Former national rugby league reps, club coaches and representatives from around the country met yesterday to discuss and formulate a training program designed to discover talented rugby players at a very young age.
National rugby league legend and former Fiji Bati head coach Joe Dakuitoga said former players and coaches gathered together to be part of a program called Keepers Induction Program.
“We called in former players and coaches from all over Fiji to induct them. Meaning we, together with Fiji National Rugby League, have given them the right to perform rugby league clinics for athletes from ages 8-20,” Dakuitoga said.
During the induction program, participants were made aware of the new training clinics they will be implementing in the next few months.
“We have people from the West, East and North who will have the responsibility of training our children.”
With the commencement of the Fiji Secondary Schools Rugby League competition next week, Dakuitoga and his team of rugby league pioneers will be scouting for players who they will bring into the program.
“We will then groom these players, taking them in a pathway to the national team. Here, we will be able to groom our players from a young age,” he said.
“However, there will also be clinics for interested students from eight to 14 years old.”
Not only will the Keepers be conducting programs on the field, players will also spend time inside the classroom, learning morals and values of true sportsmanship.
“We will teach our players to be beacons of hope, on and off the field. These clinics and training will only be held during school holidays so that it does not disrupt students’ education.
“We believe that students should be able to balance their work in the classroom as well on the rugby field.”
Dakuitoga also encouraged the participation of girls and women in the sport.
“This way, we may not need to worry about bringing in overseas players to represent the country because we will already have all the talent we need.
“In today’s world, rugby is a growing industry and we must treat it like one. Fijian players are in demand all over the world and this would be a way of finding employment and sources of income for our children in the future.”
Dakuitoga expressed his gratitude to the coaches and former national reps for showing up and agreeing to be part of something that will benefit our young people in the future.
“This just shows that they truly want to give back to the community and their country. We have so much talent here in Fiji, all we need to do is tap into it.”
