Silktails players continue to progress
Six members of the Kaiviti Silktails have taken up offers to play in higher level competition.
The players featured prominently in the New South Wales (NSW) Cup’s Ron Massey competition and are now moving to Queensland to continue their careers.
The players have been offered contracts with Queensland Rugby League (QRL) side the Ipswich Jets.
They are;
■Apakukui Tavodi, prop, 2022 club captain,
■Mosese Qionimacawa, halves, club vice-captain and leading pointscorer in 2022, third-highest in Ron Massey Cup in 2022,
■Timoci Bola, outside back, named Best Back for the 2021 season,
■Temesia Jilivecevece, outside back. Foundation Silktails Player, prolific try scorer across the 20212022 seasons
■Ma■asa Kalou, forward, named 2022 Best Forward at Silktails awards night, and
■Ma●akai Kovekalou, forward, in 2021 and 2022 voted Most Consistent by coach Wes Naiqama.
Silktails players – through the connection with the Sydney Roosters–have played in Jersey Flegg and The Knock-on Effect NSW Cup games in NSWRL competitions.
Further to those Roosters teams, players have signed contracts with other NSW Cup teams but this is the first Silktails sojourn into the QRL Hostplus Cup.
It has come through the Roosters joining forces with the Ipswich Jets as one of their NRL (National Rugby League) feeder teams. The Melbourne Storm has two QRL feeder clubs – the Sunshine Coast Falcons and Brisbane Easts.
True Blue and former Harvey Norman NSW Sky Blues coach Ben Cross is the mentor at the Jets.
Kaivitia Silktails executive director Stephen Driscoll said the players’ promotion to secondtier Rugby League was “a huge outcome” for the Silktails programme.
“For them to get into the Jets squad proves that our goal to provide a pathway for local Fijian players – as well as being a developmental side – is working,” Driscoll told NSWRL.
“It’s also reward for these boys that missed selection for the Fiji Bati in the Pacific Tests this year.”
Close watch
Silktails chairman, former Kangaroos and Bati international Petero Civoniceva, is based in Brisbane alongside Silktails board member Jay Gounder, and will be close by to watch over the players on this next part of their journey, Driscoll said.
During 2022, the Silktails had their first NRL debutant in Pio Seci playing for the Manly-Warringah
Sea Eagles (Round 20).
He was a member of the 2021 Silktails squad for RMC and was named 2021 Best Forward.
After a successful stint in France with Avignon facilitated by Silktails liaison officer, Tas Baiteri, Seci then went on to sign a contract with the Blacktown Workers – Manly’s feeder club in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup.
Two other Silktails players – Vuate Karawalevu (Sydney Roosters) and Peni Tagituimua (Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs) – signed NRL Development Contracts and played NSW Cup in 2022.
The Silktails have begun preseason training in Fiji – the first since early 2020 on home soil.
But four players are back in Australia and have began pre-season training with the Roosters Flegg and NSW Cup squads this week: They are;
■20 year-old Silktails Player of the Year for 2022 Meli Nasau
■19 year-old Silktails Rookie of the Year Watisoni Waqanisaravi
■19 year-old Sydney Shield Player of the Year from the Silktails, Iobe Taukeisalili, and
■19 year-old centre Simione Cakau, a rookie in 2022.
Due to the COVID-19 international border restrictions, the Silktails played the 2021 and 2022 seasons based in the southern Sydney suburb of Mascot.
It is planned that for 2023 they will play 10 home games at Churchill Park in Lautoka.