TURUVA’S BIG CALL IS PAYING OFF

from Western Weekender March 24 2023

No better Derby victory

After being heavily pursued by Wayne Bennett and the Dolphins, exciting Panthers winger Sunia Turuva says he’s glad he decided to remain at the foot of the Mountains.

The 20-year-old Fijian makes a brief cameo in new Stan documentary series ‘Dawn of the Dolphins’, which takes a behind-the-scenes look into the NRL’s newest franchise. In episode two, Turuva is featured meeting with Dolphins officials last year at their

Redcliffe headquarters. The currently undefeated Queenslanders were in the process of building up their roster for their debut season and saw Turuva as the perfect young and up and coming prospect to sign up.

In the end, Turuva chose to remain loyal to his local club, re-signing with the Panthers until the end of 2024.

Speaking with Extra Time, Turuva said he didn’t even know he was part of the three-part doco series until one of his teammates told him.

“I didn’t even know I was in it until Moses told me, Moses Leota… I haven’t even seen it yet,” he admitted.

“Obviously it was a tough decision for me at the time, I had a few headaches for a couple of weeks but I’m glad I re-signed at Penrith.”

Remaining a Panther long-term appears to be the right move for Turuva, who has found himself a permanent spot in first grade sooner than expected.

With Ben Alexander Rookie of the Year winner Taylan May injuring his ACL in the World Club Challenge last month, Turuva now has the perfect opportunity to make the left wing position his own.

“When ‘Tiny’ was ruled out for the season, all the boys were upset for him because he had a big pre-season,” Turuva said.

“Just for myself, I have to match what he was doing because he was doing such a good job there – yardage carries, the way he was finishing tries.

“I don’t want to make it too difficult job for myself, but I’ve been surrounding myself with the right people who have been a big help.”

Despite 21-year-old May only fairly new to the NRL himself, Turuva admits it’s big shoes to fill.

“‘Tiny’ did a great job last year, he led the tries for us. He scored nearly every week – I don’t know how he did it,” he said.

“I’m not feeling too much pressure, I just have to be myself out there on the field and I know that will go a long way for myself and the team.”

Now just five games into his NRL career, Turuva said he’s getting plenty of help from left edge teammates Jarome Luai and Izack Tago. “I’m getting really confident, especially having Izack and Jarome there,” he said.

“They’ve been constantly tipping me up whether I’m doing something right or wrong. If I’m doing something wrong, they’ll correct me. It’s just about getting the combos right.”