Aku Uate

[mrpwnd]

So is it likely that he will be able to play or not?

Assuming he changes his allegiances and makes himself available to play for Australia, then yes. However, he'll have to make the trade-off of not being able to play for Fiji unless its world cup time, have to remember how much passion and pride the kid has for that Fiji jumper. Stupid rule that weakens international football and just asserts Australia's ideology of hogging talent, bit pointless having the world cup at all with that kind of rule.

 

[roopy]

Uate and Jennings played Australian Schoolboys together in 2005. Not sure whether it was the same side of the field though. Jennings was the player of the series IIRC.

Anyone interested in seeing the full team, click on the link below.

http://www.sportingpulse.com/gallery.cgi?g=1207&c=1-2130-0-0-0&e=2130&et=1&ci=7&ti=0&a=next

I think Uate was paired with his Knights partner Matt Cooper and Dan Issacs was on the other wing.
There was a time that Uate, Cooper and Issacs were all playing reserve grade at the Knights - Jennings should have joined them.
Matt Cooper played one game for the Centurions this year and played for the Newcastle rep side and i think he made the country side.
Dan Issacs is playing for Newcastle Wests I think.

 

[roopy]

If Uate switched to NSW it would be for the money.
He made good money as a junior because the Knights had to pay him 100k a season to keep him, but he is on pretty average money now and has another 3 years on his current contract.
If he wants to make big bucks he has to play SOO and for Aus - but he loves Fiji.

 

[Johns Magic]

Aku keen on being a Blue or Roo

August 5, 2010

AKUILA UATE'S agent has approached ARL officials about unravelling the red tape that stands between his high-flying client and a NSW Origin jumper.

Uate, the Newcastle winger who is the NRL's leading tryscorer this season, unwittingly became ineligible for Australian representative honours last November when he played for Fiji in the Pacific Cup.

ARL chief executive Geoff Carr contacted NSW Country selectors in April to advise them Uate could not be considered for the annual trial against City. But yesterday Carr indicated the Rugby League International Federation might consider allowing Uate to change his country of election if he could prove special circumstances after being contacted by the 22-year-old's agent, Daryl Mather.

Uate, who has scored 20 tries this season, said he was willing to give up representing Fiji if that meant he could be considered for Country, NSW and Australia.
''I would be happy to do that, of course … it would be really hard [to forsake Fiji] but you've got to move on,'' Uate said. ''It's for the future. For me and my family, especially in the future.''

Robert Dillon and Stathi Paxinos

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/l...804-11fp5.html

 

[Danish]

Perfect example of why the line "and you must be eligible for australia" should be taken out of the already bastardised 1000 times over State of Origin eligibility rules.


I mean really, can anyone give a valid reason as to why playing for NSW or QLD should mandate you must play for Australia? They don't care where you were born, where you started playing footy, or even where you started playing SENIOR footy these days... but they still want to hoard all the games best into the Green and Gold with the irresistible temptation of an Origin jumper.

 

[timka4]

''I would be happy to do that, of course … it would be really hard [to forsake Fiji] but you've got to move on,'' Uate said. ''It's for the future. For me and my family, especially in the future.''

Boy oh Boy is that hard to swallow. A real shame that the rules are like this

 

[roopy]

Perfect example of why the line "and you must be eligible for australia" should be taken out of the already bastardised 1000 times over State of Origin eligibility rules.


I mean really, can anyone give a valid reason as to why playing for NSW or QLD should mandate you must play for Australia? They don't care where you were born, where you started playing footy, or even where you started playing SENIOR footy these days... but they still want to hoard all the games best into the Green and Gold with the irresistible temptation of an Origin jumper.

Uate is the perfect test case for this.

He was born in Fiji.
He was raised in Fiji.
He is Fijian.

But it is also correct that he learnt to play RL in NSW.

He should be a Fijian test player - and he should play SOO for NSW.

 

[besthalfbackPEARCE]

Why is everyone jumping on the Uate bandwagon now. He's no different to Merritt when he was top tryscorer a few years back. I can guarantee when origin selection rolls around again nobody will even consider this guy.

 

[macavity]

Why is everyone jumping on the Uate bandwagon now. He's no different to Merritt when he was top tryscorer a few years back. I can guarantee when origin selection rolls around again nobody will even consider this guy.

you are going to eat your words.

bookmarked.

 

[perverse]

Perfect example of why the line "and you must be eligible for australia" should be taken out of the already bastardised 1000 times over State of Origin eligibility rules.


I mean really, can anyone give a valid reason as to why playing for NSW or QLD should mandate you must play for Australia? They don't care where you were born, where you started playing footy, or even where you started playing SENIOR footy these days... but they still want to hoard all the games best into the Green and Gold with the irresistible temptation of an Origin jumper.

i totally agree and have been on this bandwagon for a good while now. Uate is the perfect, Grade A example of this criteria being a joke. he learned everything he knows about footy in NSW... he is a NSW rugby league product - but he is 100% Fijian, too. it's a disaster and a farce that he can't be proud to represent the country that birthed him as well as serve and represent the state that developed him at the same time.

 

[AusKnightRKO]

Why is everyone jumping on the Uate bandwagon now. He's no different to Merritt when he was top tryscorer a few years back. I can guarantee when origin selection rolls around again nobody will even consider this guy.

Yes cause merritt can run over basically anyone now cant he..... Aku is NSW best winger if he had decent service he would have 30 tries easy already this season the amount that sau bombs is incredible

with a centre that passes the ball he will be gun at origin and for a backline all depening on everyone being in top form

1. Stewart
2. Hayne
3. Jennings
4. Gasnier
5. Uate
6. Carney
7. Pearce

 

[timka4]

Why is everyone jumping on the Uate bandwagon now. He's no different to Merritt when he was top tryscorer a few years back. I can guarantee when origin selection rolls around again nobody will even consider this guy.

There have been many discussions earlier this year about the eligibility of Uate. So I'm not sure about the 'all of a sudden' bandwagon you are speaking about

 

[mrpwnd]

Perfect example of why the line "and you must be eligible for australia" should be taken out of the already bastardised 1000 times over State of Origin eligibility rules.


I mean really, can anyone give a valid reason as to why playing for NSW or QLD should mandate you must play for Australia? They don't care where you were born, where you started playing footy, or even where you started playing SENIOR footy these days... but they still want to hoard all the games best into the Green and Gold with the irresistible temptation of an Origin jumper.

I can only guess that the ARL don't want a situation similar to soccer or union where Australia are hopelessly low ranked(Wallabies never quite looked the same after Gregan), point is there aren't many 'international' sports that Australia are dominant in and the ARL want to cement Australias dominance for as long as they can. It basically contradicts every effort to bolster rugby leagues international status including the world cup. So long as this sort of rule stands in RL, we will always see Aus, NZ and GB being the only remotely decent teams in international comps.

 

[Serc]

Not sure if someone has said this already...but if Uate was potentially eligible for Queensland, none of this would be an issue

 

[Bobby DIGital]

He's reminding me a lot of the legendary Noa Nadruku lately with his running style.

 

[RHCP]

Not sure if someone has said this already...but if Uate was potentially eligible for Queensland, none of this would be an issue

If they can claim New Zealand as part of Queensland, surely we can claim Fiji as part of NSW.

 

[aqua_duck]

Why is everyone jumping on the Uate bandwagon now. He's no different to Merritt when he was top tryscorer a few years back. I can guarantee when origin selection rolls around again nobody will even consider this guy.

The thing that held Merritt back was his size, Uate is a monster in comparison and even quicker than Merritt. Merritt is a pure finisher, where as Uate is just as good a finisher but can also play that role as an extra forward. Its like comparing Sailor/Tuqiri to Nathan Blacklock

 

[babyg]

I don't want him playing for Australia instead of Fiji. That's just a disgrace. Time to boost the international scene not wreck Origin.

 

[hutch]

Uate is the perfect test case for this.

He was born in Fiji.
He was raised in Fiji.
He is Fijian.

But it is also correct that he learnt to play RL in NSW.

He should be a Fijian test player - and he should play SOO for NSW.

he should be playing for fiji and thats it. nsw is a state of australia and is an australian rep match, he simply should not be eligible. fiji should be given more meaningful games mid season and post nrl season so players can make a decision and stick with it. yes, uate is certainly good enough to play state of origin but it shouldnt even be a consideration.

what if for example, every single one of nsw's 17 players play for another nation (fiji, nz, samoa etc), the game would be an absolute farce. nsw and qld is for australians, we need to give other countries the opportunity to develop their own meaningful rep schedule. its time to stop thinking about ourselves and let our game grow the right way.

 

[mrpwnd]

Why is everyone jumping on the Uate bandwagon now. He's no different to Merritt when he was top tryscorer a few years back. I can guarantee when origin selection rolls around again nobody will even consider this guy.

Mate...Uate grabbed the goddam ball off a kick off and then scored a try in that same play. You don't see that kind of sh*t from wingers nowadays, he is the ideal winger(defense aside), noone better than him atm.