Kaiviti Silktails: Goal to produce Fijian players for NRL clubs

It’s the revamped football program based in Sydney organisers hope will soon be producing an assembly line of new talent for top NRL clubs.

Fiji Silktails playing St Mary's Saints. Pic: NRL Photos

Big changes are afoot for the Kaiviti Silktails Program with their headquarters in the eastern suburbs undergoing a new fit out, a coach confirmed and a new vision for players.

A new Silktails team, made up of talented young Fijian players, will play in the 2022 Ron Massey Cup.

The team will be predominantly made up of under 23 players who will work under coach Wes Naiqama who has re-signed for the upcoming season of football.

The goal is for the program to produce more NRL players. Pic: NRL Photos

Also underway is a revamp to the program’s Sydney headquarters at the Eastern Suburbs PCYC at Daceyville and the introduction of a training study model which will see players and staff complete part time study programs.

Stephen Driscoll, who has been confirmed as the program’s CEO, is organising to bring back a new group of players in December or early January after they start their pre-season in Fiji at one of the three high-performance academies in Lautoka, Sigatoka and Suva

“We are looking at four staff and 30 players,’’ Driscoll said.

“This time only eight will be over age players and the rest will be under 23.’’

After 14 days of Quarantine the @KaiVT_Silktails show their appreciation for the hotel staff who looked after them.. all the best for the season boys @fijirugbyleague@NRL@BillKikau1 🇫🇯❤️🇫🇯❤️ pic.twitter.com/FYb1hxUA4X

— nemzy (@nemani_nadolo) February 24, 2021

The Silvertails made international headlines last year when they sang a hymn from the balcony of their quarantine hotel in Sydney to thank staff.

But on their release from quarantine they managed to play just one match in the Ron Massey Cup - against Saints - before the season was cut down by the coronavirus pandemic and associated sporting restrictions.

Coach Wes Naiqama back in his heyday.

“The goal of this program is to develop first graders,” Driscoll said this week.

“You see the growth in these guys just having the right coaching and playing week in week out.

“Technically we were down a little but physically we were surprising to other teams.

“We are hopeful of pushing two to three guys into NRL squads each year. Then aim on seeing three to four guys being elevated.

Driscoll revealed there are also currently 90 girls and women training in three hubs in Fiji.

“There is no domestic competition going on in Fiji for them so that’s a big aim,’’ he said.

Read more from AMANDA LULHAM HERE