Young prop Watisoni Waqanisaravi has signed a contract with the Sydney Roosters showing the Kaiviti Silktails brains trust that they are on the right track in getting more Fijian players to move up the Rugby League chain in Australia.
Waqanisaravi played several games in 2022 and 2023 with the Roosters Jersey Flegg Cup team, including being in the 2023 Grand Final extended bench.
The Silktails moved from NSWRL’s Leagues Clubs Australia Ron Massey Cup to Jersey Flegg (Under 21s) this season in keeping with their ‘development club’ strategy. Waqanisaravi had played all four games for the Silktails this year.
“Sonny has signed with the Roosters Jersey Flegg for the rest of the season, which is great for Sonny and another good outcome for our club,” Silktails head coach Wes Naiqama said.
The club’s Executive Director Stephen Driscoll said the 2024 Silktails squad was predominantly eligible for the UNE SG Ball (Under 19s).
“The idea being they can have two years with us and if they’re doing well enough they can move on with a year left in Jersey Flegg and we can bring another young local boy through our system.
“Ultimately it’s about us trying to get guys into NRL opportunities.
“Sonny came to us at 18. He’ll turn 21 this year and he had one year left on his contract with us.
“It’s a great chance for him to be trying to get a NSW Cup spot eventually. So we need to be unselfish and left him have that chance.”
The Silktails Round Five Jersey Flegg match against Cronulla-Sutherland in Nadi this weekend, has been postponed due to the state of the ground.
Waqanisaravi was one of four Silktails players named in the Fiji Bati side for last October-November’s Pacific Championships.
He is another success story from the Silktails. Promising hooker Iobe Taukeisalili also signed with the Roosters in 2024 and has played three Jersey Flegg Cup games this year.
In addition, winger-centre Vuate Karawalevu was contracted with the North Sydney Bears in The Knock-On NSW Cup and played in a 2023 NRL Pre-Season Challenge game for the Sydney Roosters.
Silktails second rower Meli Nasau scored a try in the Roosters 2024 Pre-Season Challenge win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Fellow 2023 Silktails players Ratu Temesia Jilivecevece and Rusi Baleitamavua have signed with Glebe Dirty Reds and are part of the extended Roosters NSW Cup Squads, Sunia Naruma has signed with the North Sydney Bears, and Sirilo Lovokuro has signed with St Marys.
The progression for players has now been put in place with Driscoll reminding fans it will take time for the benefits to flow.
“Our team is really young. When we were in Ron Massey Cup we had guys who were men with two or three years playing combined with a sprinkling of young guys,” he said.
“Now it’s completely the other way with about five guys who’ve had a taste of it last year but the rest are all coming out of high school. We also have six players still attending school and they do gym in the morning, we drop them at school and they return to training for our field session in the afternoon.
“The Sharks, who we would have played this week, have kids who have potentially two years of Harold Matthews (Under 17s) and two years of SG Ball and now two years in Flegg. So they’ve had five or six years of being in an Elite Pathways Program.
“Our guys have gone from their secondary school final year where they played one term of Rugby League and the rest of the school year playing Rugby Union and Sevens.
“We’re trying to cram five years (of Rugby League education) into one pre-season with a lot of these guys.
“And we know that’s our challenge and it’s not going away. But the opportunity to come to Australia and play in a 26-week competition against the brands like the Rabbitohs, Roosters, Penrith and Storm, is really attractive.
“So from a recruitment point of view we’re finding more kids want to be a part of this.
“Down the track we need Silktails’ Harold Matthews and SG Ball teams so we’ve had kids with exposure to Rugby League before they get onto that NRL pathway of Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup.”
