Memories of Ma'a Nonu inspire Reds rookie Hunter Paisami as he gets set to tackle Crusaders

The Reds' Kiwi centre Hunter Paisami has admitted Ma'a Nonu was his boyhood hero and he is striving to emulate the All Blacks great's all-round game.

Paisami, 21,was born in Samoa but grew up in Auckland before moving to Melbourne with his family as a 17-year-old.

"My favourite player was Ma'a Nonu because he could do everything ... ball-carry, pass, kick, he was unreal," he told Brisbane's Courier Mail this week ahead of Friday night's game against the Crusaders in Christchurch.

The Courier Mail claimed Paisami - 1.80m and 92kg and devoid of dreadlocks - is no "mini-Ma'a" yet, but the tyro midfielder's first memory of rugby was watching Nonu at the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

Paisami wasn't the biggest player as a youngster, but he told the Melbourne Rebels website in 2017, that he always took the field with a special message from his father uppermost in his mind: "Size doesn't matter, it's all about the heart".

"Those words, which I now write on my wrist, have stayed with me today after my dad would tell me before I got out of the car at every game growing up."

Paisami first played contact rugby as a nine-year-old in Auckland. He represented Mangere College, was an Auckland under-14 and under-16 representative and had a game for the Blues under-18 squad before moving across the Tasman.

Within days of his arrival in Melbourne, a Rebels representative was on the phone, asking him to train with their development team.

Paisami wasn't the biggest player as a youngster, but he told the Melbourne Rebels website in 2017, that he always took the field with a special message from his father uppermost in his mind: "Size doesn't matter, it's all about the heart".

"Those words, which I now write on my wrist, have stayed with me today after my dad would tell me before I got out of the car at every game growing up."

Paisami first played contact rugby as a nine-year-old in Auckland. He represented Mangere College, was an Auckland under-14 and under-16 representative and had a game for the Blues under-18 squad before moving across the Tasman.

Within days of his arrival in Melbourne, a Rebels representative was on the phone, asking him to train with their development team.

Paisami played for Australian Schools against the New Zealand Barbarians in Auckland in 2016, and turned out for the Melbourne Harlequins club.

He played for the Melbourne Rising in Australian's National Rugby Championship (NRC) in 2017 and was selected in the Samoa squad for the 2017 under-20 Rugby World Cup.

Paisami joined the Rebels the following year, before moving to Queensland to join Brisbane Wests in 2019 before playing for Brisbane City in the NRC.

Paisami told the Courier Mail he thought it might take him several years to attract the attention of the Reds.

But he signed for Brad Thorn's Super Rugby side this year and has played five games, cementing a start at centre after a pre-season injury to teenage Wallaby Jordan Petaia.

He said his start to the 2020 campaign had exceeded his own expectations.

"I didn't expect anything this early to be honest. It's a dream come true to play Super Rugby," he told the Courier Mail.

"After the nerves at the start [of the season]. I just love getting out there and going all-out to make the most of that 13 jersey."