Parramatta’s game-breaking wing duo of Blake Ferguson and Maiko Sivo have an unlikely fan in Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy.
The Storm mentor says he loves to watch the in-form duo play, with the exception of an 80 minute period on Saturday night at AAMI Park when his Storm host the Eels in their must-win semi-final.
“Fergie (Ferguson) adds a little bit of interest to any game he plays,” Bellamy said.
“He’s a very colourful personality and I love watching him play, when he ain’t playing against us – he’s really good for our game.”
The match sees rugby league’s version of the awesome foursome in action, with the Storm boasting their own top-shelf speedsters in Josh Addo-Carr and Suliasi Vunivalu.
Sivo has usurped Vunivalu as the leading Fijian flyer in the competition, leading the try-scoring tally with 22 in his debut season – the same figure the Storm winger racked up in his rookie year.
Vunivalu, who held the titles in 2016 and 2017, has only managed 10 this year.
“Suli’s been a really good player for us for a long period of time,” Bellamy said.
“Young Sivo – he’s obviously scored more tries than anyone else in his debut season so there’s a few comparisons there so they will be excited about playing against each other.
“We’ve got two of the best wingers in the game on either side of the field so I’m sure the fans are looking forward to that.”
Two years younger, Vunivalu said he hadn’t crossed paths with Sivo in their homeland but the pair played together in Fiji’s Test this year and became close friends.
In the mid-season match against Lebanon they shared the spoils collecting two tries each in the 58-14 victory.
The Storm gun said he was looking forward to the challenge of taking on a fellow Fijian.
“It’s not every week you verse a Fijian on your wing so I can’t wait for Saturday,” Vunivalu said.
“Everyone in Fiji loves supporting any Fijian that puts a jersey on, especially at NRL level.
“I know everyone will be supporting at home. Especially from his village and where I’m from.”