Sunia Turuva, the Vodafone Fiji Bati player who contributed to the Penrith Panthers’ triumph in the 2024 NRL Telstra Premiership and scored the team’s first try in the grand final, stated that the squad must engage in some self-reflection and enhance their skills as they gear up for their upcoming match against the Cook Islands Aitu in the second week of the 2024 Pacific Championships this weekend.
Turuva, who was included in the Bati lineup for their game against the Papua New Guinea Kumuls, participated in a training session at Albert Park in Suva yesterday.
“It was great to reconnect with the boys and work on some combinations. I believe that’s what we’re missing this weekend,” Turuva remarked.
Before facing the Kumuls last week, in which the Bati suffered a 10-22 defeat, Turuva had only arrived in the country on the night before the match.
Despite this, he was observed integrating well into the training environment yesterday and identified several areas in need of improvement for the team.
“There are a few aspects we need to address, but I think it comes down to the fundamentals for us,” he said. “We missed a lot of tackles, and we weren’t effectively completing our sets with the ball.”
The Bati will take on the Aitu this Saturday, October 26, at 8:10 PM at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.