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THEY'RE two Fijian flyers at opposite ends of stellar careers.
The left wingers are locked in one of the NRL's most intriguing selection battles.
They were raised a short distance apart in rural Fiji, with the quietly-spoken Koroibete relying on Tuqiri to help translate since his arrival two years ago.
Koroibete also earned his NRL stripes courtesy of Tuqiri, whose season-ending bicep injury opened the way for the explosive 20-year-old over the final six rounds of 2012.
Seven tries - including a club record haul of four in his second NRL appearance - announced Koroibete as a cult hero.
Now 33, Tuqiri has enjoyed such popularity his entire career and can appreciate what awaits his protege.
``I knew he was going to make an impact when he got a run,'' Tuqiri said.
``The scary thing is the kid is still learning. If he sticks to it, I think he will be a big name in rugby league for a while.''
The major part of Koroibete's learning curve is not physical, but literal.
While powerful enough to bowl over several team mates during a recent opposed session, he still struggles to communicate with them on the field.
``It's an ongoing issue and sometimes he needs a little bit of a prod to talk-up more,'' Tigers coach Mick Potter said.
``He's very shy and not confident in saying something, because he might say the wrong thing.''
It's a little discussed problem that Tuqiri can appreciate, hence why Tigers staff enlisted his help to translate.
``He was living not far away from where I was from in Fiji, so we speak a similar dialect,'' Tuqiri said.
``It's sometimes easier for the guys to communicate through me.
``He's finding his voice slowly. We've still got to try and communicate with him.
``A few boys do hand signs and things like that.
``It's just that he's shy about saying too much and getting the message wrong.
``I know coming from Fiji you are worried about people laughing at what you are putting across.''
Having verbally agreed - but not yet finalised - a one-year extension, Tuqiri is not taking anything for granted in 2013.
Given his disastrous run of arm injuries over the past two seasons, he's now happy to shift to the right edge to accommodate Koroibete.
``I've not played with him yet and we're both left wingers,'' Tuqiri said.
``But I don't really mind where I play, either edge is fine.
``The good thing about the Tigers this year is that there's a lot of guys going for spots.
``The coach has tried to instill a bit of competition and that's shown in the gym and training paddock.
``I've had a bit of bad luck over the past couple of years and I just want to finish on my terms, not limping off with a career-ending injury.''
In the unfamiliar position of playing for his future, the dual international has taken a new mindset into this season.
``I'm not 21 any more. I know I've only got a finite amount of time,'' he said.
``But I don't mind having the pressure of having to perform - not only to get a spot next year but to keep going beyond that.
``The younger blokes will get more time to flourish, but I've got to show what I can straight away.''
SUPERCOACH SNIPPET
Lote v Marika
When Marika Koroibete burst onto the scene last year with seven tries in six games, pundits immediately compared him to another flying Fijian - Lote Tuqiri.
But in truth, the comparison couldn’t be further off the mark, SuperCoach-wise at least.
Koroibete averaged 67 in 2012, almost double Tuqiri’s 37.
Koroibete averaged five tackle breaks per game in 2012, Tuqiri averaged two.
Serious injuries have played their part, but Tuqiri’s SuperCoach output has been in freefall since 2009, the year he returned to NRL from rugby.
He averaged 57 that year, but plummeted to 41 the next year, before his lowly 37 last season.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/lote-tuqiri-happy-to-shift-wings-for-fellow-fijian-flyermarika-koroibete/story-e6frexnr-1226565300466
The left wingers are locked in one of the NRL's most intriguing selection battles.
They were raised a short distance apart in rural Fiji, with the quietly-spoken Koroibete relying on Tuqiri to help translate since his arrival two years ago.
Koroibete also earned his NRL stripes courtesy of Tuqiri, whose season-ending bicep injury opened the way for the explosive 20-year-old over the final six rounds of 2012.
Seven tries - including a club record haul of four in his second NRL appearance - announced Koroibete as a cult hero.
Now 33, Tuqiri has enjoyed such popularity his entire career and can appreciate what awaits his protege.
``I knew he was going to make an impact when he got a run,'' Tuqiri said.
``The scary thing is the kid is still learning. If he sticks to it, I think he will be a big name in rugby league for a while.''
The major part of Koroibete's learning curve is not physical, but literal.
While powerful enough to bowl over several team mates during a recent opposed session, he still struggles to communicate with them on the field.
``It's an ongoing issue and sometimes he needs a little bit of a prod to talk-up more,'' Tigers coach Mick Potter said.
``He's very shy and not confident in saying something, because he might say the wrong thing.''
It's a little discussed problem that Tuqiri can appreciate, hence why Tigers staff enlisted his help to translate.
``He was living not far away from where I was from in Fiji, so we speak a similar dialect,'' Tuqiri said.
``It's sometimes easier for the guys to communicate through me.
``He's finding his voice slowly. We've still got to try and communicate with him.
``A few boys do hand signs and things like that.
``It's just that he's shy about saying too much and getting the message wrong.
``I know coming from Fiji you are worried about people laughing at what you are putting across.''
Having verbally agreed - but not yet finalised - a one-year extension, Tuqiri is not taking anything for granted in 2013.
Given his disastrous run of arm injuries over the past two seasons, he's now happy to shift to the right edge to accommodate Koroibete.
``I've not played with him yet and we're both left wingers,'' Tuqiri said.
``But I don't really mind where I play, either edge is fine.
``The good thing about the Tigers this year is that there's a lot of guys going for spots.
``The coach has tried to instill a bit of competition and that's shown in the gym and training paddock.
``I've had a bit of bad luck over the past couple of years and I just want to finish on my terms, not limping off with a career-ending injury.''
In the unfamiliar position of playing for his future, the dual international has taken a new mindset into this season.
``I'm not 21 any more. I know I've only got a finite amount of time,'' he said.
``But I don't mind having the pressure of having to perform - not only to get a spot next year but to keep going beyond that.
``The younger blokes will get more time to flourish, but I've got to show what I can straight away.''
SUPERCOACH SNIPPET
Lote v Marika
When Marika Koroibete burst onto the scene last year with seven tries in six games, pundits immediately compared him to another flying Fijian - Lote Tuqiri.
But in truth, the comparison couldn’t be further off the mark, SuperCoach-wise at least.
Koroibete averaged 67 in 2012, almost double Tuqiri’s 37.
Koroibete averaged five tackle breaks per game in 2012, Tuqiri averaged two.
Serious injuries have played their part, but Tuqiri’s SuperCoach output has been in freefall since 2009, the year he returned to NRL from rugby.
He averaged 57 that year, but plummeted to 41 the next year, before his lowly 37 last season.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/lote-tuqiri-happy-to-shift-wings-for-fellow-fijian-flyermarika-koroibete/story-e6frexnr-1226565300466
