Mark Puckey dead

[screeny]

Read on the SMH that Samoan RL boss puckey died in a car crash.

I wonder where that leaves the league and what the transition period is going to be like. Whenever you heard from Samoa under Puckey it was M'/Barki sized complaints about a lack of interest in his country.

The death of the Tongan RL president, Sione Kite, hit Tongan RL really hard by all accounts as they were going really well under his leadership, I wonder if the same can be said of Samoan RL. I guess now we'll find out.

 

[carlnz]

DIdnt the whole of Samoa wont him to stand down?? Wasent their an article in the rugby league week about the former Samoan players want to run the game from NZ?

 

[playdaball]

Give control to NZ Samoans with a genuine interest in RL. There is a NZ Samoan RL association and former players such as Tony Tuimavave may now become involved once again as a result.

Sad to see somebody die but this could reopen a 'doorway' for RL in Samoa.

I have always believed (biased?) that Samoa has real potential in RL. Certainly more so, with respect, to some of the developing European nations. This was applies to all of the PI.

 

[Big Bunny]

Agreed. Doorways now open, solid progress may follow etc.

 

[screeny]

The best article I ever read on SAmoan RL was an interview with Tony Tuimavave. Obvioulsy it only gave one side of the story but there are clearly some strong personailities at war in Samoa - or there were, I should say.

Be very interested to know how the RLIF act, if at all, to steady the ship. With the Paqc Cup looming it doesn't leave much time for procrastination.

 

[dimitri]

RIP puckey



now the rlif need to help samoa in this transition stage

 

[Alan Shore]

Good luck Samoa RL.

 

[yakstorm]

The RLIF have already started moving with the changing of the structure of the Samoa RL so one person cannot take up the position and have no accountability and hold the position for as long as they want.

 

[screeny]

How so, Yakstorm? Surely that's something for the Samoan RL to implement, not a foreign body like the RLIF, who can only advise one would have thought.

Has the RLIF instructed the Samoans to set up some constitution or board similar to the ARL or something? Who are some of the names that may take over the running of the code, and what's the truth behind the finances and govt support?

Appreciate any answers...

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

When Mark Puckey pass away there was no comp in Samoa . But I also agree with playdaball that NZ Samoa should take controll .
Unless Tony Tuimavave or any of the Ah Koui's or Solomona makes a move to Samoa then it wont work .
Puckey lived in Samoa and use his business and Superleague money to run what was left of league in Samoa .
Now he is gone no Samoan or any businees will want to get invovle with league . Not because they hate league is just because they don't know rugby league and union is too strong there .

 

[yakstorm]

There was a competition going in Samoa, it is played in the Rugby Union off season over there and recieves a part funding from the Samoan government as part of their plan to increase participation in sport to reduce crime in the region.

Tas Bateri, RLIF development officer also went over there and even has photos of the competition.

All the Sevens players who came across for the World Sevens last year also had League experience and were Samoan locals.

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

There was a competition going in Samoa, it is played in the Rugby Union off season over there and recieves a part funding from the Samoan government as part of their plan to increase participation in sport to reduce crime in the region.

Tas Bateri, RLIF development officer also went over there and even has photos of the competition.

All the Sevens players who came across for the World Sevens last year also had League experience and were Samoan locals.

When is the rugby union off season ? Samoa now has 15's for 6 months and 7's for 5 with a break in december .
There was a comp last year which Puckey promise 12 teams but all he got was 4 and it finish in 1 month .
The goverment and TAB gave Puckey money to help the Samoan 7's team in Sydney .
Samoa doesn't have much crimes like other countries but if there is brawling and fighting you will most probably find it at a rugby ground .

 

[screeny]

What's TAB, please, Warrior? Is it betting syndicate or something? Having heard so much negative stuff from Puckey I can well believe that the guy pocketed any loot he might have got from the RLIF and said to hell with running a domestic comp. Isnt that what he did in SL war? The RLIF may be able to scrape together some cash for Samoa but they're not sophisticated enough to keep a check on how it's spent, I'm sure.

He must be one of the people, non-players, that personally benefitted the most out of the SL war, him and Mal Reilly! How much were News giving to entire countries to tie their flag to News's mast? Must've been an awful lot of cash.

 

[griff]

How much were News giving to entire countries to tie their flag to News's mast? Must've been an awful lot of cash.

I don't think it would necessarily have been that much. Even NZ walked for some ridiculously small sum - $130,000 or something like that. Carden did it more because he hated Arthurson than anything else.

 

[screeny]

Yeah, I remember reading about NZ's pathetic amount, and Arko's bitter comments about Carden in a book I've read called Superleague:The Inside Story.

He said he had some respect for Mo Lindsay who, although he felt stabbed him in the back, at least had the balls to do it face-to-face (he must have reached behind his back while he was looking him in the face!) when he flew to Oz to explain himself.

 

[yakstorm]

Carden was a fool, he sold the entire NZRL for NZ$1 million, a piss weak amount . Samoa's money was not given in one small sum by Super League, but it was a combination of funding from NSWRL/ARL/RLIF/Super League over around 10 years. (Yeah took RL a while to learn it wasn't going into the code).

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

All I can remember when I was playing in the local comp was there was 1million given to Samoa .
I don't know where it went because I didn't see a buck of it while playing and living in Samoa .