Third World Cup the icing on the cake for Storer

At 35, Storer will be the oldest player in the Fiji Line-up that takes on Tonga as part of Saturday’s Pacific Tests’ triple-header but no one, least of all coach Mick Potter, underestimate his importance to the Bati side.

Having been part of Fiji’s transformative 2008 campaign, and also the 2013 tournament, Storer said a third World Cup would be a reward for all the years training alone to stay in the selection frame.

“One World Cup was enough of an honour, then to play two was such a good thing, but it just comes down to the hard work I’ve been putting in,” Storer said.

“I would take it as a reward for all the effort and all the work I’ve put in and the dedication. I don’t get to train like the fulltime NRL boys anymore so I have to train myself to keep up with these boys.

“To be at the age I’m at, my body actually feels a lot better than it did when I was a lot younger. As you get older you start to look after your body a bit more and it’s really paid off.

“It’s great just being in training with the boys knowing they’re all elite athletes and I’m right there with them and I definitely won’t be a passenger on Saturday night.”

The dedication and the longevity is why he was chosen by his teammates to skipper his side against Papua New Guinea last year and, while Kevin Naiqama will have the ‘c’ next to his name on Saturday, Storer remains very much the the Bati’s spiritual leader.

“That plays a big part in it. I think me an Aku [Akuila Uate] are the two left standing from that first World Cup,” Storer said.

“It’s really good because we really reflect and let the young boys know how far this Fiji team has come.

“In 2008 we were sleeping and training in army barracks. That was probably the best thing for us.

“We had a superstar like Jarryd Hayne in that team when we first came in and it really put us down to the same level.

“That’s the big thing in this Fiji team, whether your an NRL player or whether you’re a coal-miner like myself.

“Even a guy like Petero Civoniceva, who’s been in Australian and Origin camps, said there was nothing like being in Fiji camp.

“We pray before training, after training, we have devotion first thing in the morning and that puts everybody on the same level.

“We’re a very, very close team and I think that’s the difference between us and any other team. It’s such a positive thing for us.”

The Bati have reached the semi-final stage of the last two World Cups and, with a squad rich in NRL talent, Storer is confident Saturday’s clash with Tonga can be a building block to another deep journey into this year’s tournament.

“Most of our squad are playing in the NRL so that’s the real blessing we have at the moment,” Storer said.

“It’s been a real good camp, there’s some new faces coming into the side which is good, but our core group have been together for a while now.

“The bulk of the team is pretty much the same but then there’s new boys coming in like Suli Vunivalu and his form speaks for itself, he’s been on fire.”