Rugby-Rebels recruit Fiji rugby league talent Koroibete

MELBOURNE, May 19 (Reuters) - The Melbourne Rebels have signed Fiji rugby league international Marika Koroibete to a two-year deal in a cross-town raid on the Melbourne Storm. The 23-year-old winger, capped seven times for Fiji, was the Storm's most prolific try-scorer last season, touching down 16 times in the National Rugby League. In total Koroibete has scored 39 tries from 57 games with Sydney-based Wests Tigers and Storm since making his NRL debut in 2012. Boasting strength and explosive pace, Koroibete will surely boost a Rebels backline that lacks firepower out wide. The Rebels have become steadily more competitive in Super Rugby since joining the competition in 2011 but have battled to win fans in a city that also hosts the Storm, two professional soccer teams and nine top-flight Australian Rules clubs. Poaching a top-class winger from the NRL was evidence the club had become credible in the local market, the Rebels said. "The signature of Marika Koroibete is an endorsement of the Rebels growing stature in Melbourne's sporting culture and vision to become a world leading Rugby club on and off the field," managing director Andrew Cox said in a media release. Koroibete said it was a "hard decision" to ditch league but the right one for his young family. "I played rugby until my late teens so I'm very much looking forward to making a Rugby career with the Rebels," he added. The Rebels remain in the hunt to make their first playoffs campaign but head to Hamilton for a tough match against the Waikato Chiefs this weekend. (Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)