The Kaiviti Silktails will be spending their next three pre-seasons on the Gold Coast and are looking to secure trial games against two Queensland Cup teams – one with a strong connection to the Fiji club’s chairman Petero Civoniceva.
A partnership deal signed with the Silktails and City of the Gold Coast will have the squad train and prepare for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 Jersey Flegg Cup (Under 21) seasons at the famous tourist destination.
The area is no stranger to the Fijians having held camps there earlier this year and in 2022 to play the Melanesian Bowl against the PNG Hunters.
The Silktails’ 30-member playing squad will arrive on the Gold Coast on 13 February next year and are currently in talks to secure two pre-season trials against the Gold Coast Titans and Redcliffe Dolphins.
Civoniceva, the NRL Hall of Famer, Australian Kangaroos and Fiji Bati prop, first played for Redcliffe as a 15-year-old in the early 1990s. After a successful NRL, Origin and international career ended in 2013, Civoniceva played one more season with Redcliffe in the 2014 Queensland Cup.
“With the Kaiviti Silktails now participating in the Jersey Flegg competition, pre-season matches against quality opposition is critical for us. And being based on the Gold Coast for the next three pre-seasons, that gives us certainty to secure those quality games,” Civoniceva said.
“We just can’t thank the City of Gold Coast enough for this amazing opportunity that’s been given to us.”
Mayor Tom Tate said: “The team consistently engages with the Gold Coast community during their visits. We are proud to have forged a great relationship with their organisation, and pleased we can play a role in supporting them to succeed well into the future.”
The Kaiviti Silktails played in the NSWRL’s Leagues Clubs Australia Ron Massey Cup for three years (2021-23) before restructuring into a development club and joining the Jersey Flegg Cup in 2024.
The Silktails are proudly supported by the Australian Government through PacificAus Sports. PacificAus Sports creates opportunities for Australian and Pacific athletes to learn, train, play, and grow together.
