Kaiviti Silktails have three women among their football staff and all know the value a female point of view can bring to Rugby League.
Merioni Tuinanuya (above left) has been General Manager for the past two seasons, while Sai Ledua (right) has been Head of High Performance for four years.
Vilimania Tuivaga (middle) has been with the Silktails for two years in the NSWRL Jersey Flegg Cup (Under 21s) competition as an assistant physio.
“Rugby League is normally very male-dominated, even back in Fiji, but with Sai and I we are always included in everything,” Tuivaga said.
“Our (Silktails) Executive Director Stevie Driscoll has put a great deal of trust in us.
“I think he likes having women around because we’re more organised, maybe even more practical!”
Tuivaga completed her qualifications at the Fiji School of Medicine and wears the orange shirt at all Silktails games both in Australia and at home at Churchill Park in Lautoka, or Prince Charles Park in Nadi.
She feels at times like the older sister for some of her charges.
“Definitely … we are like big sisters or mums to them and that’s nice because they feel comfortable asking us questions,” Tuivaga said.
“It’s a very mutual thing – I respect them and they respect me. They are lovely young men.”
Sai Ledua has been with the Silktails when they first played in NSWRL’s Leagues Clubs Australia Ron Massey Cup competition before focusing more on being a development club.
“From Ron Massey to Jersey Flegg has been quite a different level up of competition,” Ledua said.
“But I look at the younger boys and how they’ve developed with a 16-week program as their pre-season.
“It’s been amazing but every game is still a learning process. But I can see their development weekly through their training and conditioning.”
She had no hesitation in joining the Silktails all-male club.
“It’s something good that I’ve seen with the club is having we three women involved in key jobs,” Ledua said.
“We go hand in hand with the male staff in running the show, so to speak.
“When it comes to the strictly footy side of things, the men help us with that knowledge.
“But we help in other ways. I tell them I am acting like their big sister, so if they don’t do things right I may have to pull rank!”
The Silktails were unable to win a match in 2024, but already have three wins in Jersey Flegg in 2025 under coach Timoce Duve.
“Their mindset and perseverance is so much better,” Tuivaga said. “They’ve worked hard on their athletic ability and fitness too.
“Sai has really done a good job in building their stamina better.
“We found last year in Jersey Flegg it was such a long season (26 rounds) and they’d never had that in Fiji.
“So they were really shocked but the players now know that and they are much better at getting their bodies ready each week.”
Ledua knows exactly why she enjoys working with the Silktails.
“It is so great to see the players grow into good men and good footballers, but it’s also helping me a lot in my professional development in strength and conditioning.
“I’ve been here four years now and I’ve learnt a lot. I love the way we all work together as a team.
“There are some wonderful role models within the Silktails.”
The Silktails next match is Round 10 tomorrow (Saturday 10 May) against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Redfern Oval. Kick-off is at 1pm.
The Silktails are proudly supported by the Australian Government through PacificAus Sports. PacificAus Sports creates opportunities for Australian and Pacific athletes to learn, train, play, and grow together.
