Mateaki’s kuli a prize winner at UK dog show [1]
Thursday, April 21, 2016 - 19:03. Updated on Friday, April 22, 2016 - 08:20.
Former Mate Ma’a Tonga winger Mateaki Mafi (43) was a prize winner at the 2016 Crufts dog show in Birmingham, England, according to local news media. One of his dogs a Neapolitan Mastiff, won the best of breed award in the “working dogs” category. His dog is named “Freddo Dei Mastini Della Rupe”.
Mateaki told local media, “I breed these dogs with my partner Kim and it’s massive for us. We’ve been competing at Crufts for 12 years and we’ve always been close but just come up short, so I’m really happy,”
“Growing up in Tonga, I never had a pet dog or anything. Over there, they are not really seen in the same way as they are in this country,”
Mateaki’s dog is a Neapolitan Mastiff, an ancient breed of dogs originating from Italy. According to dog experts, Neapolitan Mastiffs are highly regarded as guard dogs because of their size, intimidating looks and protective instincts. The Neapolitan Mastiffs are also reknowned for being quiet and for sneaking up on intruders as opposed to barking at them.
Mateaki Mafi himself a former Mate Ma’a Tonga and retired rugby league player, lives with his wife in the Welsh town of Brigend. “Living in Bridgend is great, especially for the dogs, because there is a mountain nearby which is perfect for training them” stated Mateaki.
Mateaki was also an Olympic sprinter for Tonga, representing Tonga at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He played professional Rugby League for an English club Warrington, and represented Tonga at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup.
The Crufts dog show is the biggest and most popular dog competition in the world, attracting thousands of spectators. In the competition, dogs of various breeds compete for various prizes in different categories.