NRL finals: Fijian stars Suliasi Vunivalu and Maika Sivo ready to face off in Melbourne
Two of the NRL’s most athletic and unpredictable wingers will put their friendship aside at AAMI Park as they battle for a spot in a preliminary final.
NRL
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They drank tea every night together as teammates in Fiji's national team this year but on Saturday night the NRL’s most athletic and unpredictable wingers, Melbourne's Suliasi Vunivalu and Parramatta's Maika Sivo, will park pleasantries with a preliminary final ticket on the line.
The magnitude of the match-up is not lost on try-scoring machine Vunivalu, who like Sivo now, rose to prominence quickly from unknown to Fijian flag-bearer in the NRL.
“I'm looking forward to the challenge,” Vunivalu said. “Not every week you verse a Fijian on your wing, I can't wait for Saturday.”
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Vunivalu is meticulous when it comes to preparation and scouting the opposition but he need not look far for extra vision than Instagram, where Sivo’s highlights are shared regularly by Fiji rugby league accounts.
“I heard that chant when they (Eels fans) call out ‘Sivo’,” Vunivalu said. “It's pretty cool, ay? Especially in a big stadium.
“He's done really well for himself, for where he started in country (footy) to be where he is now, he's done it tough.”
Vunivalu will be on high alert for the burly 186cm finisher on Saturday.
“Once he crosses that white line on the field he can be really damaging,” Vunivalu said.
“I'll just treat it like a normal week in preparation, this is just another team, he's just another winger, but Fijian.”
Storm has lost four of its five games this season at AAMI Park, including last week’s qualifying final loss.
Vunivalu’s right edge is likely to again come under scrutiny after leaking soft tries early doors. Storm has largely ironed out the issue, in the second half of the year, but Sivo’s ability to bust tackles and break lines has Vunivalu on notice.
“We've been really slack at defending our home ground, so we're looking forward to this challenge and trying to play better footy here at home,” Vunivalu said.
Storm captain Cameron Smith said the Fijian drawcards were “great for our game”.
“A lot of people come to the games just to watch them get involved and Sivo's been outstanding this year,” Smith said.
“Some of the tries that he's scored have been pretty remarkable the way he's gone about his footy, he's just another guy we need to do a lot of homework on.”
Originally published as NRL finals: Fijian stars Suliasi Vunivalu and Maika Sivo ready to face off in Melbourne