Nine-year-old Manase Uhi, who is heavier than a Warriors prop, just wants to play with his mates.

At 170cm tall and weighing in at over 110 kilograms, Manase Uhi is bigger than your average 9-year-old.

But he is not alone, and is one of many "gentle giants" across the junior Auckland sports scene who are out to prove doubters and sideline abusers wrong.

Manase loves rugby league, and three years ago when his father Paula Uhi took him down to their local Ōtāhuhu Leopards club to register, he couldn't wait to hit the field and play with his mates.

"I was really happy to play," he said.

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"My first game, I scored, I think, three or four tries."

The game came naturally to Manase. He skittled defenders and carried opposition players down the field time and time again, much to his parents' delight.

"The first training was very hard because there was a lot of running. I actually cried but mum (Sesilia) came and finished the laps with me and now I'm getting way more fit and playing really good now."

The club, his teammates and coaches are all thrilled for Manase and his development, but not everyone is so supportive.

"We have experienced a fair bit [of abuse] but Manase has managed to smile through most of it," Sesilia Uhi said.

"Earlier this year we were at a tournament and Manase got the ball and I could hear another mother, from the other team, yelling 'big boy, he's big but useless, he should not be playing here'. That hurts as a mother."

Unfortunately it's the ugly side of junior sports in Auckland, she said.

JACKSON THOMAS/STUFF Manase Uhi plays for the Ōtāhuhu Leopards.

Manase knows he is bigger than most kids his age, but said there was little he could do about that.

At 110kg, Manase is 2kg heavier than current Warriors prop James Gavet.

"I just love to play and I'm not trying to hurt anyone," he said.

The Panama Primary School student said he had been encouraged by another south Auckland boy in a similar situation to him, named Eljae​.

Last year Stuff covered the story of how Eljae, a Manurewa Marlins junior, was forced to give the game up after enduring sideline abuse from parents.

The 11-year-old eventually came back to rugby league and the Uhi family drew inspiration from his story.

"We have had people question his age, say he's too big and should go up a grade, everything," Paula Uhi said.

"At the end of the day he is 9 years old. This is his grade and these are his friends."

One of the other issues facing kids in similar situations to Manase is finding a grade to play at all.

Many junior leagues are weight-restricted and not all clubs have the capacity or personal to enter open weight sides.

JACKSON THOMAS/STUFF Manase Uhi and sister Mele are both high achievers in the classroom, as well as on the sports field.

Another Auckland boy, whose family wanted to remain anonymous, had to take a year away from the game he loves as he was too big for any grades at his club and his parents did not want their son to have to play against children twice his age.

The boy was 10 years old, 175cm and weighed more than 115kg.

A spokesperson for Auckland Rugby League said it offered both restricted weight grades and open grades at many age levels for junior players, to help control such issues.

"With regards to sideline abuse, we have our Be a Sport, Just Support programme, which has been operating for a number of years and has seen a significant reduction in non-official complaints about poor sideline behaviour," the spokesperson said.

"It encourages teams to take responsibility for their own people, and requires each side to have a 'Be a Sport' ambassador to monitor behaviour."

JACKSON THOMAS/STUFF Manase Uhi, 9, says he wants to prove to people that size doesn't matter.

However, despite the efforts of the league, abusive sideline behaviour was still going on.

"Manase is an emotional boy and I know it hurts him to hear those things. But as a mother I'm not one to get into it with fellow parents," Uhi said.

"We fight abuse with encouragement. The louder people yell nasty things, the louder I scream encouragement. That's all my son needs to be hearing."

And while the Tongan youngster has a big future on the field, he is just as big in the classroom.

Manase is a student leader, has received multiple academic excellence awards and also leads the school kapa haka group.

He said his hero was Tongan international Jason Taumalolo – and one day he wants to pull on the red and white jersey himself.