The Kaiviti Silktails have set themselves a target of at least 10 wins in the Jersey Flegg Cup in 2026 as they look to double the number of wins they managed last season in the Under 21s competition.
The Jersey Flegg Cup kicks off on Saturday 7 March and will involve 14 clubs, with the Silktails facing a tough assignment first up when they take on the Penrith Panthers at St Marys Leagues Stadium.
The Silktails joined the Jersey Flegg Cup competition in 2024, having initially started their NSWRL journey in the Leagues Clubs Australia Ron Massey Cup in 2021, as the Fijian-based club switched their focus to developing junior players.
Their first season was challenging with the club unable to secure a win despite being close on several occasions, but significant progress was made in 2025 with four wins and a draw – three of those victories coming on home soil in Lautoka and Sigatoka.
“The first game back in Fiji, to win that one was really big. We had all the NSWRL over there for the sponsors convention, so that was real special moment against the Dragons,” Silktails CEO Stephen Driscoll said.
“To beat the Knights the following week, then come over to Australia a few weeks later and beat the premiers in Melbourne was really good.
“We took a lot of confidence out of it. Even in the games that we lost, we were definitely a lot more competitive than what we had been. Just that second year in Jersey Flegg made the difference for us.
“Hopefully, we can double that – four wins and a draw – and look around that 10-game mark this year. That’s the goal.”
On the field, the Silktails face a demanding trial schedule on the Gold Coast, beginning with a clash against the Gold Coast Titans Queensland Cup side on Sunday (22 February), followed by a match against the Redcliffe Dolphins Queensland Cup side the following week. The hit-outs are set to provide another stern examination before the regular season begins.
“We have got some pretty strong opposition,” Driscoll said.
“Last year our trail matches up here were good matches. We’re playing against NRLQ sides this year so hopefully some good, tough hit-outs in the trials will hold us in good stead because then we go to Penrith for Round One – it doesn’t get any harder than that.”
The trial against the Dolphins carries added significance for Silktails Chairman Petero Civoniceva, who played junior Rugby League at the club before embarking on a successful NRL career that included three premierships with the Brisbane Broncos.
“We have been coming up here for camps for six years now and Currumbin Eagles have always been a strong partner of our club,” Driscoll said.
“Playing the Dolphins is always important because that is Petero’s junior club. We got to go there last year, and the boys got to see the Petero Civoniceva room and the Petero Civoniceva gym and all the different rooms he’s got named after him.
“That is always important for us to put in a good performance against his junior club.”
The Silktails will carry strong continuity into 2026, with 11 players returning from last season, complemented by emerging talent from the club’s pathways system. The trial matches will be the perfect scenario for the Silktails to build match intensity.
“We always train really well and training is important, but it can’t substitute games,” Driscoll said.
“There are probably two boys that are going to play in a competitive game of Rugby League for the first time. The rest of them all play secondary schools Rugby League and club footy which is eight to 10 rounds a year; compared to 26 in this competition. You just can’t put a value on game time.”
Off the field, the club’s long-term vision continues to expand. Plans are underway to pursue entry into more NSWRL representative competitions and strengthen the Fijian development pathway.
“We are really hopeful to try and in the next year or so to get a team in the Harold Matts and SG Ball,” Driscoll said. “That is the goal for us as a club.”
