Rugby league legend gets to say goodbye on the international stage.
Former Australian star Petero Civoniceva was named to lead Fiji at the rugby league World Cup starting in England and Wales next month.
The 21-man squad includes 15 players from the Australian National Rugby League as well as two plying their trade in Europe.
Coach Rick Stone said three more players would be added to the squad and confirmed he was in talks with former Australian internationals Lote Tuqiri and Jarryd Hayne of the Parramatta Eels.
Tuqiri, also an Australian rugby union Test player, announced two weeks ago he had signed with top Irish rugby union side Leinster while Hayne will only commit to Fiji if he fails to earn a recall to the Australian side.
Fiji finished fourth in the 2008 World Cup, won by New Zealand, and Stone is optimistic his new squad can do better.
“The squad has a lot of experience among them as the majority play their rugby overseas and having Petero in the squad is a real boost going into the World Cup,” he said.
“Most of the players in the Australia and New Zealand squads, our boys play them week in and week out so they know how to play the big boys.”
The Fiji-born Civoniceva, 37, played 45 matches for Australia and 309 games in the NRL, mainly for the Brisbane Broncos before retiring from the top flight at the end of last year and stepping down to the Queensland Cup competition.
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