Wearing the Vodafone Fiji Bati jersey means much more than merely representing Fiji for hooker Kurt Donoghoe. It has deepened his family connections; the last time he visited Fiji was for a family reunion when he was just 12 years old. Now, at the age of 22, he’s playing in front of them.
Donoghoe qualifies to represent the Bati through his paternal grandmother, who hails from the Thaggard family in Savusavu. He made his debut for the Bati at last year’s Pacific Bowl Championship held in Papua New Guinea.
“This year, playing in Fiji, I definitely feel closer to the jersey,” he remarked. “I got to meet some family members I had never met before, which was really cool. Playing in front of them and receiving my jersey after the game made me feel a deeper connection to Fiji, especially compared to playing in Papua New Guinea last year.”
He expressed that playing in Fiji is particularly special as he reconnects with his family. Although he has friends on the Cook Islands Aitu team, he is focused on the upcoming match on Saturday, which he anticipates will be challenging.
“I think it’ll be a good game; they put up a strong performance against us last year,” Donoghoe noted. “It’s going to be an exciting match, and I believe it will be close. They’ve been improving since last year, and they are going to come at us hard, especially following our recent game.”
The match is set to kick off at 8:10 PM at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
Donoghoe recently signed a one-year contract with the Dolphins and made his NRL debut in Round 1 of the 2023 season against the Sydney Roosters. He re-signed with the club until the end of 2025 and played a total of 10 matches for the Dolphins in the 2024 NRL season, where the club finished 10th on the points table.