Koroisau was allowed to serve his Fijian ban during the international schedule, which is fantastic news for the Tigers. However, PNG’s unexpected away victory over Bati in the Pacific Bowl on Saturday struck Fiji a severe blow.
Fiji won’t play an additional game if they don’t win the group, and they have a difficult time getting to the Pacific Bowl final. Koroisau will therefore only be required to play two of his suspended games in the international arena.
To serve out the last game of his ban in the season opener, Benji Marshall will probably have to postpone bringing new recruits Luai and Koroisau together in Wests Tigers colours with the No. 9. After finishing with the wooden spoon in 2024, the Wests Tigers will be hoping to turn things around, thus this is a setback to them.
Koroisau was the Tigers’ star player the previous season, therefore the coach is disappointed if he misses even one game. The fan base is already getting excited about Luai and Koroisau’s potential reunion. Luai’s decision to include Koroisau in Samoa’s tour to England was a setback for Marshall and the Tigers’ preseason preparations.Jarome Luai’s Samoa inclusion a Tigers setback
Many expected Luai to follow in the path of former Penrith teammates Liam Martin, Brian To’o and Nathan Cleary and skip the international schedule. The Panthers players endured a gruelling season and many opted to rest or recover from injuries after the NRL grand final, instead of playing international footy for their nation.
However, Luai chose to represent his country when Samoa visited England, which might be viewed as a setback for Marshall and the Tigers. Although Luai would miss the start of his new team’s preseason, he acknowledged that he had always desired to play for Samoa when his teammates were denied the chance.
“I had been thinking about it for a while. My body is a little sore from the long year, and I have to join a new club. “I didn’t want to further delay that,” he stated. But if I didn’t go over there and put on the boots for my country, I would be doing a disservice to both myself and my family’s reputation.
“The fact that To’o and Crichton weren’t available gave me even more justification to keep it down for the guys. With good reason, they have a number of activities throughout the off-season. I’ll go hold it down over there.”
Given that Luai was brought in for his leadership abilities, the Tigers are somewhat hurt by the move. However, a lot of supporters are eager for him to wear Tigers colours and hook up with dynamic youngster Lachlan Galvin and former Panthers teammate Koroisau.
Fiji stunned in Pacific Bowl upset
Despite having ten players that played in the NRL this season, Fiji was unable to match the zeal of a passionate PNG team. As PNG’s coach, Jason Demetriou had a fantastic start to his international Pacific Bowl debut as his team built on their victory over Fiji the week before.
Former Cowboys winger Robert Derby assisted former NRL player Nene Macdonald, who was the best on the pitch. Two passes from Viliame Kikau were intercepted by the winger, and both resulted in tries. Derby set the tone for PNG with his opening try, a 90-meter run.
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