Hitro Okesene

John Haitrosene "Hitro" Okesene (/haɪtroʊ oʊkəsiːni/) (born 22 September 1970), also known by the nickname "Nitro",^[2] is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s and represented three countries; Western Samoa, American Samoa and New Zealand.

Hitro Okesene

Personal information
Full name	John Haitrosene Okesene
Born	(1970-09-22) 22 September 1970 (age 54) Auckland, New Zealand
Playing information
Height	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	125 kg (19 st 10 lb)
Position	Prop, Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1980–93 Manukau 1989–92 Carlisle 68 17 3 0 74 1994 Counties Manukau 23 3 0 0 12 1995–97 Auckland Warriors 22 2 0 0 8 1998 Hull Sharks 22 0 0 0 0 1999 Featherstone Rovers 32 3 0 0 12 2000 XIII Catalan 2001–03 Workington Town 93 10 0 0 40 Total 260 35 3 0 146 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1988–89 Western Samoa 1 0 0 0 0 1992–97 American Samoa 7 2 0 0 0 1990–94 Auckland 9 1 1 0 6 1994–95 New Zealand 5 1 0 0 4
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 2003–05 Ellenborough RLFC
Source: [1]
Relatives	Paul Okesene (brother)

Background

He was born in Auckland, New Zealand. His brother Paul also played international rugby league.

Playing career

His early years saw him play in both Auckland competitions, for the Manukau club, and for Carlisle in the English competition during the New Zealand off-season. In 1994 he captained the Counties Manukau Heroes in the Lion Red Cup, and in 1995 was part of the inaugural Auckland Warriors squad.^[3] He stayed with Auckland for another two seasons before moving the England to play in the Super League. He played for both the Hull Sharks and Featherstone Rovers before settling at lower division club, Workington Town. There, as in Auckland, he became a cult figure.^{[citation needed]}

Representative career

Okesene was a Junior Kiwi in 1988 and 1989. In 1988 he also represented Western Samoa in the Pacific Cup.^[4] He later represented American Samoa at the 1992 Pacific Cup alongside his brother Paul.

He played at either prop or hooker and represented the New Zealand on five occasions both on the 1994 tour of Australia and Papua New Guinea, and at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup.

Retirement

In 2003 he retired due to knee troubles and became coach of the Ellenborough Rangers who competed in the Cumbria Amateur Rugby League. He was replaced in 2005 but remains in Cumbria, working in the construction industry.^[5]

Personal life

Now residing in Cumbria Okesene lives with his wife, Donna and they have three children named Shakayla, Giovanna and Lerocco

References

1. Hitro Okesene rugbyleagueproject.com
2. Coffey and Wood The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League ISBN 1-86971-090-8
3. Lion Red Rugby League Annual 1994, New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1994. p.94
4. John Coffey, Bernie Wood (2008). 100 years: Māori rugby league, 1908-2008. Huia Publishers. pp. 252–255. ISBN 978-1-86969-331-2.
5. Superleague, Issue 1 2011. p.p.20-21.