Fiji officials expect NRL Rookie of the Year Sunia Turuva to play in Sunday’s Pacific Championship against the Cook Islands despite being cleared to train in Port Morseby.
Turuva practiced on his own during Thursday’s training session at the Santos National Football Stadium to avoid contact due to a swollen wrist.
However, the Panthers premiership winner is expected to be a key player for the Bats in Sunday’s match, which the Cook Islands must win to keep alive their hopes of reaching the Pacific Bowl final on November 5.
Cook Islands center Kayal Iro is recovering from a serious stomach ailment that forced him to be sent home after training and in quarantine earlier this week.
Iro and roommate Lucky Pokipok, who was also ill, have been sidelined and the Sharks fullback believes he will be fully recovered for Sunday’s game against Fiji. It is believed that other members of the Aitu group were not injured.
Penrith five-eighth Jarome Luai underwent surgery on the shoulder he dislocated at the end of the season before bravely returning to the preliminary final and premiership final.
Luai, who was banned from Samoa’s Pacific Championship campaign, left the field carrying his left arm in the 51st minute of the final and watched from the sidelines as Nathan Cleary staged the greatest comeback in grand final history.
Cleary suffered a dislocated finger in practice on the eve of the preliminary final but played through the pain to lead his team to a third straight major.
The defending champion also suffered a knee injury in the decider against the Broncos. Meanwhile, Cook Islands midfielder Tevin Arona has been ruled out with a broken spine after he was injured in the Pacific Championship opener against Papua New Guinea.
Arona, who plays for New Zealand’s Auckland Vulcans, was stretchered out of the Santos football stadium in a neck brace and kept immobile by medical staff while they assessed his condition.
He was later taken to Port Moresby International Hospital for preventive checks and reportedly suffered a facial fracture in the incident.
Cook Islands prop Makahesi Makatoa played just five minutes of the match before coming off with what is believed to be a chest injury.
Fiji Bati opened their campaign against the Cook Islands in the second week of the Pacific Championship without striker Api Koroisau, who was unavailable with a calf injury.
Leave a Reply