Vodafone Fijian 7s captain Osea Kolinisau is excited to see new blood and old heads in the team ahead of the 2016/17 World Sevens Series opener in Dubai next weekend.

Newcomers Setareki Bituniyata and Kalione Nasoko are going to make their debut and Kolinisau said he cannot wait to see them take the field.

“The new players are really good, they are young, have a lot of energy and are eager to learn,” he told SUNsports.

“I think Dubai will be a good learning curve for them to show Fiji and the world what they got. I am excited for them and they have an exciting challenge ahead of them. They are really good bunch of boys, they have good work ethics, they have worked really hard in training and I am excited to see them play in Dubai.”

Apart from them, also making a return are Sevuloni Mocenacagi, Emosi Mulevoro, Nemani Nagusa, Josua Vici, Waisea Nacuqu and Joeli Lutumailagi.

“It speaks volumes for those who have returned after not being with the squad. It shows the hunger they have to work hard again and fight for a spot in the team. Making the team for Dubai just shows the hard work that have put in. They are not new to it but I see the hunger in them. I see them train very hard and are looking forward to the tournament. They are determined to show the world that they still got the skills and the flair that brought them into the Fiji team.”

Coming off as Olympic champions, it will be a hard task for Kolinisau to lead the team not only to defend the Dubai title but the whole Series as well.

However, he is confident because of the backing of seasoned campaigners like Viriviri and Veremalua who are the side’s vice- co captains.

“It is always good to have old heads in the squad, especially Sami and Jasa, we help each other out a lot. To have them beside me is a boost because of the experience they bring with them. They are helping out a lot with the boys and getting them to know their opponents and the structure that we have and the way we want to do. There is a lot of pressure but that is nothing new to the team, there is definitely more pressure now as we are going in as Olympic champions. Teams are going to try and out do us in Dubai but we are going to every tournament to win. We have worked hard with the boys in the squad, we want to defend the series and to do that we need a good start to our campaign and that is making sure we get a win in Dubai.”