Hopes are rising that a team representing Fiji will enter the New South Wales Cup competition next season, after a group of rugby league officials spent the weekend in Suva checking on facilities.

The trio - David Trodden, Barrie-Jon Mather and Bob Millward - also held meetings with government officials, members of the consortium backing the Fiji bid, and the bid team itself.

Former NRL great Petero Civoniceva is leading the bid team, and he said while the bidding process had been a long one, he believed the NSW delegation liked what they saw.

"To have them here on the ground was very exciting. The last few days we've spent just touring around our facilities, looking at the stadium which we'll use which is ANZ Stadium, the national stadium here in Suva," he said.

"They were very impressed, looking at also the hotels and accommodation which the teams from New South Wales would use here in Fiji. All in all, it was a fantastic, very positive trip."

Civoniceva said he had already begun putting together a squad in anticipation of the decision.

"I've been working in the background on a squad, so once we get the greenlight, we're pretty much all hands on deck and we'll be having trial matches around different regions of Fiji, pulling together what will be a very strong squad to hopefully contest the 2017 season," he said.

The New South Wales officials are expected to deliver a decision by mid-April.



Pic: Former NRL great Petero Civoniceva

   
Source:
ABC