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Fiji players get paid: 'When they finally did, it was because I posted'

Sereima Leweniqila raised the issue of non-payment of allowances in a Facebook Post on Tuesday.

"Do we have to win everytime to be treated right? Could we get paid the amount due to us?" she wrote.

"What does it take for our voices to be heard? Do we always have to fight to get what we deserve? Pay Us What is Due to Us," she added.

Two more Fijiana players waded into the discussion online.

Drua captain Bitila Tawake said on Facebook the Fiji Rugby Football Union (FRFU) should not compare them to the men's development team the Fiji Warriors.

She said the union only acts when players start raising their concerns and queries for payment.

"The fact that the trustee board compared us to Warriors and exaggerated their win. Fijiana XVs and Fiji Warriors are two separate pathways and cannot be compared.

"If the Warriors didn't win you wouldn't have finished their pay as well. This is an ongoing trend and it's continued to fail us rugby athletes.

"Expecting that allowance is income for most of us. Gambling whether to pay us or not is a breach in code of conduct to us ethically and what we stand for in our rugby values."

Another senior player, Waido Salaba Senibua, said the media should interview them and not just take the FRU statement as golden truth.

"The local media have been lied to that our payments have been settled," she said.

"Come talk to us to find out the truth."

She told RNZ Pacific that they have lost hope on the FRFU.

At the time of publication of this story no specific details about the payments to the women's players had been made public.