Pacific Island Team

[myrrh ken]

Hi everyone, MK here.

What's your thoughts on a united Pacific Island Team as a way of boosting International League for the region in the short term? Let's face it Fiji, PNG, Samoa and Tonga are Tier 2 countries and will be for a long time. A combined team would be bloody strong and competitive with the Tier 1 countries.

Most likely it would be a team that's formed specifically for regular tours (like the British Lions in rugby), continue to have separate nations in the world cup. It would give eligible players an option to aspire towards rather than representing Tier 1 countries. I think it would also improve the home nations by increased exposure to competitive games.

Obviously there are some difficulties:
- Who's going to fund the bloody thing? Someone has to provide enough $ to entice the players. But if the games are televised they would be popular and generate some cash.
- Where will they play, train?
- How do we stop them hating each other? I admit I'm ignorant on the extent of the hate and how to get around that..

This idea sort of worked in rugby for a while, they were certainly compeititve, until funding became an issue.

 

[adamkungl]

Nah

 

[adamkungl]

What about a combined Serbian-Welsh-Russian-Maltese team?

 

[thorson1987]

A combined England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland team sounds good.

 

[adamkungl]

To be less blunt:

International sport is only interesting because of the pride people (should) have in representing their country or heritage (except for the dogshit Aussies who whore themselves out to England or NZ under the dumb grandparent rule for an easy rep jumper).

Not international, but it's why the Indigenous team cares and the All Stars team and fans dont give a f**k.

PNG is nowhere near and has no common ground with the Islands.
The Islands best games are against each other, their most powerful feature their pride in representing against their rivals and the big guns of the sport.

If anyone suggested a combined Ireland-France-Spain-Italy team you'd hopefully call them a f**king idiot. And the countries involved would say no thanks we can compete on our own.
The Pacific Islands United team is just a convenient way of putting black people in the one team so we have someone else to play footy against occasionally.

99.9% chance none of the Islands will ever win a top level tournament. And that's ok. They're a tiny country compared to even other minnows of the game. I can't speak for them but I'd guess that punching above their weight in their own colours is worth more to them than joining up and still losing a game they don't really care about.

 

[myrrh ken]

Works for the Windies, British Lions and the 700 different Aboriginal nations in the Indigenous team.

Anyway, as I said we are not doing away with the national games. Just a chance to make a touring side to compete regularly against Tier 1 teams which, outside of world cup pool games, currently is zero.

 

[Burns]

No. Case in point Samoa's performance during the last Four Nations.

 

[myrrh ken]

Well they all participate in the Pacific Rugby International or its precursors. So how hard would it be to pick a best XIII team from the tournament and have them play Australia.

Anyway its just a thought of something different to incentivise people to pick their heritage nations.

Ah well back to the drubbings, and the occassional near- win or upset.

 

[Evil Homer]

Nah.

 

[myrrh ken]

Schooled! By all you presumably non islander non Png posters.

Of which I am one

 

[roughyedspud]

good for you...and nah

 

[myrrh ken]

Yeah you guys are right. There would be no appetite for it http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...fic-debut-against-england-20110312-1bs3b.html

 

[myrrh ken]

Def not. What would the players know what they want.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/give-polynesian-all-stars-a-crack/story-e6frfgbo-1225929350340

 

[jim_57]

Those articles are from 5-6 years ago.. but I actually wouldn't mind the idea of a Polynesian all star side playing the Aboriginal all stars instead of the BS World Allstars.

 

[deal.with.it]

boooo

 

[myrrh ken]

Nothing much has changed from 5 or 6 years ago, theres no incentive. Heres another proposal from last year re an exhibition game. But nah what a dumb suggestion right

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...-warriors-boss-jim-doyle-20150602-ghf4gm.html

 

[deluded pom?]

Works for the Windies.

Kerching. The Godwin's Law equivalent of this discussion.

 

[myrrh ken]

Godwin's Law equivalent

Ah pretentious Internet wank bingo! I love this game. Go on mate

 

[thorson1987]

Those articles are from 5-6 years ago.. but I actually wouldn't mind the idea of a Polynesian all star side playing the Aboriginal all stars instead of the BS World Allstars.

All Stars yes.

But no way in hell should it be used as a full international side.

 

[expansionist]

It actually really annoys me anytime this combined concept gets brought up. The problem with our game is that nations simply arent given enough internationals with access to players - and the combined idea simply reinforces that.