Bulldogs expand empire after signing deal with Kaiviti Silvertails

Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould has unearthed two stars of the future with the club cementing a partnership with Fijian powerhouse the Kaiviti Silktails.

Canterbury has expanded development pathways into Fiji, inking a three-year partnership with Kaiviti Silktails and securing two rising teenage talents from the small island nation.

Phil Gould is currently in Fiji on the search for up-and-coming rugby league prospects in the hope of unearthing the next Viliame Kikau.

Bulldogs backrower Kikau already has a footprint in Fiji, establishing The Kikau Academy in 2023 to help nurture the next crop of league talent in the country.

His investment has already paid off for the Bulldogs with the club’s general manager Gould revealing two teenagers, aged 14 and 18, from Kikau’s academy will join the club’s pathways in 2025.

The older of the two will go into the club’s SG Ball system, while the younger rising talent will start boarding school in Sydney as part of his development at Belmore.

“Two young Bulldog recruits, I won’t tell you their names.” Gould said on X, formerly Twitter.

“They will make their own names. The lad on my right is 18 years old. He will come into our SG Ball program for 2025. The lad on my left is just 14. Yep 14 years old, coming to boarding school in Sydney.”

Two young Bulldog recruits I won’t tell you their names. They will make their own names.The lad on my right is 18yo. He will come into our SGBall program for 2025. The lad on my left is just 14. Yep 14yo. Coming to Boarding school in Sydney #KikauAcademy@NRL_Bulldogspic.twitter.com/qElbd8PF4Y

— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) October 22, 2024

Gould has been in Fiji to help broker a partnership with the Silktails, who currently have a side in the NSWRL Jersey Flegg (under 21’s) competition. The deal ends a five-year partnership between the Silktails and the Sydney Roosters.

“Over the past two seasons the Bulldogs have increased our commitment to the game in Fiji, particularly on the back of bringing Viliame Kikau to our club,” Gould said.

Phil Gould announces to signing from the 'Kikau Academy'.(https://x.com/PhilGould15/status/1848595197351104665) Picture: Twitter

“Since then, we have established ‘The Kikau Academy’ in Fiji and our Ron Massey Cup and Jersey Flegg teams have played in Fiji three times in the last twelve months to help promote this.

“Partnering now with the Silktails is an extension of our commitment to Rugby League in Fiji.”

Silktails chairman and Broncos great Petero Civoniceva said aligning the side with a club on the rise, like the Bulldogs, will help strengthen pathways in Fiji.

“Watching the rise of their NRL team this year was something that won the hearts of all rugby league fans,” Civoniceva said.

Every Suva afternoon, hundreds of kids playing football in the park until it gets dark … Hundreds … Long time since I’ve seen this in Sydney … Just saying … pic.twitter.com/iSiREGE5VE

— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) October 22, 2024

“The rise of the NRL team has been built on what Phil Gould and Adam Hartigan have done with their Pathways Program and to align ourselves with a strong program was paramount for us.”

Canterbury’s small Sydney talent nursery has seen Gould take his search for rising talent far and wide since arriving at the club in 2021.

The club already had development programs in Northern NSW, and have now also expanded into South East Queensland and New Zealand.

Canterbury’s new-found focus on rebuilding the club’s talent pathways is reaping success.

The Bulldogs won back-to-back Jersey Flegg titles in 2024, the SG Ball (under 19’s) outfit reached this year’s grand final, while the Harold Matthews (under 17’s) side featured in the finals series having won the title in 2023.

Cameron Ciraldo’s resurgent NRL team also featured a number of the club’s developed rising stars including Bailey Hayward, Lipoi Hopoi, Eli Clark and Jonathan Sua.