But while he may have given every inch of his granite-like body to Australia, at least part of Civoniceva’s heart remains with his country of birth, Fiji. The country he will oppose for the first time in his career in the World Cup semi-final in Sydney.

“Ever since I was a kid I grew up watching Australia and dreaming of playing for the Kangaroos. But I am very proud of my Fijian heritage and I have got a real kick out of seeing them do so well in the tournament,” said Civoniceva, who turned down the opportunity to represent his country of birth in 2000 as he was recovering from a second broken arm in the space of 12 months.

“As I have got older I have become really passionate about helping the game develop back home, because I know the opportunities rugby league offers.

“This will be huge for the game back in Fiji and hopefully it opens the door for a lot more kids to come over here and get the same chances I have had to build a better life for themselves.”

Lip service has never been part of Civoniceva’s make-up. His words are backed up by his deeds.

He has been instrumental in helping establish the Australian-Fijian Rugby League, donating his time and money to the organisation which is designed to help promote and foster Fijian rugby league talent in Australia and create a pathway for Fijian-based players to secure contracts and scholarships abroad. The patron of the AFRL, Civoniceva’s name also adorns the annual player-of-the-year award, the first of which was taken out by Parramatta fullback Jarryd Hayne.

The AFRL is also heavily involved with charity work, organising clothing drives and football equipment which is sent back to his homeland.

“Typical of Petero, when we approached him, he was really humbled. The reality is it is an honour to have him associated with us,” said AFRL chairman and former Fiji captain James Pickering.

“These days there are so many idiots out there making a living for themselves in sport, blokes who are bad role models. Petero shows these kids you don’t have to be like that to be the best and actually people will respect you more if you aren’t.”

Pickering said Civoniceva had insisted the AFRL focused much of its attention on offering young Fijians the chance to use their football skills to get a better education, and six members of the under-16 Fijian-Australian squad, which took out the Pacific Nations Cup, earned high school scholarships.

However, Civoniceva knows that all this will count for little come game time on Sunday evening. He might be a “king”- as Fiji captain Wes Naiqama described him – of the island nation most of the time, but this weekend he will be the enemy.

“If anything I think I might have a bit of a target on my back for some of the Fijian-based boys,” Civoniceva said with a laugh. “The way they go about their football – they are fearless. So we are all going to have our work cut out. If they get a sniff, they have the skill and talent to make us pay.”

According to Pickering though, the match is a “can’t lose” match for the people of Fiji.

“Petero is a massive figure in Fiji. Everyone there follows his career – his success is their success,” he said. “Whatever the result, the people back home will be celebrating. They see Petero as a Fijian and everyone is just so proud of what he has done and the man he has become.”