How to close League’s international gap

[ParraEelsNRL]

what a superb article! This is pretty much what i've been saying. If hayne wants to play for fiji when the opportunity arises he should be allowed to, and if he wants to play for aus in the 4-nations he should be allowed to do that as well. I can't see why anyone would have a problem with that, unless they're insecure redneck white trash who are jealous that someone can belong to more than one culture.

wtf :?

 

[PacificCoastRL]

I don't agree.
State of Origin and top level test footy are huge cash cows that clubs and players greedily feed off.
The last WC made a decent profit.
If the WC becomes a cash cow the 'suits' who infest RL administration will fall over themselves to be part of it.
The surprize result of the last WC was how much international TV money they got. If the next cup gets the same sort of money or even more, the 'Independent Commission' will want to get their snorters into that trough.

I agree with you on what you say, because although you say you don't agree with me, you are saying the same as me. If the NRL can make a pile of money from international footy they will be part of it. How much money does the NRL get from the World Cup or Four Nations? I'd venture to guess very little. So why would they care about international play? As someone else here said - the NRL aspires to be like the NFL. The NFL could care less about what happens anywhere in the world. They are concerned about their 32 teams and that is it. Ditto the NRL.

 

[Didgi]

what a superb article! This is pretty much what I've been saying. If Hayne wants to play for Fiji when the opportunity arises he should be allowed to, and if he wants to play for Aus in the 4-nations he should be allowed to do that as well. I can't see why anyone would have a problem with that, unless they're insecure redneck white trash who are jealous that someone can belong to more than one culture.

:lol: Wow

 

[billy2]

I agree with you on what you say, because although you say you don't agree with me, you are saying the same as me. If the NRL can make a pile of money from international footy they will be part of it. How much money does the NRL get from the World Cup or Four Nations? I'd venture to guess very little. So why would they care about international play? As someone else here said - the NRL aspires to be like the NFL. The NFL could care less about what happens anywhere in the world. They are concerned about their 32 teams and that is it. Ditto the NRL.

The clubs don't get a bagfull of cash, but their star players do, and it's paid in such a way that a good part of it is put in trust and they don't get it if they leave the code.
Clubs know that this keeps their star players in the code.

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

1) Regular, enshrined second-tier competitions. NO f**king around - they are played every year and that's that. Even look at Origin equivalents mid-season with stand alone rep weekends, if it is realistically possible.

2) Money. Sure, playing for PNG in the Pacific Cup might not get you as much as playing for Australia in the 4N but you'll still be nicely rewarded.

3) Concessions for Clubs for players from minnow nations. Sign a PNG boy and get 10% off!!!

4) You can change TO the Big 3 ONCE, and AWAY from the Big 3 ONCE.

I know the last one is the most controversial but I think it's realistic. Example: Uate starts by playing for Fiji. He becomes a superstar in the NRL and is good enough to play for Australia, his adopted country. He changes, which is a realistic thing to expect. Eventually, however, he's not making the Australian team and thinks maybe a guaranteed spot in Fiji is better than rolling the dice with Australia. He changes back. That's it, end of story. No matter if he gets a second wind he is with Fiji now.

You see, not every 18-year old kid is good enough to play for Australia. It gives these youngins a chance to play internationalfooty and do their heritage nation proud, whilst assisting with development by increasing their competitiveness.

Then, it allows those moving towards the back of their careers to return to their roots and give something back to their home once again. Think Civinoceva returning to Fiji for the 2013 WC (wouldn't that be awesome?).

Evnetually, yes, you'd want to bring in a "one nation for life" rule but I don't think it's realistic to do that straight off the bat. This would be the missing link that would allow us to step closer to that over the next decade or so. Maybe set an idealistic date of 2021 (World Cup year) for that final change.

I don't think we can get a perfect system from the point where we currently stand. To even suggest so is unrealistic. Personally, I think that the above is the least worst option that we have available to us.

 

[Wilson1]

what a superb article! This is pretty much what I've been saying. If Hayne wants to play for Fiji when the opportunity arises he should be allowed to, and if he wants to play for Aus in the 4-nations he should be allowed to do that as well. I can't see why anyone would have a problem with that, unless they're insecure redneck white trash who are jealous that someone can belong to more than one culture.

So because I want tough eligibility laws I am a redneck?

 

[hutch]

“If Jarryd Hayne does not make the Australian squad for the upcoming Four Nations, would anyone really consider it to be to the detriment of international rugby league if he instead played a few games for the Bati?”

yes, this is one of the main reasons our sport isnt taken seriously as an international sport, and also why it is not developing. stop looking for the quick fix! the road to having a larger number of competitive and ‘legitimate’ teams is not by having 8 teams of australian rejects pretending to be national teams, this is not how international sport works!

what we need is to plan our season so that all countries have the chance to play in legitimate and meaningful test matches and tournaments mid season and post season. our sport needs a vision and a long term plan. stand alone weekends for origin, nz origins, pacific cups or test series etc, regular tours, 4 nations, world cups and we need stricter eligibility laws which stop this rubbish of players switching countries almost at will which is competely amateur. if we do allow players to switch (and i would suggest that we didnt), you must stand down from test rugby league for 5 years and you can only switch once. this allows countries to build a squad of players that they can work with. it builds the player pool, team character, the teams reputation and their national identity.

it is going to take time though, and we are obssessed with the quick fix. the typical rugby league attitude (lead by the rlif and arl) is lets find every player with samoan heritage who isnt good enough for aus or nz and put them in a team and call them samoa, but when they are good enough to play for aus or nz we’ll have them back. THAT DOES NOT HELP GROW THE SPORT! the island teams do not benefit from this in the long term. it is not that hard if the powers that be really wanted to put in the work required!

 

[babyg]

I reckon make a pacific Islands super rep team that plays NZ and Aus annually. It would be a competitive team and provide great competition and therefore interest and therefore money. If the concept is successful then pacific players will be more likely to stick with their countries of origin when the world cup comes around.

 

[Number 16]

I reckon make a pacific Islands super rep team that plays NZ and Aus annually. It would be a competitive team and provide great competition and therefore interest and therefore money. If the concept is successful then pacific players will be more likely to stick with their countries of origin when the world cup comes around.

Where would a Pacific Island rep team leave PNG? The seventeen would be stacked full of heritage players from Aus and NZ most (all?) of whom would not be Papuan.

 

[bender]

Where would a Pacific Island rep team leave PNG? The seventeen would be stacked full of heritage players from Aus and NZ most (all?) of whom would not be Papuan.

I think David Mead would probably make the team. Costigan also would probably be in the side somewhere (assuming this would make him commit to the side). I also see a few surprise selections such as a Jessie Joe or some other young locals making this side, and more than likely scoring an NRL contract out of the series, and lifting their professionalism confidence and general level of play because of it. Just like many players do after playing Origin or tests.

In fact, we had one nation for life (or at least no changes to the big 3), then i think PNG and to a lesser extent local Fiji might actually provide the depth and backbone to the side, with talented locals supplemented by big name stars. It all depends on the coach and selectors I suppose.

 

[welshmagpie]

Set a 4 year International schedule, and effin stick to it.

Once you play for one country, that is it. No swapping!!!

Simple... why is it so hard for International RL to grasp these ideas? Oh yeah the RLIF

 

[Big Picture]

I agree with the author of the piece at the start of this thread that something needs to be done to elevate the play of the minnow nations. As can be seen on this thread there are a number of ideas, some good, some bad, that people would like to see put forward. But if anyone thinks the NRL is going to help in this regard, they are wrong. The NRL is a business, and businesses are in business to make money. There is not an elite sports league in the world that gives a fiddler's fart about growing the game internationally unless there is a pile of money in it for them.

For the minnows to become elevated they first have to be capable of being elevated, and unfortunately the Pacific island countries are too small and too poor for that.

Look at the list of countries by population http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population. Fiji lies between Djibouti and Cyprus, Samoa between Vanuatu and Guam, and Tonga between Grenada and Micronesia. Just as Djibouti, Cyprus, Vanuatu, Guam, Grenada and Micronesia will never be anything more than minnows in any sport, neither will Fiji, Samoa or Tonga. The idea is ludicrous. PNG is higher up but only slightly: right between Tajikistan and Libya, a bit below Bulgaria and Serbia. Of these countries, most sports fans in the world have maybe, possibly heard of Bulgaria and Serbia being a factor in any world sport at some point, but none of the others.

What international RL needs is countries that can become more than minnows to develop, countries with enough people and resources to raise the sport's profile and income in a way the Pacific island countries can never do. By that I mean countries like the US, Canada, Japan, Italy, Germany....... that's what our game needs.

Do you think the National Hockey League would send their players to the Olympics if it wasn't a financial boon to them. Major League baseball has a world tournament every so often, but only when it appeases them. And the National Football League and Australian Football League have nothing to do with world tournaments because they are doing fine without them. And if people think the new Independent Commission is going to help rugby league in an international level you are wrong. They are there to make the NRL run more professionally and that is it.

The NHL apart you're wrong about those other leagues and international sport. Baseball's World Classic was wholeheartedly endorsed by Major League Baseball and is held every four years just like the soccer World Cup. The NFL and AFL both provide assistance to international development, and though Australia doesn't compete in the Aussie Rules International Cup the AFL plays a key role in organizing it. Even re the NHL, their only issue with the Olympics is that the winter games come in the midst of the NHL regular season so it means shutting down while they're on.

 

[S.S.T.I.D]

Development at a young age is one of the keys, I believe. What I would love to see, and something that I think would be feasible, would be for every professional league team in the world to sponsor (I'm not sure if that is the right term) a young player of 16-17 to come out to that country and club and play, train, learn under their system for a few years.

For example, every professional club must host a young French, Papua New Guinean and South African player every year. In Australia these kids would play in the respective NRL club's NYC team/system. Once they are too old for the NYC they either head home or, hopefully and ideally, would pick up a senior contract with the club. The scheme would have to be partially funded by the RLIF because clubs are not going to be so magnanimous as to pay for this all themselves.

There are probably some real flaws in this type of plan, but I'm sure it has been spoken of before and I do believe that it could be the way forward. Even if only one of the players per club was offered a senior contract under this scheme we'd have up to 30 players every year playing professionally that would be eligible for one of the smaller nations and that could only be a good thing for rugby league.

 

[JamesBrandy]

I think we need more international matches between developing nations, and less between the 'big 3' and developing nations. What good is watching Australia flog PNG by 60 points going to do?

I think we should have stand alone rep weekends mid season, with developing nations playing test matches, possibly as curtain raisers for AUS v NZL anzac test or origin matches.

Just an idea...

AUS v NZL ANZAC test and SAM v TON as the curtain raiser double header.
City v Country

Having SAM v TON as a curtain raiser and televised would help the developing nations get tv coverage and also throw them some money. Would work better than just televising the game on its own at 2 in the morning when nobody is gonna watch it.

I'd like to see the end of year four nations reduced to either three...Australia, New Zealand and England....OR...a four 'nations' alternating each year between a pacific superstars side...and a european superstars side.

Have mid season test matches between the Euro nations and Pacific nations to help decide who to pick in the superstars sides.

 

[flamin]

One team for life means every 18 year old in the NRL junior squads will commit for Australia, and any that don't are just fools.

I believe the only way to have a quick fix is to declare the world cup to be completely separate to all other test league and let every player turn out for any side they want to play for. They should all be paid what they are worth as pro players for WC games - doesn't matter who they play for.

Uate is a fiercely proud Fijian - but he'll be Aussie Aku all day and twice on Sunday for the money - Hell, he'd paint himself green and play for Mars if the money was right - and every person playing the game or on this forum would too.

Uate had already committed to Fiji before he played Origin. If we had a one-nation-for-life rule Uate would still be playing for Fiji.


And we have countless examples of players raised in Australia through their teenage years and then electing to play for overseas teams. Even today Jack Reed has elected to play for England, his country of birth, despite being raised in Australian league.

 

[Ernest the Sheep]

“If Jarryd Hayne does not make the Australian squad for the upcoming Four Nations, would anyone really consider it to be to the detriment of international rugby league if he instead played a few games for the Bati?”

yes, this is one of the main reasons our sport isnt taken seriously as an international sport, and also why it is not developing. stop looking for the quick fix! the road to having a larger number of competitive and ‘legitimate’ teams is not by having 8 teams of australian rejects pretending to be national teams, this is not how international sport works!

mate, get real. The reason league isn't taken seriously as an international sport is, simply, because league is NOT an international sport. End of story. You're not going to fool people with manufactured teams. Whether players should be able to jump from one team to another should be the least of league's worries.

 

[biggestbroncosfan]

mate, get real. The reason league isn't taken seriously as an international sport is, simply, because league is NOT an international sport. End of story. You're not going to fool people with manufactured teams. Whether players should be able to jump from one team to another should be the least of league's worries.

you are an idiot! how can you say rugby league is not an international sport when the game is played professionally in Australia, England, France, New Zealand and Wales? and might I add making significant growth throughout Europe throught the hard work done by the RLEF and nations like Canada growing rapidly each year. You have obviously zero following of the sport and do not recognise the hard work that is been done!

 

[NRLMad]

mate, get real. The reason league isn't taken seriously as an international sport is, simply, because league is NOT an international sport. End of story. You're not going to fool people with manufactured teams. Whether players should be able to jump from one team to another should be the least of league's worries.

Moron

 

[hutch]

mate, get real. The reason league isn't taken seriously as an international sport is, simply, because league is NOT an international sport. End of story. You're not going to fool people with manufactured teams. Whether players should be able to jump from one team to another should be the least of league's worries.

Apart from the fact that you're a moron, can I ask why you think rugby league is not an international sport?

 

[billy2]

Uate had already committed to Fiji before he played Origin. If we had a one-nation-for-life rule Uate would still be playing for Fiji.

.

If it was one country for life Uate would have been committed to Aus from when he played for Aus schoolboys at 17 - when he had been in the country for a year and could only speak broken English.