Why No Silktails Selected? Naupoto Tells

Kaiviti Silktails rugby league is no longer part of Fiji National Rugby League (FNRL).

FNRL chairman Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Viliame Naupoto confirmed that the Australian-based club cancelled the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the national league.

He was responding to questions about the non-selection Silktails players in the Fiji Bati 50-member extended squad.

The squad was announced by head coach Josaia Rabele at the Grand Pacific Hotel on May 27.

“They had pulled out our memorandum of understanding (MOU) that we had with them,” he said.

“The agreement was to allow them to be part of the FNRL and operate as an affiliate club for us.

“I’m not too sure why they cancelled that MOU laterally.

“It’s sad they’ve cancelled the agreement, they are no longer the development squad for the Fiji Bati, so our coaching staff has no say.

“Maybe we will find another solution to cater for our development.

“I hope that they come back to us and be an affiliated club, we have no aims to cut them off for good they just cut themselves off from us for reasons of their own.

“We are aware that we have some good players in the Silktails team. They been operating that way for the last five months.

“The only difference now is that they have to follow the rule of a foreign club now that they are not affiliated by FNRL,” Naupoto added.

Operation

“They stopped us for trying to set things straight but as far as we concern they can operate the way they are operating but they just have to be like any other foreign club that want to come and operate in Fiji.

Naupoto suggested that Silktails pay the relevant fees that needs to be paid and get the approvals from FNRL to continue with their operations.

“We had no agreement that we must pick from Kaiviti Silktails players.”

“The whole reason why we wanted the Silktails to be part of us and become the development squad for Fiji Bati so our head coach could select players.

Fiji National Sports Commission executive chairman Peter Mazey confirmed that the Silktails cancelled the agreement.

“The sports commission was asking for mediation that was principally the MOU that was signed between the two parties called for mediation as it was written in the documentation,” he said

“It wasn’t the FNRL that cancelled contract, the cancellation was done by the Silktails.

“They had their reasons, we were offering to go for mediation to sort things out.

“The Silktails is a company registered in Australia so the commission doesn’t have a say over their operations.”

Email sent to Kaiviti Silktails chief executive officer Stephen O’Driscol has not been answered when this edition went to press.