Leeds Rhinos had to wait 483 days to see Maika Sivo make his debut, but on this evidence, it was worth the wait.
A cruel ACL injury saw the Fijian superstar miss the entirety of the 2025 season, but he wasted little time getting up to speed in blue and amber as he scored two tries in their 46-10 win over York Knights.
Both were trademark scores, bulldozing over from close range as helpless defenders tried to stop him. It’s fair to say Sivo is going to score plenty of them playing in this team.
But beyond the surface, this was a promising debut from the former Parramatta Eels ace, who was one of the NRL’s megastars after a blockbuster spell terrorising wingers.
One of the highlights was a daring move from his own try line, collecting a kick and rounding Ben Jones-Bishop with just a few metres to work with to get Leeds out of danger. It was risky, but it paid off, and it’s the sort of play that is going to make him immensely popular in West Yorkshire.
Defensively, he was solid, coming up with good reads on the edge, and while his carries were not as explosive as they have been in the past, it’s only fair to remember this was his first game in over a year.
It was still a man-of-the-match display from Sivo, and with that under the belt, he’s only going to get better. That’s the most encouraging part of it all.
Some iconic wingers have played in this competition. Heck, he is playing with arguably the greatest of all in Ryan Hall. But it’s hard not to draw comparisons to the inimitable Lesley Vainikolo. There are comparisons in style, and on this evidence, potentially on impact too.
It’s too early to go that far just yet, but Sivo has finally arrived, and defences best be aware.