KEY POINTS:
God is a well-known motivation for the Fijian rugby league team who take on the might of Australia today but Fijian-born Kangaroo forward Petero Civoniceva thinks there might be some rather ungodly things coming his way
in this match.
He might be a "king" _ as Fiji captain Wes Naiqama described him _ of the island nation most of the time but this weekend, he will be the enemy, according to the Australian newspaper.
"If anything, I think I might have a bit of a target on my back for some of the Fijian-based boys," Civoniceva said with a laugh. "The way they go about their football _ they are fearless. So we are all going to have our work cut out. If they get a sniff, they have the skill and talent to make us pay."
Civoniceva himself thanks God his parents had the courage to leave family and friends to seek a better life for their children.
The debt of gratitude he feels towards his mother Tima, father Petero (a Fijian rugby union test representative) and to Australia has driven him to 34 appearances in the green and gold, just five short of the record held by John Raper for test caps won by a forward.
While he may have given every inch of his granite-like body to
the Kangaroos, at least part of Civoniceva's heart remains with his country of birth, Fiji _ whom he will oppose for the first time in his career in today's World Cup semifinal in Sydney.
"Ever since I was a kid, I grew up watching Australia
and dreaming of playing for the Kangaroos. But I am very proud of my Fijian heritage and I have got a real kick out of seeing them do so well in the tournament," Civoniceva told the Australian.
He turned down the opportunity to represent Fiji in 2000 as he was recovering from a second broken arm in 12 months.
"As I have got older, I have become really passionate about helping the game develop back home, because I know the opportunities rugby league offers. This will be huge for the game back in Fiji and hopefully it opens
the door for a lot more kids to come over here and get the same chances I have had to build a better life for themselves."
He has been instrumental in helping establish the Australian-Fijian Rugby League, donating his time and money to the organisation which is designed
to help promote and foster Fijian rugby league talent in Australia and create a pathway for Fijian-based players to secure contracts and scholarships abroad. The patron of the AFRL, Civoniceva's name also adorns the annual player of the year award, the first of which was taken out by Parramatta and current Fiji fullback Jarryd Hayne.
The AFRL is also heavily involved with charity work, organising clothing drives and football equipment which is sent back to his homeland.
"Typical of Petero, when we approached him, he was really humbled. The reality is it is an honour to have him associated with us," AFRL chairman and former Fiji captain James Pickering told the Australian.
"These days, there are so many idiots out there making a living for themselves in sport, blokes who are bad role models.
"Petero shows these kids you don't have to be like that to be
the best and actually people will respect you more if you aren't."
Pickering said Civoniceva had insisted the AFRL focused much of its attention on offering young Fijians the chance to use their football skills to get a better education, and six members of the under-16 Fijian-Australian squad, which won the Pacific Nations Cup, earned high school scholarships.
Meanwhile, Fijian coach Joe Dakuitoga believes in miracles, which is a good thing because Fiji may need one to beat Australia.
"Nothing is impossible _ everything is possible," Dakuitoga, the larger-than-life Fiji coach, said. "We believe God is going to give us the strength. We pray to the almighty God that he will give us the spirit and courage to play against Australia.
"We played against Ireland _ all Super League players. We played against Scotland _ all Super League players. Against France _ all Super League players. If we keep this positive attitude, maybe we will cause an upset _ the biggest upset ever. We'll put that to God."
"After the game on Monday, when they went back to their rooms, they started to talk about those players," he told the Australian. "Who am I going to play against? If you look at our five-eighth, he is going to mark Darren Lockyer. He said, `I will never, ever let Lockyer out of my sights, even at half-time, for the full 80 minutes'. All these boys believe they can do it."
