Hewago Oea Biography

Hewago Oea's family make it to the Gold Coast to watch him play for the Suns in round 15.

For Paul, Hewago's dad, brother Ado and sister Miriam, it was not only their first time at an AFL game, but their first time travelling away from Papua New Guinea.

"Words cannot describe it. Without them I wouldn't be here playing footy. They do a lot for me, so to bring them here is pretty special," Oea said.

Hewago Oea last week became the first Papua New Guinean to come through the country's development program to debut in the AFL.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and in Oea's instance it took a virtual village across borders for his burgeoning career to flourish.

From Scott Reid who started AFL PNG around the turn of the century, to AFL Queensland talent manager Mark Browning, and host family Tim and Chris Searl on the Gold Coast, who Oea still lives with today, hundreds of people have played a part.

"Moving away from my family was pretty tough. The lifestyle down here is different. Back home is a different culture, so moving away was tough," Oea said.

"The first week I was so happy and the second week I was a little bit homesick. Lucky, I have a beautiful family."

Hewago Oea makes his AFL debut for Gold Coast with 6 disposals (5 kicks and a handball), 2 marks, a tackle and a goal in a 5-point loss to Collingwood.

Gold Coast officially adds Papua New Guinea youngster Hewago Paul Oea to its list three years after he joined the Suns' Academy.

Known as 'Ace' to everyone at the Suns, the international scholarship holder has been upgraded to the club's category B rookie list.

"Ace made a difficult decision to leave his family in PNG to follow his dream and his progression onto the list is an acknowledgement that his dedication and commitment is beginning to show real dividends," Suns football manager Jon Haines said.

A boy everyone affectionately calls 'Ace' is expected to join the Gold Coast Suns academy after a stunning MCG debut on Saturday.

Lively forward Hewago Oea underlined his immense untapped potential in Papua New Guinea's thrilling AFL International Cup Grand Final victory over New Zealand.

Oea, who was born in Port Moresby and plays for Gordons Kokofas in the local league, won the medal as the best player in the division one decider played as a curtain-raiser to the Collingwood-Geelong game.

The best-on-ground award continues the rapid rise of the speedy half-forward, who turns 16 in November.

He played three games for QAFL club Broadbeach before the AFL International Cup – the first in the colts' team, then in the reserves before being promoted straight into the seniors.

In an interview with the AFL Record earlier this year, Oea said he discovered footy when he was 12, when the AFLPNG development team visited his school.

"I was attracted to the game because it is fast and skilful. My friends were playing and I wanted to play too. I like tackling and applying pressure, hunting the ball and getting lots of kicks," he said.

"Football is fun and always enjoyable. It has also provided an opportunity for me to come to Australia and learn."