THE Navy Albatross rugby league team is staying true to their motto, “will win,” as they continue their unbeaten run in the Vodafone Cup Eastern Zone competition.
The side secured their sixth straight victory yesterday, beating Lami Steelers 30-7 in round six at Bidesi Park.
Assistant coach Neori Ravono said the team is still learning despite their perfect record.
“Even though we are winning, we are still a new team in the competition. So, we have to treat every game as a final,” he said. “We have to have the will to win.”
The Navy side joined the Fiji National Rugby League (FNRL) competition in 2021, making this their fourth year.
Last year, they reached the Vodafone Cup final and finished as runners-up.
This year, they are determined to go one step further.
“Our target for the season is to get one step further from last year. We reached the final, so we are looking forward to winning the final this year. That’s the goal,” Ravono said.
The team is made up of both Navy officers and civilians.
Ravono said about 60 percent of the players are civilians and 40 percent are Navy regulars.
He explained that many civilian players eventually get recruited into the Navy.
“Most of the players that have been playing for the team were civilians. They joined the team two, three years ago and they managed to get recruited, and they are members of the Navy now,” he said.
However, he pointed out that training can be tough for the civilian players.
“They are just paying their own fares to come to train every afternoon. That’s the immediate challenge. We have to look after them too and find ways to accommodate them,” Ravono said.
In other results USP Raiders thrashed Veiyasana knights 34-12, Serua Dragons edged City Storms 14-10 and Kinoya Sea Eagles defeated Namosi Highlanders 24-18 and Vusu Raiders won 24-18 over Nabua Broncos.
