FIJI Bati debutant and Sydney Bears fullback Sitiveni Moceidreke aims to represent his country in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
The 22-year-old represented the Vodafone Fiji Bati in the two Test matches against Papua New Guinea last May and Toa Samoa in Apia last October.
“I first played for the Fiji Bati in the May test against PNG, it was a massive shot because I wasn’t expecting to get picked. I think playing in the NSW Cup got me in. When I got the call, I was excited.
“It was a dream come true,” Moceidreke said.
He started playing rugby league in Sydney at a young age.
“When I was ten, I played rugby union then I switched to rugby league because it was popular in Sydney.
“Seeing some of the senior players like Lote Tuqiri and others coming through, I thought I’d give rugby league a try.”
Moceidreke is from Veiseisei, Vuda, and have maternal links in Ra.
He was born and raised in Sydney, Australia.
“Playing for the Fiji Bati this year, especially in the last Test against Samoa makes me want to play for Fiji more.
“Our last game against Samoa was a big one for us, especially after the game. It brought us closer and definitely top of the list when we beat Samoa.”
Moceidreke does his own training despite the busy schedule.
“It’s been very challenging. We work eight hours a day and then we get our training from 3 to 4 hours again getting lack of sleep. It’s challenging, but I guess it’s what you got to do if we want to achieve our goals,” Moceidreke said.
The eldest of six children, Moceidreke aims to work on his fitness and advises young rugby league players not to give up.
“Never give up. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel. Just keep pressing your dreams and work towards them.”
One of his uncles, Peni Moceidreke said Sitiveni came from a sporting family.
“This sporting thing seems to be in the family.
“His grandfather Sitiveni who is his namesake, represented Fiji in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games,” Peni said.
“His dad played for the Fiji Barbarian in the 1986 tour to South America and Europe and I played soccer for Nadi and Fiji, so sports is in the family.
“We are very proud of him and his achievements.
“I see a very bright future for him because of his age and he played two Test matches for Fiji and he just seemed to blend in well with the rest of the players.
“He came last week and I could see that he’s really eager to earn a place in the world cup because he’s been doing his workout right now since he got in from Australia and he does his own training as scheduled.
“Sitiveni gets a lot of support, not only from our family, but the bigger family and everyone contributes to whatever he does.”
