Former Marist Brothers High School student and Naitasiri rugby union player Vuate Karawalevu is fighting his way closer to playing in the NRL after he was selected to play for the Sydney Roosters in the Jersey Flegg Cup on Saturday.
The Jersey Flegg Cup competition is for players aged 21 years and under in New South Wales and is a stepping stone for many young players vying for a spot in the NRL competition.
Fiji National Rugby League acting chief executive officer Don Natabe said Karawalevu had tasted the reward of the hard work by those behind the Kaiviti Silktails project.
“We are proud that Karawalevu gets to be the first Fiji resident player to go through this system,” Natabe said.
“Being ahead requires an unparalleled level of dedication and hard work that young players can learn from Karawalevu’s personal story.
“You can play any sport or do anything but the principles to success will be the same,” Natabe said.
“Every resident player shares the same dream of reaching the pinnacle of their rugby career and Silktails is just one of those rugby league pathways.”
Natabe said there’s so much more that Vuate could do and achieve and that’s what the Silktail was for.
“Committed and self disciplined players have a good future ahead of them and that’s the story of many professional Fijian athletes.
If you have a dream, you commit to it – take the first step and help will come along the way.
“The Silktails exists for our resident players to bridge the gap between them and NRL players who compete for a spot in the Vodafone Fiji Bati.
FNRL remains committed to ensuring the success of the Silktails project and is working with clubs to nurture more talents.”
The Silktails had another good win in the Ron Massey Cup on Saturday where they beat the Ryde Eastwood Hawks 42-20 and Natabe said more players are likely to be snapped up by the NRL clubs and team will surely move up the ranks in the competition.
“We have some incredible talent waiting for some clubs to take them when the time is right,” he said.
“We’ll definitely see the Silktails rise up the ranks in this competitive domain and Fijians should rally behind the team this year.”
