The Kaiviti Silktails rugby league team are already back home in Fiji, after their season was ended early for a second straight year because of Covid-19.
The rise of former Mackay Cutters team-mates and house-mates Nicho Hynes and Aaron Booth helped inspire Jordan Grant to keep pursuing his NRL dream while forced to sit out last season due to COVID-19.
Grant, who made his NRL debut alongside Hynes and Booth in Melbourne’s 48-4 defeat of Newcastle last Saturday, lived with the pair in 2018 but thought he’d never get to play with them again after they joined the Storm.
While Hynes and Booth were part of Melbourne’s 2020 premiership-winning squad, Grant spent the season in limbo as all second-tier competitions were cancelled.
Living in Brisbane, the 26-year-old worked as a bank teller and trained with former Wests Tigers hooker Manaia Cherrington in the hope of finally getting a chance to play in the NRL.
SP PNG Hunters Buoyed By Backline Strength
SP PNG Hunters hope to begin a mid-season charge with the return of key backline combinations for Saturday’s Intrust Super Cup clash with Mackay Cutters at Bycroft Oval.
Winger Brendon Gotuno is among the returning players, three months after he broke his arm in the opening minutes of the last clash between the Hunters and the Cutters in Mackay.
The Hunters overcame Gotuno’s injury to sizzle through three tries in 14 minutes in one of the best passages of football since they arrived at their Gold Coast base for the 2021 season.
Since then, the Hunters have dealt with an unlucky injury run that has tested their depth away from home. They’re now waiting with other teams to see if the Queensland Government will lift a COVID lockdown at 6pm tomorrow night to enable Round 12 of the competition to proceed.
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A superfan took to the field during the Intrust Super Cup clash between Mackay Cutters and Northern Pride on Saturday.
During the first half of rugby league, play was stopped when the fan charged onto the field and tracked down Cutters’ halfback Ata Hingano.
Once the fan spotted Hingano, he quickly changed direction and embraced the Cowboy.
The two had a quick hug before the young man was escorted off the field.
The young man’s parents also entered the field of play to help the Phoenix Place member off the pitch to the standing ovation from the crowd.