Locker Room: Raiders bloodlines, but rugby to the core

By Chris Dutton
Updated April 23 2018 - 10:23pm, first published June 27 2014 - 6:49pm

They come from 'royal' Canberra Raiders bloodlines, but Tom Evans and Jordan Fulivai will be leading the ACT at the Australian schoolboys rugby union championships in Sydney this week. Evans is the the nephew of Raiders great Laurie Daley, while Fulivai is son of former Raiders cult hero winger Albert "The Prince" Fulivai. While a lot of Daley's family was at ANZ Stadium to see him lead NSW to a drought-breaking Origins series victory, including Evans' mum Roslyn, Evans was at home in Canberra studying for Year 12 exams. But Evans, a bullocking centre, admitted he'd been inspired by his uncle's influence rather than intimidated. "It's not really pressure, it just gives me inspiration for what I can do," Evans said. "Whenever I play at Sydney I always stay at his house and he does give me advice. Nothing too big, but he came and watched the under-16s national championships a couple of years ago." Evans, 17, played junior rugby league too, but has focused on union since suffering two stress fractures in his back at 15. "I'm focused on union ... Laurie doesn't care which one I play, he's supportive." Jordan Fulivai has impressed Gungahlin coach and former Australian Wallabies flanker Owen Finegan so much that the teenager has been promoted to Canberra first-grade. The ACT side starts its schoolboys title bid against NSW 2 in Sydney on Monday. Evans said the team is confident of breaking a trend of losing to the bigger states and setting a new standard of schoolboy rugby in Canberra. The tournament will be played at St Ignatius Riverview from Monday to Saturday.

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