11 May 2013

Sport: Fiji Bati coach hoping to attract more NRL players ahead of World Cup

9:45 am on 11 May 2013

Fiji rugby league coach Rick Stone says he's hoping to recruit a few more big-name players before the World Cup in the Northern Hemisphere later this year.

Former Queensland and Australia front rower Petero Civoniceva will lead the Bati at the global tournament, with Wests Tigers winger Lote Tuqiri also committed to turning out for his homeland.

Rick Stone has run a couple of camps in Sydney for NRL based players over the past couple of months and says he's always on the lookout for top players that can add to the team.

"Probably we will have a little bit more of an idea once the State of Origin series is finished. There's some players that might be on the fringe and maybe Johnny Sutton from South Sydney might be one of those particular players. The Sims brothers - obviously Korbin is playing here at the Knights but also his brothers Tariq and Ashton so they're a couple of players who definitely could make a massive impact for Fiji."

Rick Stone says Fiji have good depth in the forwards but could do with more options at halfback, hooker and five eighth.