Queensland carnival aims to connect young rugby league players with Pacific culture

The annual Queensland Pacific Islands carnival is kicking off today, marking its tenth anniversary.

Eight rugby league teams are taking part, each with seven squads.

They are: : Fiji Queensland Rugby League, Niue Rugby League Queensland, Cook Island Rugby League & Youth Development Queensland, PEGA Tonga Invitational, Rugby League Samoa Queensland, Queensland Papua New Guinea, and Queensland Nga Hau E Wha Maori Rugby League.

The Niue team's rugby league coach Trent Manukuo says the carnival allows young Pacific players to connect with their culture.

"Being in Australia you're a couple of worlds apart from back home in the islands so it gives all our Australian-born Pasifika and Maori kids the opportunity to take some sort of pride in their culture and where they come from.

"We see it a lot with the kids nowadays over here, they seem to veer off a little bit from the culture so this is a massive opportunity for the young ones," Manukuo told Pacific Mornings.

Watch the full interview with Trent Manukuo on Pacific Mornings: