Ask Ruben Wiki what he believes are among the most special qualities of the Canberra Raiders, and he'll tell you about the "connection" the club has with his homeland.
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The Raiders legend believes that relationship will continue to flourish long into the future, and will be bolstered by the recent addition of New Zealand coach Michael Maguire to Ricky Stuart's NRL coaching staff.
Former Kiwi captain Wiki was part of the first group of New Zealand stars that were recruited to Canberra, founding a lasting and fruitful rugby league exchange across the ditch.
"Back in the '90s they took a gamble going to New Zealand and picking up some players like John Lomax, myself and Quentin Pongia, and that trend has never stopped with the connection to New Zealand," Wiki told The Canberra Times.
"There's a special place in the heart of New Zealand for Canberra and there's a lot of Raiders supporters back there."
Wiki took a trip down memory lane at Raiders HQ in December when he visited the Braddon facility with his daughter and expected NRLW signing MacKenzie.
The gym owner now based in Auckland relished the opportunity to speak to the men's team during their pre-season training, and share his experiences with the club that to this day boasts some of New Zealand's best rugby league talent, led by standout prop Joe Tapine.
Wiki expects Maguire, fresh off the Rugby League World Cup campaign, to add extra grunt to the Raiders next season, especially alongside Stuart, after their semi-finals appearance in 2022.
"They can absolutely work well together," Wiki said.
"To have Madge here, with his standards and stature in the game with what he's achieved, with Ricky Stuart, it's going to be an awesome combination going into the 2023 season.
"They probably just needed a bit of a shift in a slightly different direction, but the mentality and ethos is still the same.
"They're two competitive coaches and they give so much which is so cool."
Wiki is also hopeful that his daughter's arrival at the Raiders from New Zealand will signal the start of another migration of Kiwi talent to the capital - but in the women's game.
"The opportunity to see my daughter playing for the club I used to play for, it's huge," he said.
"Hopefully it entices more Kiwi girls to come over and play for this amazing club that I've been grateful for, for so long."
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Melanie Dinjaski
Melanie Dinjaski is an experienced sports journalist at the Canberra Times with a genuine love of all sports. She's covered every code from NRL to NFL. Melanie aims to bring Canberrans all the sports news they need to know. If you have a story worth sharing, get in touch!
Melanie Dinjaski is an experienced sports journalist at the Canberra Times with a genuine love of all sports. She's covered every code from NRL to NFL. Melanie aims to bring Canberrans all the sports news they need to know. If you have a story worth sharing, get in touch!
