Rick Stone’s tenure as Fiji Bati rugby league coach is over, with Shane Morris to take over the role.
Stone, who will take up the head coaching role with the Newcastle Knights, enjoyed a decent spell with the Fijian rugby league side.
The new man coming in, Shane Morris, is no stranger to Fijian rugby league, having been involved with game development from 2004 to 2006.
Establishing a school league competition in Suva and Nadi, the program set up a national pathway for budding Fijian rugby league players to make their mark in the sport.
The program also refined the rugby league structure of the Fijian National Rugby League and allowed national and international playing opportunities.
Morris has also been involved with rugby league in Papua New Guinea, acting as their Community Development Manager and coach of the Port Moresby Vipers.
As a result, having overseen what he did in the past and his record since, the FNRL decided that Morris was the best man for the job,” said FNRL Chairman, Reverend Immanuel Reuben.
“We have named Shane as coach,” Reuben said.
“Shane was the technical adviser for the Nabua Broncos and Nadi Eels previously. He has a lot of experience in the sport having just finished coaching in Papua New Guinea.
“When we look at Shane, we regard him as one of our own because of the time that he has spent here.”
Morris is also no stranger to roles within the NRL and Australian rugby league, having worked as Club and Community Development Manager for the Brisbane Broncos.
He was also with the Melbourne Storm in 2007 as their Secondary Schools Development Officer and was involved with rugby league in South East Queensland.