In the 17th minute at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, Kurt Donoghue took the ball at five-eighth and threw a long cut-out pass to Semi Valemei, who scored. He did it again after the break, then once more for Valemei’s third. Fiji lost 36–22 to Australia, but Donoghue was named player of the match. Fiji led 16–12 in the second half, and he set up all three tries for the winger.

It is a long way from where he started. Donoghue was born in Newcastle in November 2001, played his junior football with Central Newcastle and went to Hunter Sports High. He also played touch football, and represented Australia at the Under-18 Touch Football World Cup in 2018. He moved through the Knights system, from the Laurie Daley Cup to the Jersey Flegg side that lost the 2022 grand final to Penrith.

The route to Fiji runs through his grandmother, Kim. He has said she is the only reason he can play for Fiji. When he was 12 she took the family to visit, a trip he calls a life-changer. He was named in the Fiji train-on squad for the last World Cup in 2022, and in 2023 he scored two tries in a 43–16 win over Papua New Guinea at the Pacific Championships.

His NRL path was less direct. In 2023 he signed with Central Queensland Capras and trained with the Dolphins, then signed a one-year deal after their trial games. When the club played its first match, in Round 1 against the Roosters, an injury opened the door and he made his debut at hooker. Since then he has become a utility. He has worked at hooker, lock, second row and five-eighth, usually coming off the bench. The Dolphins have kept extending his contract, most recently in February to the end of 2028.

That versatility is a feature and a problem. In 2026 he played mostly as a ball-playing lock off the bench for a Dolphins side that reached the preliminary final. The club has signed England captain George Williams to play six in 2027, and Donoghue has said he thinks lock is what’s best for the team, although he wants to start.

Fiji gave him what the NRL has not, the number six jersey, and the space to run it. In Round 1 he provided the short ball for Solomone Saukuru’s second try in the 40–12 win over the Cook Islands. Against Australia he did far more. Fiji captain Api Koroisau praised the performance.

The tournament is not over. Fiji now play New Zealand on the Gold Coast next weekend, with the winner taking the second semi-final spot from Pool A. After Sunday, there is little doubt about who is running their attack.