Cumbria are braced for Tonga’s Pacific storm
Published on 20/10/2006
Tonga’s Andrew Emelio CUMBRIAN coach Paul Crarey is expecting a Pacific storm to rage at Derwent Park when his county side takes on Tonga on Wednesday (7.30pm ko).
But he’s convinced that if his players keep to their game plan they can weather Tonga’s surge and hit the islanders with a few Cumbrian blasts.
Crarey told Times & Star Sport that all the information he’s been able to gather on Tonga, points to them playing a direct, right-down-the-middle style of game.
In the three training sessions Crarey has with Cumbria he is concentrating on tackling fast and with support to stop the Tongans off-loading.
Crarey said: “It’s going to be really physical and we’ve all got to the singing from the hynm sheet.
“We’ve got to concentrate on our own performance and hopefully we can put on a good show.
“This is a great opportunity for our lads - it will be playing at a whole different level for them.
“We’re looking to enjoy it, it’ll be a great experience and I’m hoping we’ll get a crowd of 2,000-3,000.
“I know a lot of coaches are being organised from Barrow and I’m sure there’ll be plenty of people from Whitehaven and Workington.”
One disappointment for Crarey has been the late withdrawl of St Helen’s Ade Gardner because of a knee injury sustained in Saturday’s Super League Grand Final.
Crarey said: “Ade is a loss because he’s a Super League player but it gives someone else a chance.”
That someone else is Town winger Martin Wilson who joins clubmates Dean Burgess, Dean Vaughan and Jamie Beaumont in the Cumbrian side. Shaun Lunt had to drop out because of back problems.
The rest of the Cumbrian squad is Liam Harrison, Liam Finch, Brett McDermott, Mike Whitehead (all Barrow Raiders), Matt Gardner (Huddersfield Giants), Gary Broadbent, Craig Calvert, Derrie Eilbeck, Carl Rudd, Scott McAvoy, Howard Hill, Marc Jackson, Carl Sice, Graeme Mattinson (all Whitehaven).
The county squad trained earlier this week at Barrow and follow that up with sessions at Whitehaven on Sunday and at Workington the following day in their third get-together.
Tonga, who begin their challenge for the Federation Shield against Samoa on Sunday, is a squad packed with players in Austrialia’s quality National League.
The Pacific islanders have brought over a 28-strong squad and have yet to release a team for the Cumbria game.
Tonga are coached by former Australian international Jim Dymock, who was set to captain the Tongans in the 2000 World Cup but pulled out because of injury.
Dymock is well known in England, having spent a number of seasons with the London Broncos, who now play under the Harlequins name.
A veteran of 10 years in first grade with Western Suburbs, Canterbury and Parramatta, Dymock played six Test matches for Australia and also featured in just as many State of Origin matches for New South Wales.
Tonga, who took the Pacific Cup earlier this season, have won the most number of matches against each of the other Pacific Islands including Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau Islands.
The side will feature plenty of experience with Canterbury Bulldogs in-form centre Andrew Emelio definitely one of the main danger men.
He has been a regular in the Bulldogs NRL squad, appearing in 16 first grade matches. He is well known to English fans having spent the 2005 season with the Widnes Vikings.
The cult figure of the side is definitely Fuifui Moimoi, who even has his own song back in Australia thanks to a radio station.
Moimoi made his first grade debut for the Parramatta Eels in 2004 and has been a regular ever since. Born in Tonga, he played his early football with the Mount Albert club before linking up with South Sydney.
He also represented New Zealand A and has gone close to wearing the Kiwi jersey.
Charlie Tonga is a no-frills front-rower that only knows one way - straight up the middle. Signed by the Bulldogs from Brisbane Easts, Tonga switched over to the Sydney Roosters this season.
Makasini Richter played first grade with the Bulldogs in 2005, appearing in two NRL matches. After appearing for the Auburn Warriors earlier this year at the Orara Valley Sevens, Richter played premier league for Western Suburbs.
Other Tongans to watch out for include David Pangai, an exciting full-back/winger who played with the Sydney Roosters Jersey Flegg side this season.
The Paea brothers - Mickey, Lopini and Lelea - all played NRL football for the Sydney Roosters in 2006 with Lopini Paea leading the way with six matches. He would have featured in more matches had it not been for a 10-match suspension for a dangerous throw.
Mickey, a second-rower/prop, made his debut in 2005 and played for Newtown in the 2006 Premier League Grand Final. Lelea, who made his NRL debut in 2003, is a powerful built centre who missed most of the 2005 season with injury.
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