Grandmother put fire inside Bati star

Rough-and-tumble Kurt Donoghoe has a softer side that emerges when he speaks of his beloved late grandmother, who inspired his Rugby League World Cup journey with Fiji Bati.

The 24-year-old Dolphins dynamo will be one of the key men for the Bati in their tough pool that includes Australia, New Zealand and their round-one opponents, the Cook Islands.

When Donoghoe, who grew up in Newcastle, was a lad, his nan Kim was a major supporter of his footy aspirations.

“She is very important to me and is the only reason I can play for Fiji, being my dad’s mum,” Donoghoe told AAP.

“She was a big part of my life during my whole childhood and took us back to Fiji to show us where she was raised when  I was 12.

“That was a pretty cool experience to go over there and see where she grew up, in a little place called Ba.

“That moment was a bit of a life-changer and has stuck close to my heart ever since. I know who I am playing for when I run out for Fiji.”

The Bati are without big guns Tui Kamikamica, Viliame Kikau and Jahream Bula due to illness and injury, but Donoghoe said they would focus on who they do have.

“Jacob Safiti, it’s unreal to get him on board, and we have Api (Koroisau) and (Sunia) Turuva who have won comps in the NRL and are big-game players,” Donoghoe said.

“I think we’ve got great potential and we will give it a red-hot crack.”

A charismatic character, Donoghoe has endeared himself to fans for his toughness and flair.

He is modern in his ability to adapt to the requirements of a ball-playing lock, hooker and playmaker with panache, but there is also a 1970s or 1980s mentality about the man they call “Donga”.

He played on with a rearranged schnoz against Canterbury last year after it had been broken and put back in place on the sideline by the team doctor.

It is a nose only a mother could love and has the look of one a child has put on with Plasticine, a bit like some of the “putty noses” worn by hardheads from previous ages of thuggery.

Donoghoe, voted the RLPA best bench player of the year in 2026, was a five-eighth in Jersey Flegg at Newcastle and trained with the Dolphins in the halves early on, before an injury opened the door for him to play hooker on debut in the NRL in the club’s inaugural match in 2023.

All of his seven Tests for Fiji have been played at No.6 or No.7.

“At Q Cup level I played lock for most of that 2023 year and I enjoyed it there too. I could still ball-play and be part of that gritty stuff in the middle, which I like,” Donoghoe said.

“That’s what I have basically done this year for the Dolphins off the bench. I will play anywhere that Fiji and our coach (Mick Potter) need me to.

“Whenever I pull the jersey on for Fiji, I am doing it for my nan and that side of the family. I know she would be very proud, as are all my family on my Australian side as well.”