By Dan Walsh
Viliame Kikau’s Canterbury career started with that leaked photo, a year before he’d even arrived.
When the $3.2 million recruit was sidelined with injury and watching the Bulldogs flounder last season, coach Cameron Ciraldo “thought he was going to come to me and say ‘I don’t know if I can do this’.”
But out the other side of a miserable 2023 campaign for both club and marquee signing, Kikau has delivered on his lucrative price tag as winner of the George Peponis Medal for Canterbury’s best player – with Dally M back-rower of the year honours looming, too.
Not a bad bounce-back from an underwhelming first impression in the midst of Penrith’s 2021 grand final celebrations.
“It was supposed to be a private meeting at the leagues club,” Kikau laughs of the meeting with Phil Gould and Trent Barrett at which the Canterbury duo secured one of the biggest figures in their rebuild.
After shaking hands on the four-year deal that would bring Kikau to Belmore at the end of 2022, a photo of the trio was taken for a formal announcement planned for after the Panthers’ victory parade.
Viliame Kikau during his Panthers days in the infamous photo with Bulldogs boss Phil Gould and coach Trent Barrett (inset).Credit: NRL Photos, Supplied
A senior staffer at the club later resigned after taking a screenshot of CCTV footage when the photo was taken in one of those classic “only in rugby league” moments.
“Five minutes after I left Canterbury Leagues club, it was already out on social media,” Kikau, who was angry at the time, recalls. “That was cool. But it’s not that hard to be convinced by the rugby league guru. I’ve known Gus [Gould] for a while now. I was just like a shy little kid from Fiji back in Townsville, before he signed me to his Penrith.
“He’s always been in contact with me. He messages my family sometimes, just checking up on them. We have built a good relationship out at Penrith. I didn’t have any opportunity [to stay] at Penrith and I had a few options. But once he asked me, it was easy for me to say yes and come here.”
While Penrith didn’t have the salary cap space to keep Kikau and never tabled an extension that they felt would have been insulting to the 29-year-old, Ciraldo was chuffed to reunite with the Fijian star when their first seasons at Belmore aligned last year.
Viliame Kikau has been at his rampaging best for Canterbury in 2024.Credit: NRL Imagery
He feared the worst, though, when Kikau pushed himself too hard at training in March and ruptured a pec that kept him out until July.
Ciraldo told the Backstage with Cooper and Matty Johns podcast recently he feared some of Kikau and Canterbury’s darkest days could lead to an early exit.
Kikau, though, took it in his stride instead and now has an elimination final showdown with Manly and Haumole Olakau’atu next on his horizon.
“It was tough, just sitting on the sidelines and watching on,” he says.
“I’m not a big talker, but last year was hard to voice an opinion when I’m not on the field helping the boys out. I was so disappointed at myself, I felt like I let the team down not being out there with them.
“First impressions are important to me … Coming from one of the teams at the top of the table and signing with Ciraldo here, we knew what we were trying to do, trying to change the culture. It didn’t work for me.
“I took it as a blessing. I did some other stuff off the field mentally which helped me. It’s pretty good to hear some people doubting us this year. We focused on what we could control, and now we reap the rewards and play finals.”
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