Recruiting Fails

IceWorks

IceWorks

NRL Player
May 10, 2019
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1,671
#1.. Where is our Fijian?

Every winning club seems to have at least one Fijian, body carved out of granite that can jump and run like a track athlete.. Where is our Fijian star?

Surely QLD should have a proximity, lifestyle and weather advantage with recruiting from Fiji.
 
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IceWorks said:
#1.. Where is our Fijian?

Every winning club seems to have at least one Fijian, body carved out of granite that can jump and run like a track athlete.. Where is our Fijian star?

Surely QLD should have a proximity, lifestyle and weather advantage with recruiting from Fiji.
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I think we did have a Fijian in one of the feeder clubs, he might have left though. Someone will be able to confirm this I’m sure.
 
Explains everything, we haven’t been a force since we lost Petro
 
Maybe we should look to creating a Broncos pathway system with Civoniceva's planned Fijian NSW Cup team. It would be great to see some talented Fijians following in Civoniceva's and Tuqiri's footstep with dreams to play for the Broncos in the NRL.
 
The Broncos have Fijian 7s star Ilikena Vudogo on the roster, although his status is currently unclear. The Broncos haven't indicated anything, but strangely he's never appeared in any training footage in months and I don't believe he played a role in the Brisbane/Gold Coast scrimmage a couple of months ago.

Watching him play, he certainly has some great qualities but he struggles with basic fundamentals and looked well out of his depth even in QCup level. Granted, he was playing with the Magpies so he was in good company but there was nothing to suggest he was making any progress. At best, he could have played the season out at the Magpies and built a strong combination with Niu on that right edge, eventually earning himself a run on debut in '21 but with the way things were shaping up, he was likely going to go back to Rugby.

The biggest disappointment was Izaia Perese. He was easily one of the best prospects coming through and appeared destined to be in that Round 1 side until he threw it all away. He had potential Origin star written all over, albeit his defence would have been a major hurdle.
 
Big Pete said:
The Broncos have Fijian 7s star Ilikena Vudogo on the roster, although his status is currently unclear. The Broncos haven't indicated anything, but strangely he's never appeared in any training footage in months and I don't believe he played a role in the Brisbane/Gold Coast scrimmage a couple of months ago.

Watching him play, he certainly has some great qualities but he struggles with basic fundamentals and looked well out of his depth even in QCup level. Granted, he was playing with the Magpies so he was in good company but there was nothing to suggest he was making any progress. At best, he could have played the season out at the Magpies and built a strong combination with Niu on that right edge, eventually earning himself a run on debut in '21 but with the way things were shaping up, he was likely going to go back to Rugby.

The biggest disappointment was Izaia Perese. He was easily one of the best prospects coming through and appeared destined to be in that Round 1 side until he threw it all away. He had potential Origin star written all over, albeit his defence would have been a major hurdle.
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I've seen a bit of Vudogo in the under 20s Fijian National team in 15 a side Rugby, and he is extremely gifted. I'd say he is more skillful with ball in hand than any of the current Fijian players in the NRL now. That comes down to his 7s background where players are so natural at offloading, passing and playing off the cuff. He wasn't a winger in union though, and I haven't seen him in League but I believe that's where he has been playing? Either way he definitely has all the attributes to become an excellent winger in League. It's just a matter of playing more lower grade matches and getting accustomed to Rugby League.

The thing about Fijian outside backs, particularly wingers, they are pure footballers. They have a knack of being able to put themselves in good positions, and they are very quick learners. They just know how to get to the tryline. You just have to keep it simple and tell them to catch the ball, run hard and tackle hard. Once they begin learning the game and figuring out the finer details of the sport, they can become one of the best players in the competition in their position. They just have an unbelievable mix of speed, strength and natural flair that is uncoachable.

We should definitely look to tap into some of that talent and develop the 'next' Radradra, Sivo, Kikau etc
 
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I just can't accept the logic implied in your reasoning that we need Fijians because "Every winning club seems to have at least one Fijian ... ".

I don't dispute that at their best they are superb footballers. But so are Indigenous Australians, Samoans, Tongans, Maoris and white anglo saxons. Why narrow the focus? I'd rather focus a recruitment strategy on quality rather than ethnicity.

Strange post for mine.
 
rnabokov said:
I just can't accept the logic implied in your reasoning that we need Fijians because "Every winning club seems to have at least one Fijian ... ".

I don't dispute that at their best they are superb footballers. But so are Indigenous Australians, Samoans, Tongans, Maoris and white anglo saxons. Why narrow the focus? I'd rather focus a recruitment strategy on quality rather than ethnicity.

Strange post for mine.
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Anyone can be good anywhere, but they just seem to have a high success rate on the wing.

It's similar to when British players come over, you welcome the forwards with open arms, and then pretend you're someone else when it's the backs trying to talk to you.
 
Big Pete said:
The biggest disappointment was Izaia Perese. He was easily one of the best prospects coming through and appeared destined to be in that Round 1 side until he threw it all away. He had potential Origin star written all over, albeit his defence would have been a major hurdle.
Click to expand...
Perese is a Brisbane born private schoolboy, who fell afoul pushing crack on the mean streets of Ascot. Now awaiting his first game for Bayonne. He'll be fine back in Rugby.
 
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