Waimanu sets Tournament Target
The three-day 48th Fiji Bitter Marist 7s tournament kicks off tomorrow and will end on Saturday at the HFC Bank Stadium, Suva.
The Flametree sponsored Waimanu sevens team has set their target to reach the Cup quarterfinal of the 48th Fiji Bitter Marist Sevens tournament, which kicks-off tomorrow at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva. Waimanu head coach Sikeli Boladuadua said that the team is back in the sevens scene after three years off. They recently formed the Waimanu side to revive rugby sevens in Sawani, Naitasiri.
Waimanu was a champion side in local sevens’ tournaments in the 1990s, and produced national reps like Sailosi Naiteqe, Nasoni Roko, Lemeki Duidomo and Rokini Kiliraki.
Boladuadua indicated they are on track in developing their players and acknowledged Flametree for its support.
While they have lost most of their young men to overseas jobs and in the local forces, it did not deter them from rebuilding their team.
“A great advantage for us was having our Waimanu Sevens series where we selected our pool of players from, that boosted our side’s participation for the Fiji Bitter series,” he said.
“We thank Flametree for their sponsorship which allowed us to
participate in the Fiji Bitter series since the Yalovata tournament in Ovalau.
“Majority of our team members only left high school last year; this is a young side however we are playing in the senior grade.
“We have regrouped and hope to take Waimanu rugby to another level.
“We have been exiting in the elimination rounds for the past tournaments and we want to go a step further at the Marist sevens, to reach the quarter-final, then try to make the semifinal and final,” Boladuadua
added.
He said the team went to camp on Monday and has been training hard. They also understood that the Marist Sevens will not be an easy tournament as most teams look forward to it.
Boladuadua added that while most of the players and officials are unemployed, they are grateful for the support they received from various individuals.
The Marist Sevens will end on Saturday.