Former Kaiviti Silktails Player of the Year, Meli Nasau, has signed with The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Premiers Newtown Jets for next season.
Nasau played 10 NSW Cup games for the Sydney Roosters this year and four games (three tries) for the Glebe Dirty Reds, who are the Roosters feeder club in the Leagues Clubs Australia Ron Massey Cup.
The skilful back rower, who was crowned the club’s best player in 2022, also played a NRL trial game for the Roosters last February, scoring a try against South Sydney at Leichhardt Oval (pictured above, NRL Photos).
“It’s another example of how our elite pathway at the Silktails can work for Fijian players wanting to further their careers in the Australian domestic competitions,” Silktails Executive Director Stephen Driscoll said.
“Meli played some outstanding football with us in 2022 and 2023 (25 games, 14 tries) in Ron Massey Cup before being aged out of the Silktails. But he’s continued to thrive in Rugby League and joining a club like Newtown is a real credit to him.”
The Silktails moved to the NSWRL Jersey Flegg Cup (Under 21s) competition in 2024 as they turned their focus to becoming a development club.
Nasau then became a fixture with the Roosters second and third-tier competitions.
“I’m really excited to join such a famous club as the Newtown Jets. I would like to thank the Kaiviti Silktails, the Sydney Roosters and Glebe Dirty Reds for guiding me through my first three years in Rugby League here,” Nasau told nswrl.com.au.
“This is my first season out of the Silktails pathways system and it’s important I step up on my own this time. I need to build on the 10 NSW Cup games I played last season and force my way into the Jets every week.”
Nasau comes from a remote village in the Yasawa Islands in Fiji. In 2023 he returned with Driscoll to set up a gymnasium at Yasawa High School, through the Silktails youth program named in honour of their late Football Manager, Jacquie Shannon.
In addition to Nasau’s NSW Cup clubs switch, two other Silktails players from this year’s Jersey Flegg squad – Jerry Keteca and Fenton Williams (Shannon’s nephew) – are training with the Tweed Seagulls in the QRL’s Hostplus Cup squad.
The Silktails are planning two play two trial games on Gold Coast early next year as they prepare for the NSWRL 2025 Jersey Flegg Cup.
