From Waiheke to the Gridiron: Why Marcella T?riki picked up the football
In 2026, at just 17 years old, New Zealand rugby player Marcella T?riki was ready for her international debut at the World Rugby Under 20s championship. The New Zealand team lost to England, but it was enough to create a buzz around the up and coming athletic star. This was only amplified the following year: 2027 would see her return to the Under 20s championship, this time securing the win for New Zealand. Despite her early victories, just a few years later Marcella would be on a new path, one that would lead her off the rugby pitch and straight onto the gridiron.
New Zealand’s young star got her start on the island of Waiheke, where she showed an early interest in rugby. “Some of my earliest memories involve rugby. I basically grew up on the pitch,” T?riki said. “We didn’t have a ball at home, so it was always a real treat when I got to play with the neighborhood kids who did." Her father encouraged her interests, and young Marcella quickly rose through the ranks of the junior leagues. Everything about her trajectory pointed towards a bright career with the Black Ferns or as part of the New Zealand Olympic team. Marcella, ever the unconventional young woman, chose to take a detour that would change her life.
The transition away from rugby began when T?riki made the choice to leave Waiheke in pursuit of higher education. “It just felt like the right move,” T?riki said, “I wanted to reconnect with my mother and get an education. I wanted to spend some time investing in my future beyond rugby and that included seeing a different part of the world and of myself. It was the season of working through my life.” T?riki was America bound, set to attend university away from her father and brothers, and just a few miles down the road from her estranged birth mother, Elizabeth Burris.
The road to forming a relationship with her mother proved to be a challenge. Burris had returned to the United States shortly after Marcella’s first birthday, leaving her to be raised exclusively by her father. “We talked on the phone maybe twice a year,” she said. “It was awkward at first. I didn’t feel like she wanted me around.” Luckily, Marcella has never been one to back down when things get tough. “I think I was hurting more than I realized. I had to be willing to meet her halfway, which was harder than I thought it would be. But we soldiered on until we could make things work.” T?riki, known for being a family-oriented person, struggled to feel comfortable in a place without the close bonds she was used to. “I was on skype with my brothers all the time. They were my rock, especially at first.”
Away from her island roots, T?riki found ways to keep her rugby dreams alive. As she began her studies at the University of Oregon, she quickly earned a place on the women’s rugby team. “The Oregon rugby team calls themselves the Dirty Ducks, and some of those girls became forever friends for me.” She found success as a Dirty Duck, helping to lead the team through two undefeated seasons. While the rugby culture in the United States had its differences, T?riki had found a community that would act as her support network, as well as her springboard to bigger and better things.
At this time, Marcella was given a sneak peek into a different world. “It was a pick-up football game down by the river with some of my friends from the team,” T?riki laughed. “I had no idea what I was doing, but I wasn’t about to let anyone beat me.” From there, a single game turned into a fascination. She started going to Oregon home games, absorbing all that she could. “Watching them, I knew that I could be out there too. I had decided that’s what I wanted, and when I set my mind to something, there’s no turning back,” T?riki said. With the help of her friends, T?riki hit the books to learn as much as she could about American football. She trained with the Dirty Ducks in the evenings and dreamed of wearing a different Ducks uniform at night.
The day of judgment arrived when Marcella took to the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex practice fields for walk-on try-outs. She was eager to put her studies to good use and prove she could make it as a Duck. “Waiting to hear back almost killed me. I’m not the most patient person,” T?riki admitted. The agonizing wait tore at T?riki’s nerves: “I made myself sick sitting there waiting for my answer.” But the wait proved worthwhile when T?riki received the news: she had her spot.
Then came perhaps the hardest step in the journey: telling her family that she was switching teams. “I love football, but I couldn’t do it if I didn’t have my family behind me,” T?riki explained. Her mother, an Oregon alumnus, was immediately on board. With a small amount of convincing, her father and brothers followed suit. T?riki recalls that her uncle Freddie took the news the hardest: “He called me to tell me I was breaking my father’s heart. Now, I knew that wasn’t true; my dad’s a big softie, he’ll support me through anything. Fine, Freddie says to me, you’re breaking my heart. Freddie wants a rugby champ in the family more than anything. So I’m trying to get my little brother on that path so Uncle Freddy stops ringing me.”
T?riki struggled through her first season. Despite her intense study of the sport, she still had a lot to learn. Practices were long, and she stayed late most nights to try and keep up with her teammates. As a newcomer, time on the field was harder to come by, meaning that she had to make the most of each opportunity. “I was going from a team that had me on almost every play to a team that still had its doubts about my ability,” Marcella claimed. “I’d made it past the try-outs on paper, but that season was one long try-out for me.” She was not without encouragement during that difficult season. The Dirty Ducks showed up to support her at home games. Her older brother Kauri took a freelancing job that allowed him the flexibility to be there cheering her on at every single game.
If the first season was a try-out, Marcella passed. The second season brought more play time and further chances to prove herself. With more work added to her plate, T?riki felt the pressure to perform. While her performance was commendable, the drop in her efficiency concerned her. “I hold myself to a high standard and I wasn’t meeting that,” T?riki admitted. “I needed to be better for myself and for my team.” It wasn’t a coach driving her progress, it was her own feelings of frustration. T?riki wasn’t content to relax after a successful season. She put her head down and got to work. “I almost overdid it,” T?riki said. “I stopped taking breaks and almost burned myself out entirely. Thankfully, I had enough people looking out for me, and they staged a little intervention.”
T?riki managed to turn her frustration in gold with her final year with the Ducks, racking up a total of 1859 yards over the course of the thirteen games played. “I had 16 touchdowns this past season, which was a personal best.” The best of three seasons showed that T?riki had the power behind her to get results. Her cross-training had given her the speed and agility she needed to be a true asset to the team.
She received praise not only for her performance on the field but for her supportive presence in the locker room. “I do my best to take younger players under my wing. That’s just the big sister in me,” T?riki explained. “If someone on my team’s not doing well, I’m not doing well. We’re in it together.” Her own tough transition to the sport in combination with her passionate approach to athletics put her in the perfect position to help others. “You see the hunger in their eyes to do well, and there’s an instant spark of recognition. You want to help feed that fire so they can be their best.” The team became an extension of her family. Her role as a mentor on the team took on a special meaning in her final season: the new recruits were the same age as her younger brothers back home.
College complete and a degree in hand, Marcella had no intention of stepping out of the spotlight. She declared her intent to enter the professional ranks of football with preparations already underway. With the DSFL draft just around the corner, she reflected on what sets her apart from the rest: "I get called the rugby girl sometimes. And I think that’s the heart of what sets me apart. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade my experiences with the Ducks for anything. I was lucky to have a great coach and tremendous teammates who played to their potential every weekend. But I am forever thankful that I started with rugby so young. That’s the sport that built my work ethic. There’s a mantra my first rugby coach hammered home for me: be faster, be smarter, work harder. That’s what I live by, and that’s what makes me worth having around.”
In 2026, at just 17 years old, New Zealand rugby player Marcella T?riki was ready for her international debut at the World Rugby Under 20s championship. The New Zealand team lost to England, but it was enough to create a buzz around the up and coming athletic star. This was only amplified the following year: 2027 would see her return to the Under 20s championship, this time securing the win for New Zealand. Despite her early victories, just a few years later Marcella would be on a new path, one that would lead her off the rugby pitch and straight onto the gridiron.
New Zealand’s young star got her start on the island of Waiheke, where she showed an early interest in rugby. “Some of my earliest memories involve rugby. I basically grew up on the pitch,” T?riki said. “We didn’t have a ball at home, so it was always a real treat when I got to play with the neighborhood kids who did." Her father encouraged her interests, and young Marcella quickly rose through the ranks of the junior leagues. Everything about her trajectory pointed towards a bright career with the Black Ferns or as part of the New Zealand Olympic team. Marcella, ever the unconventional young woman, chose to take a detour that would change her life.
The transition away from rugby began when T?riki made the choice to leave Waiheke in pursuit of higher education. “It just felt like the right move,” T?riki said, “I wanted to reconnect with my mother and get an education. I wanted to spend some time investing in my future beyond rugby and that included seeing a different part of the world and of myself. It was the season of working through my life.” T?riki was America bound, set to attend university away from her father and brothers, and just a few miles down the road from her estranged birth mother, Elizabeth Burris.
The road to forming a relationship with her mother proved to be a challenge. Burris had returned to the United States shortly after Marcella’s first birthday, leaving her to be raised exclusively by her father. “We talked on the phone maybe twice a year,” she said. “It was awkward at first. I didn’t feel like she wanted me around.” Luckily, Marcella has never been one to back down when things get tough. “I think I was hurting more than I realized. I had to be willing to meet her halfway, which was harder than I thought it would be. But we soldiered on until we could make things work.” T?riki, known for being a family-oriented person, struggled to feel comfortable in a place without the close bonds she was used to. “I was on skype with my brothers all the time. They were my rock, especially at first.”
Away from her island roots, T?riki found ways to keep her rugby dreams alive. As she began her studies at the University of Oregon, she quickly earned a place on the women’s rugby team. “The Oregon rugby team calls themselves the Dirty Ducks, and some of those girls became forever friends for me.” She found success as a Dirty Duck, helping to lead the team through two undefeated seasons. While the rugby culture in the United States had its differences, T?riki had found a community that would act as her support network, as well as her springboard to bigger and better things.
At this time, Marcella was given a sneak peek into a different world. “It was a pick-up football game down by the river with some of my friends from the team,” T?riki laughed. “I had no idea what I was doing, but I wasn’t about to let anyone beat me.” From there, a single game turned into a fascination. She started going to Oregon home games, absorbing all that she could. “Watching them, I knew that I could be out there too. I had decided that’s what I wanted, and when I set my mind to something, there’s no turning back,” T?riki said. With the help of her friends, T?riki hit the books to learn as much as she could about American football. She trained with the Dirty Ducks in the evenings and dreamed of wearing a different Ducks uniform at night.
The day of judgment arrived when Marcella took to the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex practice fields for walk-on try-outs. She was eager to put her studies to good use and prove she could make it as a Duck. “Waiting to hear back almost killed me. I’m not the most patient person,” T?riki admitted. The agonizing wait tore at T?riki’s nerves: “I made myself sick sitting there waiting for my answer.” But the wait proved worthwhile when T?riki received the news: she had her spot.
Then came perhaps the hardest step in the journey: telling her family that she was switching teams. “I love football, but I couldn’t do it if I didn’t have my family behind me,” T?riki explained. Her mother, an Oregon alumnus, was immediately on board. With a small amount of convincing, her father and brothers followed suit. T?riki recalls that her uncle Freddie took the news the hardest: “He called me to tell me I was breaking my father’s heart. Now, I knew that wasn’t true; my dad’s a big softie, he’ll support me through anything. Fine, Freddie says to me, you’re breaking my heart. Freddie wants a rugby champ in the family more than anything. So I’m trying to get my little brother on that path so Uncle Freddy stops ringing me.”
T?riki struggled through her first season. Despite her intense study of the sport, she still had a lot to learn. Practices were long, and she stayed late most nights to try and keep up with her teammates. As a newcomer, time on the field was harder to come by, meaning that she had to make the most of each opportunity. “I was going from a team that had me on almost every play to a team that still had its doubts about my ability,” Marcella claimed. “I’d made it past the try-outs on paper, but that season was one long try-out for me.” She was not without encouragement during that difficult season. The Dirty Ducks showed up to support her at home games. Her older brother Kauri took a freelancing job that allowed him the flexibility to be there cheering her on at every single game.
If the first season was a try-out, Marcella passed. The second season brought more play time and further chances to prove herself. With more work added to her plate, T?riki felt the pressure to perform. While her performance was commendable, the drop in her efficiency concerned her. “I hold myself to a high standard and I wasn’t meeting that,” T?riki admitted. “I needed to be better for myself and for my team.” It wasn’t a coach driving her progress, it was her own feelings of frustration. T?riki wasn’t content to relax after a successful season. She put her head down and got to work. “I almost overdid it,” T?riki said. “I stopped taking breaks and almost burned myself out entirely. Thankfully, I had enough people looking out for me, and they staged a little intervention.”
T?riki managed to turn her frustration in gold with her final year with the Ducks, racking up a total of 1859 yards over the course of the thirteen games played. “I had 16 touchdowns this past season, which was a personal best.” The best of three seasons showed that T?riki had the power behind her to get results. Her cross-training had given her the speed and agility she needed to be a true asset to the team.
She received praise not only for her performance on the field but for her supportive presence in the locker room. “I do my best to take younger players under my wing. That’s just the big sister in me,” T?riki explained. “If someone on my team’s not doing well, I’m not doing well. We’re in it together.” Her own tough transition to the sport in combination with her passionate approach to athletics put her in the perfect position to help others. “You see the hunger in their eyes to do well, and there’s an instant spark of recognition. You want to help feed that fire so they can be their best.” The team became an extension of her family. Her role as a mentor on the team took on a special meaning in her final season: the new recruits were the same age as her younger brothers back home.
College complete and a degree in hand, Marcella had no intention of stepping out of the spotlight. She declared her intent to enter the professional ranks of football with preparations already underway. With the DSFL draft just around the corner, she reflected on what sets her apart from the rest: "I get called the rugby girl sometimes. And I think that’s the heart of what sets me apart. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade my experiences with the Ducks for anything. I was lucky to have a great coach and tremendous teammates who played to their potential every weekend. But I am forever thankful that I started with rugby so young. That’s the sport that built my work ethic. There’s a mantra my first rugby coach hammered home for me: be faster, be smarter, work harder. That’s what I live by, and that’s what makes me worth having around.”