Silktails Club CEO Stephen Driscoll has thrown his full support behind the coaching staff following the club’s tough 50-0 Jersey Flegg Cup loss to the Eels, describing the match as an important part of the club’s long-term development pathway.
Driscoll highlighted that the Silktails fielded one of their youngest squads of the season, with 9 of the 18-man squad made up of Under-19 players — many with fewer than 10 games in their first ever elite Rugby League program.
“The other nine players in the squad are in their second and third years of the program and they have been awesome for us,” Driscoll said.
“Our challenge as a club is to bridge the gap between our senior players and our rookies.”
With the Silktails set to return home for the next four weeks, Driscoll said the away trip presented an opportunity to reward several young players who had been patient and working hard behind the scenes.
“Coach Duve and GM Joe Saukuru gave an opportunity to some rookies for this game who have been waiting patiently for their chance,” he said.
“For some of them they did really well, and for two or three of them they learnt some tough lessons today around professionalism and preparation when you travel away in a competition like this.
“This is all part of their development journey and our Chairman and Board will continue to support the staff and players.”
Driscoll also pointed to the bigger picture for the Silktails program, with nine players ageing out of the system at the end of the season and several attracting strong interest from the club’s NRL partner, the Canterbury Bulldogs.
“We have nine players ageing out of the program this year and around half a dozen of them are catching the eye of our partner club, the Canterbury Bulldogs,” he said.
“We already have four players from the program in the Bulldogs pathway system in 2025 and they are doing really well. Mika Senibua and Meli Wara have both been starring for the Bulldogs Ron Massey Cup side and are now pushing to debut in NSW Cup.”
The Silktails are also preparing for a major period of growth off the field, with Driscoll confirming the club will make several significant announcements in the coming week.
“We have some major announcements coming over the next week including the announcement of a new platinum sponsor and the construction of our new training facility at Churchill Park,” he said.
“That is all part of the club’s push towards expansion into the NSWRL Junior Representative competitions.”
Driscoll said the growth of the Silktails pathway continues to provide important opportunities for young Fijian players both on and off the field.
“Currently we have 35 contracted players who are all balancing work and study commitments alongside training and playing 26 rounds of football,” he said.
“That is a massive positive in a country currently facing major social issues with its youth.
“Expansion into the junior representative competitions will allow players to enter our program from the age of 15 and remain in the system until they are 21 — which is the same development window players receive here in Australia.”
Despite the heavy scoreline, the Silktails remain committed to building long-term depth, professionalism and pathways for young Fijian talent both locally and internationally.
