Player dies at practice in league comeback

North Harbour Bartercard Cup player Ben Valeni, 33, married with two children, died after collapsing during training with his team mates on Thursday night.

Harbour coach Karl Benson and prop Jason Duff tried to revive him with mouth-to-mouth and CPR for 15 minutes before paramedics arrived, but Valeni did not respond to that or to the cardio impulse provided by ambulance staff.

Harbour players held a tarpaulin over their colleague for 2 1/2 hours as police collected evidence while rain fell on the Northcote ground.

Yesterday, they were offered counselling and a Maori spiritual ceremony was being arranged at the pitch where the Samoan-background player died.

The Harbour team were to meet the Counties Manukau Jetz at Massey Park in Papakura last night but the Jetz, whose coach Dean Hunter had had Valeni in his team when at the Glenora Bears, invited the New Zealand Rugby League to postpone the game.

The new date is still to be arranged.

Valeni had been training for a boxing match and was considered fit.

He had not started the season in league after being a regular for the past 10, but came back to play in the Phelan Shield competition and was elevated for one game to the Bartercard Cup for Harbour and was preparing for his second.

It is believed a brain aneurism was more likely to be the cause of death than a heart attack, his teammates said.

"We were only supposed to be having a light run," Benson said.

"He just stumbled and fell down face forward, I thought he'd tangled up in his boot lace."