Api Koroisau was more than happy to marry his sweetheart, Amy, not once, but twice in October.
As part of his Fijian heritage, the couple married twice in three days, something Koroisau holds closely to his heart.
“The first wedding we had on Plantation Island was on a Saturday. It was absolutely outstanding,’’ Koroisau said.
“To have about 70 of our closest friends and family there to celebrate with us made it really nice and special.
“We then followed it up with a more traditional Fijian culture wedding in the village on the Monday. We left for the honeymoon on the Tuesday, and by Friday, I was in camp with the Fijian boys for the Rugby League World Cup. Don’t worry, the ‘Mrs’ let me know, too.”
The World Cup was another blessing for the exceptional hooker with Koroisau outstanding in helping Fiji make the semi-finals.
Their exciting attacking style, as well as their public outpour of emotions during the pre-game ceremony, saw many league supporters rally behind Fiji.
“It was an awesome experience. To play with a great bunch of blokes and the culture we had was so amazing,’’ Koroisau said.
“The public jumped on the back of us and it was really good to see people doing that.
“The pre-game prayer was something we built our team around, and it took us to a whole new level as soon as we got on the field.
“The national anthem beforehand makes you pretty emotional but that prayer song calms you down and gives you this focus and energy that is just outstanding.
Api Koroisau
“To go as far as we did in a World Cup tournament that was probably the strongest it has ever been showed the belief we had in each other as a team.
“It is not easy making the World Cup semi-finals and we have now done it three times in a row. It shows how good Fiji can be as a rugby league nation and of the high standards we set ourselves.”
Driving Koroisau even further to succeed was knowing his new wife and their daughter, Miliana, were waiting at home for him on the northern beaches.
“It is really hard for some people to find that something special in their lives,’’ Koroisau said.
“For me to be able to find that so early in my life and to be where I am now is really awesome to have.
“My daughter is almost one and she is so beautiful. I am focusing on not only doing well with footy, but to now having a really good life off the field.”
As for the field action, Koroisau returned to training this week with the Sea Eagles ahead of next month’s trials.
He likes what the short term future holds for Manly. Head Coach Trent Barrett is into his third season, there is an enormous amount of young talent coming through, and there is a special bond amongst the playing roster.
“It is another year together, another year of combinations, and another year of sharing the strong camaraderie we have as ‘brothers’,’’ Koroisau added.
“I have no doubt it will go a long way to helping us achieve our goals.”
