I've been tossing and turning over this over the last few days.Ok I lie at least 5 minutes today.
My views FWIW
Pacifica team might be OK politically to stem China influence in the Pacific but as far as the individual countries that are included it means SFA.Look at Union's attempt no one give a rat's ring.
The fanaticism comes when Tonga play Samoa PNG player either.We saw that in the RLWC.
Bear in mind the Fed's May budget is going to be tighter than one of my mate's wallets(when it's his turn to shout).Sure they will allocate money for aid projects in the Pacific but for a team that may or may not stop China influence.
It's finally dawned on this thick skull of mine we are a friggin NATIONAL rugby league that means the emphasis must be( else we p*ss of the NATIONAL jazz) within this great land of droughts and flooding rains.
Yes secure if possible Federal funding to develop rugby league in the Pacific for grassroots.That assist these countries in developing an affinity with Australia ,rather than a country to the North interest in their commercial interests only.We get futur players for our code.
I remember some time ago in Fiji on Mana Island, which has an airstrip with rocks on each side of it.I watched a group of young Fiji kids playing touch with their bare feet, running like the wind, sidestepping rocks untapped athleticism and they didn't drop the pill .
Ok back to reality we certainly need an 18th team, a team that is either virgin territory, touched for the very first time (Perfff) or to use a Gallopism "fish where the fish" are(aka Dolphins)
Why? Because to secure the next TV deal that makes us all wet our denims and give PR an election(sic),this can only be achieved if we front the TV execs and say we have team no 18 domiciled in .........Perth....... West Brisbane.And yes you can have the Bear's logo. as part of Perth .
And you say why these two? Because they are Australian teams watched by the very audience that the very Australian Tv companies want to flog dog food, sports bet,vibrators etc and they get better deals with bigger audiences, not someone tucked away in Dunedin or a team that lacks either a state or a specific country.
We take away the mystique of Tonga and Samoa and PNG if. we combine them into a Pacifica team.
We need an 18th team, domiciled in this country in order to get the loot to grow grassroots and assist internationally.We have less of a chance securing the extra money needed to spread the code internationally, if we ATM have an 18th team that will not draw the TV ratings TV execs want and the NRL want.
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