The two brothers are internationalists in no less than three sporting codes – football, beach soccer and rugby union.
Sons of a fisherman from Luaniua in the Lord Howe Islands in the northern most tip of Solomon Islands, both Marie and Laua agree sport adds great value to their quality of life.
“Sports makes a great contribution to our personal lives and importantly helps us stay fit and healthy. Also, by playing sports we form and strengthen relationships with other people like we belong to one family,” Marie and Laua say.
Laua, who plays on the wing, was selected for the national beach soccer team, Bilikiki, in 2009. On his debut at the 2009 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Laua scored a hat trick which helped Solomon Islands defeat Uruguay 7-6.
But that was not the first time Laua donned the national colours for the Solomon Islands; he previously played for two youth (Under 12 and Under 16) futsal representative sides that played in the Australian National Futsal Champions.
Marie, a defender, on the other hand, got his call up for beach soccer duties late this year but this is on top of his national duties as a rugby player. In June, Marie played for the Solomon Islands national rugby team at the Oceania Cup in Papua New Guinea, the qualifying competition for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Marie went on further to say that beach soccer holds special appeal as it brings different ethnicities together in the diverse Solomon Islands.
Marie joked that in the sand based version of football it means nobody can be excluded because nobody can be benched for very long.
“Beach soccer has given smaller ethnic communities in Solomon Islands a way to join the football community and play for our country and this is why I love and respect the sport.
At the same time when you play beach soccer you are almost guaranteed game time in every match,” Marie says.
The two brothers are set to take the pitch on Thursday 19 September when the Solomon Islands meets the Netherlands in their opening clash of the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer Championship.
But whatever happens on the pitch, Marie and Laua know that they can count on each other.
“As we look forward for our first match against Netherland we will enter the pitch as brothers and we will always support each other.
“I feel it is an honour for me to play alongside Patrick for Solomon Islands in the World Cup,” says Laua.
This is not the first time for the Bilikiki team to feature siblings inside their line up.
The very first national beach soccer team of 2006 featured the current coach, Gideon Omokirio, as defender.
His brother, Eddie Omokirio, was the nation’s first beach soccer international coach.
For more on Solomon Islands football go to www.siff.com.sb

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