MARIA Paseka’s breakout in the National Rugby League Women’s (NRLW) Premiership season has been inspired by Fiji’s journey to the 2026 Rugby League World Cup, according to an article in the Rugby League World Cup 2026 website.
Paseka, who has been named in Fiji’s extended Bulikula squad, has scored three tries and averaged 106 metres per game in her nine appearances for St George Illawarra this season.
Fiji were the last team to secure qualification after losing a qualifying play-off against Samoa in 2024.
The Bulikula travelled to Ottawa, Canada, last October for the World Series, where they faced Canada, Ireland and Nigeria in their bid to secure the final World Cup spot.
“We played Canada and we were able to beat them, and then we played Nigeria to make that final spot for World Cup,” Paseka said.
She said the tournament also provided an opportunity to see rugby league developing in countries where the sport is still growing.
The journey was not without its physical challenges, with Paseka saying the players returned home with scratches, bumps and bruises.
However, the opportunity to represent Fiji made it worthwhile.
“At the end of the day, we wanted to play for our country and play for our family and get that spot into World Cup, and that’s what we did,” she said.
Fiji have been drawn in Group B alongside New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and France.
Paseka expects a tough campaign, but believes the team will have strong support wherever it plays.
“They are all going to be tough games, but I think we will have good support wherever we play,” she said.
“We’ve just got to play our best and our hardest, and we’ll be thinking about our families and who we play for.”
