Seriah Palepale led police on a high speed chase to remind the rugby league community how to pronounce her name.
Palepale was arrested following an alleged high-speed police chase which earned her a nomination for The Frownlow Medal.
The Frownlow Medal is awarded to the player whose off-field demeanour epitomises the values of the modern-day footballer and draws attention to the status of footballers as role models to young Australians. It covers Australia’s four major football codes: the men’s and women’s National Rugby League (NRL), Australian Football League (AFL), the A-League (Football) and Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition. NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015, while AFL player Noah Balta is the most recent recipient.
“People need to learn my name. It’s Palepale, not Pole Pole,” she declared.
“Pole Pole is a Swahili term that means slow, easy, relaxed, calm, and my name is Palepale. Like, I’m not even from Kenya or Tanzania, I was born in New Zealand. The words are not the same but a lot of people get them mixed up, so I had to show everyone I’m not slow, I’m fast.”
In order to prove she is not slow, the St George-Illawarra prop allegedly drove up to 200km/h in a 90km/h zone with police on her tail. The 19-year-old was caught speeding before allegedly failing to stop when directed by police.
It’s hard to stop a rampaging prop on the field, and the only thing that stopped Palepale on this occasion was a telegraph pole. She escaped the crash without injury and was charged with four offences, including driving dangerously during a police pursuit, not stopping when directed by police, driving with a suspended licence and speeding more than 45km/h over the limit as an L-plater.
“How can I show people I’m fast?” Palepale continued.
“I’m not that fast on the field, I mean I’m a prop, not a winger, so the best way to go fast was behind the wheel and when I saw the cops I just (allegeldy) put my foot down and showed my speed. I knew, too, that it’d get some publicity for myself and for the sport in general, and that’s important because it’s not just my name that gets mispronounced,” Palepale went on.
“Most Pasifika names get mispronounced in rugby league, even by expert commentators who are paid big money to talk about players who are household names to footy fans. I had to remind them to pronounce names correctly.”
The NRLW rookie is still learning how to drive a car, and learning how to fit in with some of the greats of rugby league by committing an off-field scandal and being nominated for the most prestigious prize in Australian sport.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 