For Newcastle Knights coach Rick Stone the weekend’s Representative Round was considered successful for a number of reasons.
Stone resumed the position of head coach of the Fijian Bati and lead them to a 22-10 victory over a feisty Papua New Guinea Kumuls.
The spirited affair between the two Pacific Island nations featured a solid 80-minute performance by Korbin Sims that has brought him into the Origin frame.
“It was a good week and we got a result which is nice,” Stone said.
Also among the line-up were emerging forwards Daniel and Jacob Saifiti. The Test was an opportunity for the NYC twins to experience a higher intensity brand of football and to proudly represent their mother's culture.
“We blooded a few young players which is always good when you have a few young players coming through,” Stone said.
“Particularly the Saifiti boys at the Club - Jacob and Daniel.
“They only turned 19 on Friday and held themselves in good account on Saturday.”
Across the board, Stone recognised the key roles 13 Knights played in a number of the representative teams, which included Fiji, Samoa, Country Origin, the Junior Kiwis and NSW Cup representative sides.
“The Country boys were in a good game and it was great to have three boys play for Samoa," he added.
“There’s a good bit of sprinkling around the place. We had good numbers in the rep round and everyone came through pretty healthy which is nice.
“There’s a clean bill of health for all our players. Carlos Tuimavave has a little bump on his knee, but apart from that, it’s really good.”
The Knights resumed training on Monday following the bye weekend however the representative players won't return until Wednesday.
