Multicultural Round

A hat-trick to Cowboys forward Jeremiah Nanai and five-star performances from Valentine Holmes and former Bronco Tom Dearden led the visitors, who set up a 14-6 lead in the first half before going on with the game in the second.

It was a sweet homecoming in his second game against the Broncos for Dearden, who scored a try and set up three to outplay Broncos halfback Adam Reynolds.

Reynolds' first match at home was a mixed bag with the former Rabbitohs kicking the ball out twice on the full in the minutes leading up to Holmes' try in the 45th minute.

The arrival of Adam Reynolds and Kurt Capewell has the Broncos buzzing and their influence has been clear for all to see in the first two games.

Further north and the Cowboys have their own star recruits in Chad Townsend and Peta Hiku, two experienced campaigners who bring composure and class to a proud club crying out for a return to the glory days of 2015 and the gutsy days of 2017.

There is no better setting than Suncorp Stadium on a Sunday afternoon for the latest instalment in a rivalry which has been going strong since 1995 and rarely fails to deliver.

After last year's horror 0-4 start, the Sea Eagles would not have been expecting the early stages of this year to pan out in similar fashion, especially with star fullback Tom Trbojevic fit to start the season - although they have faced two of the competition's most heavily-fancied sides.

The Bulldogs are 1-1 and arguably unlucky not to be 2-0, but are still very much a work in progress. If coach Trent Barrett can help his current club add more early-season pain onto his former club it will go a long way to building a confident platform for the rest of their 2022 campaign.

Naiqama, who has joined the Roosters after returning home from England with three consecutive Super League premierships for St Helens, reflected on the growth in the number of Fijian stars in the NRL ahead of this weekend’s Multi-Cultural Round.

“I remember when I was a young kid, Petero Civoniceva and Lote Tuqiri were literally the only two big names, but now there is Viliame Kikau, Maika Sivo and so many other Fijians playing in the NRL,” Naiqama said.