Police Blue and former Fiji 7s playmaker Terio Tamani scooped the Best Player award at the 47th Fiji Bitter Marist 7s yesterday as his side defeated Fiji 1 15-5 to win the tournament after two years.
Speaking to FijiLive, Tamani said winning the award and the Marist 7s wasn’t easy for him as he bounced back into the 7s fold after six months.
Tamani revealed that he was out of rugby for six months due to a knee injury and he underwent surgery in Dubai in December last year.
“I want to thank the Lord Almighty for the win and also for guiding me through what all I have achieved with my police team today and finishing off on a high note with this award.”
“The players worked really hard and they kept motivating me to push myself and give my best. Coming from the injury wasn’t easy because during the injury I gained a lot of weight and lost my form.”
“I had to improve myself first by going on a strict diet, exercising more and training with the Police team since last month helped me a lot. After the surgery, during the recovery, I could still feel some pain but I told myself that I need to get back on my feet and play rugby as I did.”
Tamani said the major reason he made his comeback into sevens rugby was for his family who supported him throughout his tough journey last year.
“This win is special to my family because they saw the struggles I went through. My family was really by my side and my kids Jayden and Leilani also told me that I should play rugby.”
“My parents are back on the island and they told me that the pain I have encountered should not deter me from doing what I am good at, which is rugby. It was a very tough six months and I’m just thankful to the Almighty for giving me the strength and power to get back on my feet.”
Tamani added that he is hoping to make his way back into the Fiji 7s team for the upcoming HSBC 7s series.
