coaches wrote personal messages of sympathy to the parents of missing Warriors player Sonny Fai in a book hand-delivered by former Kiwis star Nigel Vagana.

Fai has been missing, presumed drowned, since he disappeared in a rip off the notorious Bethells' Beach in west Auckland since January 4.

Last month, Vagana - a former Warrior and Kiwi who captained Samoa at last year's world cup - and NRL education and welfare manager Matt Francis spent three hours at the Fai home in south Auckland, taking part in a prayer service and sharing a meal with Fai's parents, siblings and grandparents.

Francis said Fai's parents were "very touched" by the messages of support from players at all 16 NRL clubs. Among the signatories was Melbourne Storm premiership-winning coach Craig Bellamy, who wrote a moving letter of condolence. NRL chief executive David Gallop wrote a lengthy covering letter on behalf of the sport.

"We wanted to show the game was thinking of them," said Francis.

"His mum sat down for an hour and read through the messages, some of which were written in Samoan by the Samoan players. She recognised the names of some of Sonny's friends, and to see messages from a coach like Craig Bellamy who hadn't met her son but wrote a full-page message, she was very touched.

"For the relatively small amount of effort it took to get the book organised, it meant so much to the family that you would do the same thing if it was ten times the effort," he added. "And I think the Warriors players appreciated the support of their fellow players - to know the other 15 clubs were with them in their time of grief."

Francis said every NRL club had been given group counselling sessions, and some players had taken up the offer of individual counselling. Vagana, who since his retirement has worked as Francis' assistant, had also been offering informal support to players of island heritage who had been touched by Fai's loss.

- © Fairfax NZ News