The good news keeps on coming for the Fiji National Rugby League.

This is after the Kaiviti Silktails and Cronulla Sharks entered into a significant partnership, one which will provide a direct pathway to the NRL for young Fijian players.

The agreement will see the Sharks become the Silktails NRL partner club for the next three years, with the pathway to see local players given the opportunity go from the Vodafone Cup competition, to the Kaiviti Silktails and the NSWRL Massey Cup.

Players can then potentially progress to the Canterbury Cup and to the NRL.

Similarly, for female players, Kaiviti Silktails women can progress to the Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership with the Sharks.

The partnership is an exciting one for the Sharks, building on a Pacifica strategy where the Cronulla Club looks to provide pathways and opportunities to young men and women of Pacific Island heritage.

Sikltails ambassador, Petero Civoniceva, is excited about the partnership and the prospects for Fijian players.

Civoniceva says it’s been a long journey, six years in the making for the Silktails and it’s an amazing opportunity for local players to see a genuine pathway to further their careers in Australia.

Prime Ministers Voreqe Bainimarama and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison jointly launched the Kaiviti Silktails at the Prime Ministers 13 game at the ANZ Stadium in Suva last month.

As a part of their proposed structure, three squads of players will be identified for the 2020 season, the Kaiviti Silktails, the FNRL Academy and the Women’s Kaiviti Silktails, with around 80 players involved.

While the senior players will begin with the Silktails in the Massey Cup competition, should they catch the eye of Sharks NRL coach John Morris they can be elevated into the Canterbury Cup with the Newtown Jets as a forerunner to a possible career in the NRL.

[Source:Kaiviti Silktails]