Savouring the taste of victory from lifting the Inter-District Competition (IDC) trophy in 2001 compelled then Rewa defender Marika Rodu to help his side lift the Battle of the Giants (BOG) trophy two years later.
Speaking to this newspaper, he said the thrill and elation off of Rewa’s win of the Inter-District Championship in 2001, where they beat Ba 1-0, had left him wanting to experience the same feeling again.
“After 2001, the feeling of victory, the experience was so sweet and it was something I wanted to taste again,” Rodu recalled.
It was a feeling he had the pleasure of experiencing not once but twice the year after and the feat did not repeat itself for Rewa until 2010-11 and 2014-15.
But in 2003, he played in the BOG alongside the likes of football greats such as Patrick Wise, Henry Dyer, Marika Namaqa and Emosi Bulanuku and regarded them as experienced players.
“It was a good season for us, contributing as a youth player and we made sure we secured the two back-to-back titles,” he said.
Being an active participant in the sport from 1998 to 2013, Rodu hung up the boots and called it a day and went from being on the field to its sidelines, taking up coaching ever since.
Rodu, who is currently the head coach of the Fiji under-16 girls football side, also known as the Baby Kulas, affirmed the notion of coaching being a natural acquisition for himself when asked if it was.
“As a leader? Yes, I was more of a leader when I was playing. Very talkative, very structured in terms of organisation. Communication was one of my key skills,” he said.
“I always try to organise the team in every situation, so it was something that was in me, instilled already and the experience I gained with it from the district and also from the national team.”
Meanwhile, as the 2025 Extra Battle of the Giants kicks off this Friday at Subrail Park in Labasa, he wishes his former district Rewa the very best.
