St.George Queensland Reds centre Samu Kerevi has put pen to paper to ensure he remains at Ballymore after signing a new one-year deal.
It further strengthens Queensland’s squad for 2019 following Izack Rodda, JP Smith, Filipo Daugunu, Chris Feauai-Sautia, Aidan Toua and Alex Mafi all re-signing with the Reds last week.
In his fifth season at Queensland, Kerevi played his 50th match for the Reds in Round 8 this year and continues to develop as one of Super Rugby’s most potent attacking threats.
Kerevi has scored 105 points (21 tries) in 58 matches for the Reds and has crossed for five tries during his 21-Test career with the Wallabies.
The 24 year-old said there’s no place he’d rather be than at Ballymore.
“I'm excited to stay in Queensland for one more year, my family was a big factor in staying," said Kerevi.
"The young boys coming through the club is what keeps me at the Reds.
I see the potential - not long ago I was in their shoes so to have one more year with them will be special.
"Brad (Thorn) has been awesome in changing the culture and mentality of not just the team but also the organisation.
In saying that, in any successful team there's always room for improvement.
“The World Cup is next year and that’s pretty special for any Rugby player. It's the biggest stage in World Rugby and that was another driver for me.
"First thing is first and that’s getting back to fitness and playing well for my club and hopefully being picked to represent Australia through the year and into the World Cup.
"Right now my goal is to hopefully make the back-end of the NRC, or even the Club 7’s Series but that all depends on how my rehab goes," Kerevi added.
Reds Coach Brad Thorn said he was pleased Samu will remain in Queensland.
“He has developed into a leader amongst the group and is highly respected within our squad,” said Thorn.
“Samu has made a home for himself here at Ballymore and has developed through the Queensland Pathway into the player he is today.
“He continues to work hard on his game and I am excited for what the future holds for him at the Queensland Reds,” Thorn added.
Kerevi was born in Fiji but moved to Brisbane at the age of seven.
He flourished as a young Rugby player alongside Reds team-mate Chris Feauai-Sautia at Brisbane State High School, highlighted by his selection in the Queensland Schoolboys in 2011.
He was plucked from Queensland Premier Rugby to join the Reds squad ahead of the 2014 season and has been a handful for opposition defenders ever since, making his Super Rugby debut against the Highlanders later that year.
Kerevi was also a cornerstone of McInnes Wilson Lawyers Brisbane City’s back-to-back premierships in the National Rugby Championship in 2014 and 2015.
Samu Kerevi
Position: Centre
Height: 186cm
Weight: 108kg
Born: 27/09/1993
Place of birth: Viseisei, Fiji
Senior Club: Souths
Junior Club: Sunnybank
School: Brisbane State High School
Representative Honours: Queensland Schoolboys (2011), Fiji Under 20s (2012), Queensland (2014-), Brisbane City NRC (2014-2015), Australian Wallabies (2016-), Wallabies v Barbarians (2017)
Super Rugby debut: 2014 v Highlanders, Suncorp Stadium
Super Rugby caps: 58
Test debut: 2016 v England, Suncorp Stadium
Test caps: 21
