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Marika Koroibete

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Marika Koroibete
Koroibete in Fiji, December 2015.
Personal information
Born (1992-07-26) 26 July 1992 (age 32)
Naraiyawa, Fiji
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight93 kg (14 st 9 lb)
Playing information
Rugby league
PositionWing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2012–14 Wests Tigers 16 12 0 0 48
2014–16 Melbourne Storm 58 34 0 0 136
Total 74 46 0 0 184
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2013–15 Fiji 7 2 0 0 8
Rugby union
PositionWing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2017– Melbourne Rebels 0 0 0 0 0
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2016 Australia A 1 0 0 0 0
Source: [1][2]
As of 25 November 2016

Marika Koroibete (born 26 July 1992) is a Fijian professional rugby union footballer who currently plays for the Melbourne Rebels in the Super Rugby. He plays at wing and previously (2012 - 2016) played for the Melbourne Storm and the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League, being also a member of the Fijian rugby league national team. He is a member of the Australian National Rugby Union Team for their spring tour to Europe (november 2016). [3]

Early years

Born in Naraiyawa, Fiji, Koroibete grew upon a family farm from which he walked twenty kilometres to travel to and from school.[4] Koroibete played rugby union for his school in Fiji before switching to rugby league. After a short stint in junior rugby league Koroibete signed a 3-year contract with the Wests Tigers. Koroibete was signed after being spotted playing for the Fiji Under 19s in a match against Australian-born Fijian players.[4] Koroibete had also been considering pursuing a career in sprinting, having run 100 metres in 10.75 seconds.

Koroibete played for the Tigers' Toyota Cup team in 2011 and 2012, scoring 22 tries in 26 games.[5] He scored two tries as the team won the 2012 Grand Final.[6] 2012 Toyota Cup coach Todd Payten said, "The most exciting part with Marika is that we're only really scratching the surface. He's got a couple of little issues and once we iron them out, he's certainly going to be a crowd pleaser."[4]

Playing career

2012

In Round 21 of 2012, Koroibete made his NRL debut on the wing for the Wests Tigers against the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the Tigers 32-6 loss.[7] In just his second game in Round 22, Koroibete scored 4 tries against the Tigers 51-26 win Parramatta Eels at Campbelltown Stadium, equaling the club record for most tries in a match set by Kevin McGuinness ten years earlier.[8] Koroibete then followed up with 2 tries against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs a fortnight later.[9] Coach Tim Sheens described him as having, "lots of issues still but he's got raw pace and ability." Koroibete finished his debut year in the NRL playing in 6 matches and scored 7 tries. On 21 August 2012, Koroibete was named at wing in the 2012 Toyota Cup Team of the Year.[10] Koroibete was also named the joint Rookie of the Year for the Wests Tigers,[11] and one of the top ten upcoming youngsters in the NRL in Lifestyle Uncut Magazine.[12]

Koroibete playing for Fiji at the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

2013

A number of injuries, including a fractured eye-socket and a dislocated elbow, saw Koroibete play in just 9 games in 2013. However, he scored 5 tries and was averaging over three tackle breaks and 100 metres with the ball per game.[13]

Koroibete made his international debut for Fiji in the 2013 World Cup,[14] as Fiji defeated Ireland 32-14. He played in all five of Fiji's games. In the game against Samoa, he made seven tackle breaks and ran over 220 metres with the ball.[15]

2014

In February 2014, Koroibete was included in the Wests Tigers inaugural 2014 Auckland Nines squad, despite having issues with his visa to gain entry into New Zealand.[16] After playing in one match after Round 8, Koroibete was selected to play for Fiji in the 2014 Pacific Rugby League International against Samoa. He played on the wing in the 32–16 loss at Penrith Stadium.[17]

On 23 June 2014, Koroibete joined the Melbourne Storm mid-season on a 2+1⁄2-year contract effective immediately.[18][19] On Round 18 of the 2014 NRL season against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Koroibete made his club debut for the Melbourne Storm replacing Sisa Waqa on the wing in the Storm's 6–4 loss.[20] In the next match in Round 19 against the Canberra Raiders at AAMI Park, Koroibete scored his first club try in the 28–14 win.[21] Koroibete finished the year with him playing in 10 matches and scoring 6 tries after his mid-year transfer to the Storm.

2015

On 31 January and 1 February, Koroibete played for the Storm in the 2015 NRL Auckland Nines.[22] On 2 May, he played for Fiji against Papua New Guinea in the 2015 Melanesian Cup, playing on the wing. He scored 2 tries in a Man of the Match winning performance in Fiji's 22-10 victory at Cbus Super Stadium.[23][24] He finished off the 2015 season as the Storms' highest try-scorer with 16 tries in 23 matches.[25]

2016

On 1 February, Koroibete was named in the Storm's 2016 NRL Auckland Nines squad.[26]

In May 2016 it was confirmed he will be leaving NRL for rugby union with offers placed by Super Rugby side, Melbourne Rebels and the Wallabies. The offer allowed him to play for the Rebels as well as for the Australia national team for which he has already qualified under the 4-year residency rule.[27]

In October 2016, just weeks after playing in the 2016 NRL Grand Final, he was named in the Wallabies team for their 5 match Autumn Internationals.[28]

References

  1. ^ "Marika Koroibete - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  2. ^ "Player Profile : Marika Koroibete". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  3. ^ Barry Toohey (10 March 2013). "Akuila Uate eyes new Fijian thriller Marika Koroibete". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  4. ^ a b c Michael Chammas (8 August 2012). "From farm to fortune: quiet Koroibete is flying fast". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  5. ^ "Grandstand Forums". rleague.com. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  6. ^ Wayne Cousins (30 September 2013). "Wests Tigers win NYC Premiership". weststigers.com.au. Retrieved 11 September 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  7. ^ "South Sydney Rabbitohs Turn on the Style as They Rout West Tigers 32-6". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  8. ^ "Wests Tigers Rally to beat Parramatta Eels in High Scxoring Clash at Campbelltown Stadium". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  9. ^ "Bulldogs score 23-22 Golden Point Victory Over West Tigers After Inu Drop Goal". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  10. ^   (21 August 2012). "Toyota Cup Team of the Year". NRL.com. Retrieved 8 September 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  11. ^ Wayne Cousins (28 September 2012). "Aaron Woods named Player of the Year". weststigers.com.au. Retrieved 18 December 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  12. ^ Chris Taylor (23 September 2012). "The Top 10 Youngsters From The NRL You'd Like To See In Super League". Lifestyleuncut.com. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  13. ^ Brock Corfe (25 August 2013). "Young guns - Marika Koroibete". weststigers.com.au. Retrieved 11 September 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  14. ^ "Civoniceva, Wes Naiqama to lead Fiji Bati". Fijilive.com. 2013-09-19. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  15. ^ Dan Walsh (1 May 2014). "Fiji v Samoa preview". nrl.com. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  16. ^ "Financial Review - News Store". Newsstore.fairfax.com.au. 2014-02-14. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  17. ^ "Gutsy Samoa Secures Place in Four Nations Tournament Following Win Over Fiji". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  18. ^ Roy Ward (2014-06-23). "Melbourne Storm adds flying Fijian Marika Koroibete". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  19. ^ "Marika Koroibete Could Be Just What Melbourne Storm Need in a Season Defining Month". Heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  20. ^ Ash Gray (2014-07-12). "Live: Melbourne Storm v Canterbury Bulldogs". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  21. ^ "Storm Have Beaten Raiders 28-14". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  22. ^ "STORM UNVEIL 2015 NINES SQUAD". Rugby League Week. 2015-01-23. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  23. ^ "Fiji Bati Named To Face Png". Rugby League Week. 2015-04-26. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
  24. ^ "Koroibete delights in Fiji win over PNG". NRL.com. 2015-05-02. Retrieved 2015-12-20.
  25. ^ "Custom Match List". Rugby League Project. 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
  26. ^ "Storm name youthful Nines squad". NRL.com. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  27. ^ "Rebels to sign Koroibete". Stuff. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  28. ^ "Australia pick rugby league convert Marika Koroibete for autumn Tests". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
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