Queensland’s Fijian players will be auctioning off their playing jerseys this weekend to help raise money for the Cyclone Winston appeal.
Reds starting pair Samu Kerevi and Eto Nabuli will be auctioning off their round two jerseys, while outside back Chris Kuridrani will auction off his 2014 debut jersey to help those in Fiji get back on their feet.
As well as the jersey auctions, members of Brisbane’s Fijian community will be collecting donations from spectators to contribute to the appeal.
Kerevi said it had been difficult to deal when news of the cyclone hit, with many members of his family still living in Fiji.
“It was definitely hard to hear the news of Cyclone Winston back home,” he said.
It wasn't until he gained contact with his parents that Kerevi began to be reassured that the island nation was on the road to recovery.
“After I talked to them on that Sunday I felt better,” he said,
“They helped me through the week just telling me to focus on my Rugby, leaving everything else in God’s hands.
“They're still in high spirits even through a lot of the devastation that’s happened, they’re still happy, still buzzing around the town.
“For us it’s just about being positive here and helping out wherever we can back home.”
Kerevi said he was grateful to the Reds for helping to allow Brisbane’s Fijian community to fundraise at Saturday’s game.
It’s awesome from an organisation point of view to lend a hand in that way for Brisbane’s Fijian community, it means a lot,” he said.
“Different churches, different denominations all as a Fiji community in Brisbane will come together to help out.
“I think we’ve got 30-40 volunteers to hold the buckets before the game and hopefully we get a lot of money raised for the appeal.
“From an organisation point of view, I’m really grateful and humbled by the gesture.
As well as auctioning off jerseys, Reds headgear-donning trio Ben Daley, Ben Matwijow and Cadeyrn Neville will be fundraising for the appeal through their “Be Great, Do Good” initiative.
The Reds take on the Force at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night, at 7:45pm AEDT.
