2021 RLWC Mens Final - AUS 30-10 SAM @ Old Trafford

[taste2taste]

How dumb does the decision to drop the mid season test weekend look now? Should have gone the other way, moved origin to weekend to create three test weekends. Its not like ch9 get more viewers anymore on a weds night!

Could have had tonga v samoa etc mid season and kept the end of season calendar for big tournaments.

The problem is the Tongan and Samoans players will choose origin ( who can blame them, sold out staduims and $30k per game ) leaving Tonga V samoa games devoid of its biggest stars.

They need to be played after the season when unfortunately fan interest is low and key players pull out with off season injury.

There's no easy answer

 

[taste2taste]

Perhaps its time that Samoa got serious about developing its own juniors instead of relying on NRL clubs

True! But how many world class players can samoa produce with a population of 200k and Tonga with a population of 105k...that's a combined population less than the juniors Manly Sea Eagles have to draw from.

Union and league samoa and Tonga teams will always be made up largely of heritage players.

 

[BadnMean]

The problem is the Tongan and Samoans players will choose origin ( who can blame them, sold out staduims and $30k per game ) leaving Tonga V samoa games devoid of its biggest stars.

They need to be played after the season when unfortunately fan interest is low and key players pull out with off season injury.

There's no easy answer

Erm... haven't many Tongan players literally chosen Tonga instead of Origin?
And perhaps Samoans may do the same...

IF they get to play a few regular matches that is. Given the prestige these matches are now attracting. Maybe they could get even a fractionally comparable pay packet, they'd take it.

We have seen direct evidence these guys want to play for and build something.

It is very easy to say "oh they'd just take the money for origin anyway"- when in fact they AREN'T being offered the choice and alternative. There IS no other regular match series. Even for 2k or 5k a match.

And the direct evidence of Tonga says they WILL play - given half the chance. I don't buy this "they'll choose Origin" argument at all. The Tongans haven't. And that's WITHOUT even NRL or IRL offering them the barest sniff of real regular matches. They've done it anyway.

"oh they just want Origin money" sounds like Gus Gould talking and flies in the face of what is actually happening in the world.

 

[BadnMean]

True! But how many world class players can samoa produce with a population of 200k and Tonga with a population of 105k...that's a combined population less than the juniors Manly Sea Eagles have to draw from.

Union and league samoa and Tonga teams will always be made up largely of heritage players.

Samoa already produces heaps of Heineken Cup Union players. Plus plenty of NRL. And is per capita the highest represented ethnic group playing NFL football in the USA with over 70 current players.

There's no shortage of talent and no sign it's about to dry up. The migration patterns into NZ/Oz have not stopped or slowed. Heritage and local are both still viable and will continue.

If anything, league can improve it's position by actually paying these blokes for the Tonga/Samoa series, taking them seriously and nab some of these guys who might otherwise end up in European Union or the US college football system. They won't get all, but the pipeline already exists, the NRL player pool is already impressive and more can be tapped into with a minimum of effort. Union and NFL are already onto it.

 

[taste2taste]

Samoa already produces heaps of Heineken Cup Union players. Plus plenty of NRL. And is per capita the highest represented ethnic group playing NFL football in the USA with over 70 current players.

There's no shortage of talent and no sign it's about to dry up. The migration patterns into NZ/Oz have not stopped or slowed. Heritage and local are both still viable and will continue.

If anything, league can improve it's position by actually paying these blokes for the Tonga/Samoa series, taking them seriously and nab some of these guys who might otherwise end up in European Union or the US college football system. They won't get all, but the pipeline already exists, the NRL player pool is already impressive and more can be tapped into with a minimum of effort. Union and NFL are already onto it.

Surely the 70 Samoans in the nfl are American born ? I might be wrong but I don't believe any were born and raised in Samoa?

The Samoan rugby team has less than a third of its players born in Samoa, the majority of the team are NZ born Samoans.

Moving forward both Tonga and Samoa need a NSW/QLD cup team and the occasional NRL game could be played there ? Internationals played there is a must and it sounds like Tonga and Samoa are already in talks to have a home and away series.

 

[Wb1234]

Cmon arlc get next years Internationals sorted asap

 

[taste2taste]

Cmon arlc get next years Internationals sorted asap

Was browsing YouTube this morning and a live feed came up, l only watched a few minutes but Paulo and Suaalli where posing with the fans for photos.

Amazing scenes that will be lost as the NRL and origin get precedent over internationals

 

[Wb1234]

Was browsing YouTube this morning and a live feed came up, l only watched a few minutes but Paulo and Suaalli where posing with the fans for photos.

Amazing scenes that will be lost as the NRL and origin get precedent over internationals

Let’s hope not

tbh id rather watch Tonga vs samoa than origin

 

[taste2taste]

Let’s hope not

tbh id rather watch Tonga vs samoa than origin

110% agree with you, I've never understood the appeal of Origun, State V State shows how embarrassingly small our sport is. Even as a kid I preferred internationals.

Give me Samoa V Tonga, PNG V Fiji, Aus V NZ any day of the week.

 

[Wb1234]

110% agree with you, I've never understood the appeal of Origun, State V State shows how embarrassingly small our sport is. Even as a kid I preferred internationals.

Give me Samoa V Tonga, PNG V Fiji, Aus V NZ any day of the week.

I’ve never missed an origin

but yet loving the pacific tests

 

[Clarkent]

Don't you dare say that any part of the Samoan team is better than the Kiwis. The real final was last week unfortunately.

To be fair nz we're lucky to be in the semi final lol If the Kiwis had the same injuries as samoa (8) they would've struggled to put a team together. Kiwis I still rate as the 2nd best team in the world but don't be a hater lol

 

[RL The greatest game]

Superman Clarkent might not like my comment, but I'm not wrong.
It's not up to the NRL clubs to develop players for the PI countries

 

[Clarkent]

Superman Clarkent might not like my comment, but I'm not wrong.
It's not up to the NRL clubs to develop players for the PI countries

You do know NRL are developing players for their own clubs benefits and they're not doing it to make the island teams better. It just so happens to be that 60% of those Australian/Kiwis players are all pacific island heritage. Players have the power to choose who they want to play for. I see you have a Panthers logo as your profile photo, your teams backline is almost all Samoan heritage players who plays for the samoan team

 

[RL The greatest game]

You do know NRL are developing players for their own clubs benefits and they're not doing it to make the island teams better. It just so happens to be that 60% of those Australian/Kiwis players are all pacific island heritage. Players have the power to choose who they want to play for. I see you have a Panthers logo as your profile photo, your teams backline is almost all Samoan heritage players who plays for the samoan team

60% of NRL players are of Pacific Island heritage?
Best you provide the link to back up your claim, and why we are about it how many of the Australia world cup winning team were of PI heritage?