THE interim Government has provided the Vodafone Fiji National Rugby League with a grant to prepare the Fiji Bati for the World Cup. FNRL chairman Peni Musunamasi said they would be getting around $10,000 to start off with.
"We are grateful for the assistance from government," Musunamasi said. "It will help us start off our training camps for local elite players. This requires money." The Fiji Bati is looking at a top four finish at the World Cup in November.
"Our coach Jo Rabele wants to take the local players to the sand dunes in Sigatoka for a few days and also camps at Pacific Harbour," Musunamasi said.
"So the grant will help us a lot." He said the match against the Fiji sevens side last Friday had exposed a lot of areas which needed work.
"The team just got together one day prior and played the match. The players are heavy and need to be involved in training camps," he said. FNRL will name 60 players in its RLWC squad in August and forward the list to International Rugby League Federation. The final 24 players will be named on October 8.
In the 2008 RLWC Fiji is grouped with France and Scotland in Pool B. The Fiji Bati face France on November 1 at the WIN Stadium in Wollongong. Its second pool match against Scotland will be played at the Bluetongue Stadium in Central Coast on November 5. If Fiji tops then it enters for the semi final qualifier against the top team from Pool Three which includes Tonga, Samoa and Ireland.