19-year-old Aporosa Talatala Boseiwaqa Kuruyabaki, who made his debut for defending champions Rewa in their 0-0 against Nadi in Round 16 of the Digicel Fiji Premier League on Sunday, draws inspiration from Fijian wonder boy Roy Krishna.
Speaking to FijiLive, the Year 13 student of Baulevu High School said he closely followed Krishna from a young age and is inspired by his fame and stardom in the sport.
“I feel happy playing with the senior boys,” an excited Kuruyabaki said.
“Roy has been my favourite player since my childhood days and I just love the way he plays football. He is a striker and I also play in striker’s position so every time I watch his game, I try to apply his strategies and skills when I play.”
“Seeing him play on the international arena always encourages me to play to my full potential and aim for the sky.”
“Some of the values I have learnt from Roy are being humble and trusting in the sport. I have seen that whenever he plays either for Fiji or in India, he’s patient with the ball and trusts the players in the team.”
Kuruyabaki was roped in the Delta Tigers last year after his impressive performance in the youth team but he wasn’t aware that he would don the red jumper on Father’s Day when his entire family decided to spend the occasion supporting the hosts.
“I told my parents that I had been training with the Rewa team but I couldn’t get the chance to make my debut. I think it’s worth the wait.”
“It was a big surprise and an emotional feeling when my name was called out for the match day. I was in tears because my family came to watch the game like they always do when Rewa plays in Nausori.”
“Big moment for me because I didn’t tell my parents, I was going to play my first district-level football. I just wanted to give back this surprise to them and my dad.”
When Kuruyabaki took the field as a replacement striker in place of Fiji Under 16 star Delon Shankar, he revealed that Coach Roderick Singh’s message kept ringing in his mind.
“He told me to play with my whole heart, give my best and the lord will do the rest. Coach always says that when we work collectively, we’ll achieve our target together.”
“I was a little bit frightened of the Nadi defenders but I remembered that coach told me to just focus on myself and whenever I get nervous, just be patient with the ball and don’t make decisions in a rush.”
“The boys backed me up in the forwards. Gabriele was there, always passing the ball to me and talking to me throughout the final whistle.”
While the Baulevu lad is eager to continue playing for Rewa, he aims to better his fitness level and scoring in the daily team training sessions.
“I have to learn from the senior boys. They are more experienced than me. I have to gain football knowledge and skills from them.”
“I’ll work on my finishing which we lacked and also my speed. Maybe it was my first game and I felt a little nervous but I’ll improve on that in the training.”
“The build-up is good, we are excellent in our defence and the coach says that we attackers need to better our game which we will definitely do before the next match.”
