Jason Taumalolo opts to play for Tonga

[hutch]

If we aren't concerned about players swapping nations every time there is a World Cup, why do we have a Cup involving nations. We might as well have 14 teams, call them anything you want, then toss up the names of top 200 or so players in the world and let their be a mad scramble for players.

Tonga will have 17 Tongans playing for them, Fiji will have 17 Fijians playing for them, Australia will have 17 Aussies playing for them, ditto for the rest of the teams. It's 2017, people have allegiances to more than one country, they are not just playing for any old team. Rugby league is doing it differently to other sports because we want to make our sport more competitive instead of having the same teams win every year.

 

[Pig Champion]

Tonga will have 17 Tongans playing for them, Fiji will have 17 Fijians playing for them, Australia will have 17 Aussies playing for them, ditto for the rest of the teams. It's 2017, people have allegiances to more than one country, they are not just playing for any old team. Rugby league is doing it differently to other sports because we want to make our sport more competitive instead of having the same teams win every year.

Yep we've just seen Australian politicians embroiled in dual citizenship problems and they are in a role that explicitly says they mustn't be. So many people have dual or multiple citizenships.

 

[roughyedspud]

Heres what the recent "defections" have done to the betting

prior to today
NZ $3
England $9
Tonga $200

Now,on bet365
NZ $7
England $8
Tonga $22 lol

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Rugby league is doing it differently to other sports because we want to make our sport more competitive instead of having the same teams win every year.

Rugby League is doing it differently because the international landscape would be a paper thin joke otherwise.

I'm going to enjoy these teams being more competitive than usual, but when Australia is hoisting the trophy in November lets not pretend it was all about the same teams not winning all the time.

League belongs to the NRL. Every now and then everyone else gets thrown a bone to gnaw on.

 

[Disinterested third party]

Rugby League is doing it differently because the international landscape would be a paper thin joke otherwise.

I'm going to enjoy these teams being more competitive than usual, but when Australia is hoisting the trophy in November lets not pretend it was all about the same teams not winning all the time.

League belongs to the NRL. Every now and then everyone else gets thrown a bone to gnaw on.

Rubbish. It's no different to most other sports at international level.

 

[Rory]

saving my rant for after the world cup

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Rubbish. It's no different to most other sports at international level.

Such as?

What other international sport allows you to represent two nations in the one year?

 

[hutch]

Rugby League is doing it differently because the international landscape would be a paper thin joke otherwise.

I'm going to enjoy these teams being more competitive than usual, but when Australia is hoisting the trophy in November lets not pretend it was all about the same teams not winning all the time.

League belongs to the NRL. Every now and then everyone else gets thrown a bone to gnaw on.

"League" doesn't belong to the nrl at all. This weekend there will be 75000 fans at old Trafford in Manchester. "Rugby league" is much bigger than the nrl.

Teams such as the ones playing in this World Cup started rugby league in countries such as Lebanon after the 2000 rlwc, made it take off in Fiji after the 2008 rlwc and have inspired countries such as the USA and Canada bid for world cups after the 2013 rlwc.

 

[LeagueXIII]

Tonga will have 17 Tongans playing for them, Fiji will have 17 Fijians playing for them, Australia will have 17 Aussies playing for them, ditto for the rest of the teams. It's 2017, people have allegiances to more than one country, they are not just playing for any old team. Rugby league is doing it differently to other sports because we want to make our sport more competitive instead of having the same teams win every year.

That's fine but don't pick a guy on a Monday then he switches to another team on Wednesday.....just looks plain amateurish and basically stupid at least create the perception we are professional.

Once again shows a complete lack of leadership.

 

[Disinterested third party]

Such as?

What other international sport allows you to represent two nations in the one year?

You made the comment it was paper thin compared to other sports. It clearly isn't. End of.

All sports, even soccer, are dominated by specific countries.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

You made the comment it was paper thin compared to other sports. It clearly isn't. End of.

All sports, even soccer, are dominated by specific countries.

No, I said that without league's loose eligibilty laws it would be paper thin. Try understanding a point before rubbishing it.

If league had a one country rule a lot of the young players would not represent the pacific nations out of fear of missing that bigger payday later, and most older players would already be ineligible.

I prefer international league this way where more teams have a chance to compete outside of Australia, but it's still only achieved through very loose eligibilty rules.

 

[roughyedspud]

saving my rant for after the world cup

Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

Spit it out or bin it lad

 

[Disinterested third party]

No, I said that without league's loose eligibilty laws it would be paper thin. Try understanding a point before rubbishing it.

If league had a one country rule a lot of the young players would not represent the pacific nations out of fear of missing that bigger payday later, and most older players would already be ineligible.

I prefer international league this way where more teams have a chance to compete outside of Australia, but it's still only achieved through very loose eligibilty rules.

Oh I fully understood it. You are still wrong whichever way you cut and dice it. The international game is growing faster at this point in its history than it ever has before.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Oh I fully understood it. You are still wrong whichever way you cut and dice it. The international game is growing faster at this point in its history than it ever has before.

So you think that the international game would be just as strong if league had always had a one country rule this whole time?

The fact you're arguing about the growth of international rugby league has zero to do with the point when the whole point is that the growth is due to loose eligibilty.

Saying you fully understand something doesn't make it so when your scattered arguments and nonsensical avoidance of the point say otherwise.

Keep trying though. One day you'll get there.

 

[Disinterested third party]

I haven't commented at all on the eligibility rules. Your point was wrong. Growth at international level isn't predicated on heritage players. But by all means continue to dig that trench you are working on.

 

[Disinterested third party]

It's a fine trench.

 

[Last Week]

There has got to be some sort of restrictions on switching. This is a farce. Elect at the beginning of every year who you're eligible for, or if you're switching nations. Something.

Switching from one nation to another, after being named for a nation, or on the eve of our largest international tournament is just amateur.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

You made the comment it was paper thin compared to other sports. It clearly isn't. End of.

All sports, even soccer, are dominated by specific countries.

Yes, but other sports have half a dozen condenders. RL has Australia dominate and the rest there to make up the numbers.

I still think it would have been better for the international game if RL had stuck with NSW and QLD as separate teams. There would be at least 2 competitive teams, and the other nations might hve a chance against the weakened/divided Aussie teams.

 

[Disinterested third party]

That's the same quality of comment as your usual 'we need a new name' garbage.

Define other sports then name the 6 in each.

 

[Disinterested third party]

Obviously the Kiwis winning the last but one World Cup and being the no. 1 side in the world as recently as 2015 passed you by as well...