NRL stars back potential Fiji expansion team
“There’s so much raw talent over there.”
Fijian internationals and
NRL superstars
Apisai Koroisau and
Viliame Kikau have both backed a
Fiji expansion team to enter the
NRL competition in the future.
ARLC Chairman Peter V'landys and
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo have both revealed that three new expansion teams will follow
The Dolphins and enter the
NRL over the next decade as they try and create a 20-team competition.
While a Perth team and a team from
Papua New Guinea are all but confirmed to be the following two expansion teams, this only leaves one spot open.
As rumours continue to flow on who will be given the right to be the 20th team to enter the
NRL competition, a team from
Fiji has emerged as a possibility over the past few months along with other options.
Fiji's potential to become an expansion team one day had already earned the backing of rugby league legend
Petero Civoniceva but has now earned the backing of premiership-winners
Apisai Koroisau and
Viliame Kikau.
"100 per cent," Koroisau said when asked if he'd love to see an expansion team from
Fiji enter the competition.
"Just finding that pathway into rugby league, not just rugby league but the
NRL. If that was coming from home, that'd be incredible.
"There's so much raw talent over there, so if they were able to put together a team, I'm sure they'd be able to find 17 players to take the field each week."
A potential Fijian expansion team comes as the Kaiviti Silktails - a Fijian club - were promoted to the
Jersey Flegg Cup this season in a historic agreement with the NSWRL after previously playing in the
Ron Massey Cup.
Aiming to grow rugby league outside of
Australia, Koroisau, Kikau,
Sunia Turuva,
Taane Milne, and
Marcelo Montoya are just some of the players who could potentially feature in the expansion side.
"Yeah, 100 per cent. I'd do anything to get whatever that movement is, to get all the talent back in my homeland and get those guys this opportunity," Kikau added.
"I was born and bred there and just seeing how much it has helped me not only myself but my family. It would be a blessing to open that door for Pacific Islanders.
"Rugby union is sort of the major sport back there, so having that Silktails team competing in the Jersey Flegg has opened up rugby league back home and Melbourne and Newcastle taking the pre-season game back home was massive.
"Hopefully, we'll do more (promoting) over there in the next couple of years."
One of the bids they will have to contend with will be from the Newtown Jets who have proposed a joint-bid with the Ipswich Jets after pulling out of the Western
Australia big process.
The potential team would see the team called the Jets and play in Newtown colours when competing in New South Wales.
"The Newtown RLFC board has considered this ‘once in a lifetime opportunity' for Newtown to return to top-level
Rugby League with an interest and equity in the new club and accordingly decided to join the bid," a club statement read.
"The board also reaffirmed the strength of our long-standing partnership with
Cronulla Sharks and acknowledged their tremendous support."
Currently the feeder club of the
Cronulla Sharks in the
NSW Cup, the Jets still have a loyal fan base despite their exit from the NSWRFL competition 41 years ago in 1983.
Established in 1908, Newton won three premierships in 1910, 1933, and 1943 and made seven Grand Finals in 1913, 1914, 1929, 1944, 1954, 1955, and 1981.
Their last Grand Final appearance before their exit saw them field a team consisting of rugby league greats such as John Ferguson, Tommy Raudonikis, and Phil Gould, coached by Warren Ryan.
"There's so much raw talent over there."
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