Millard calls for Pacific Team..

[Coastbloke]

He has the interests of the game at heart, but it has to e seperate nations..It's the ony answer..Maybe the RLIF can spend some RLWC money..That would be revolutionary...!! :shock: :roll:

Nice to see the story in the Fijian press as well..And a 'Indian Fijian'..I suppose they aren't allowed to discuss much else... :lol: ..Sorry..Here's the story...

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=119176

WITH France joining Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand to make up an international quad-nations series this year, Fiji Bati centre Darryl Millard has called on the Pacific Nations to be considered too.

After the 2008 Rugby League World Cup shake up of the international calendar by the Rugby League International Federation, it has been proposed that a Pacific Cup be held this year.

The the winner of the tournament enters the 2010 Rugby League Four Nations tournament (consisting of Australia, New Zealand, England and a qualifying nation). A Pacific Cup is also proposed to be held in 2011.
"I definitely think a Pacific team deserves and needs to be included (in international quad-series)," Millard said.

"I think the best way is a Pacific Nations competition each year during the Origin period and the winning team goes through. "It will be massive for the international game and for league to break that dominance of rugby union over there. But a combined team would be good, too. "With Tonga, Samoa and Fiji combined, it would be an unreal team. "We'd give the competition a fair shake." The Canterbury Bulldogs player believes Fiji has plenty of players who can make a name in the sport. "Fiji is an untapped resource for rugby league players. There are plenty more Noa Nadruku's out there," he said.

The Age earlier reported that there are forty per cent of National Rugby League (NRL) players of Tongan, Samoan, Fijian, Maori, Cook Island or indigenous heritage -- but over half of the code's elite under-20 league and two-thirds of junior representative players from western Sydney are of Pacific Island descent.

 

[t-ba]

PNG
Pacific Islands
Australia
New Zealand.

Mid-Year international series. You know it makes sense.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Nice to see the story in the Fijian press as well..And a 'Indian Fijian'..I suppose they aren't allowed to discuss much else... :lol: ..Sorry..Here's the story...

Darryl's mother isn't Indian Fijian, she is native Fijian. His father is an Aussie (white as a sheet too).

 

[roopy]

Darryl's mother isn't Indian Fijian, she is native Fijian. His father is an Aussie (white as a sheet too).

He means the article was written by an Indian Fijian.

I'm convinced we won't see this because the Aussies are worried they will be thrashed every year.

 

[roughyedspud]

lets have a europe team too.....and a africa tea too :roll:

 

[cumberlandsashes81]

It's really not the worst idea ever. If it created a competetive side that went around once every couple of years and could compete against Aus/NZ/Eng then surely it would add something to the International scene? Is the Union equivalent competetive against the major nations?

The questions to be resolved would be: how it would affect development of the game on the individual islands, and whether the concept would destroy any chance a Pacific Nations Cup ever becoming a major tournament.

 

[roopy]

It's really not the worst idea ever. If it created a competetive side that went around once every couple of years and could compete against Aus/NZ/Eng then surely it would add something to the International scene? Is the Union equivalent competetive against the major nations?

The questions to be resolved would be: how it would affect development of the game on the individual islands, and whether the concept would destroy any chance a Pacific Nations Cup ever becoming a major tournament.

What it would do is it would allow players like Hayne, Uate, etc etc who are good enough to aspire to play for a big three side to commit to an Island side for life without financial penalty.
If they can play big games to raise their profile and to get big pay, they don't need to chase selection for Australia as a way of increasing their income.

 

[roughyedspud]

It's really not the worst idea ever. If it created a competetive side that went around once every couple of years and could compete against Aus/NZ/Eng then surely it would add something to the International scene? Is the Union equivalent competetive against the major nations?

simple answer is no...they've won 1 game iirc...samoa,on there own,have a far better record against the top nations...

The questions to be resolved would be: how it would affect development of the game on the individual islands, and whether the concept would destroy any chance a Pacific Nations Cup ever becoming a major tournament.

you could resolve the development issues in the pacific by a) getting rid of that bag of wind tas baitieri and b) implimenting strong,unbreakable eligibility laws..


in fact nah f**k it....have a pacific side,f**k the islands,f**k the development,f**k the pacific cup cos none of the players have any f**k pride in their jerseys,NONE of the administrators down under and very few fans & journs understand the concept of true international sport or development...they are always looking for the easy option,even those the pacific RU team has shown it does'nt work...but nah f**k it,go for it...


just leave the proper development and growth of our great game to 'us up here'

 

[hutch]

He means the article was written by an Indian Fijian.

I'm convinced we won't see this because the Aussies are worried they will be thrashed every year.

i highly doubt the aussies, who have dominated rugby league for forty years, are worried about being thrashed every year by a pacific team. we have some talented pacific heritage players from aus and nz, but lets start developing the bloody game in the islands themselves. there have been NO players make the nrl from tonga and samoa! this is quite sad really.

millard has some good and bad points. it is extremely important to build up individual nations, as long as their is a quota on domestic produced players (at least 3 per team). there is no point having teams like tonga in the last world cup. it was a joke, it falsely increased their ability while doing not much for rugby league in tonga. i am not against a combined p.i. team with png included playing one off games every 2 or 4 years against nz, as long as the players are committed to a pi nation for life, not for 1 world cup or whenever they miss out on nz and aus.

his best point, and something that has to happen and i want to happen so bad, and can happen if our admin want to ever grow our game which wouldnt be all that difficult to do, is to have pacific teams play each other during origin time. whether it is a pacific cup or test series in the island nations themselves, it must happen. it would give players the choice between aus, nz or a pi nation, and would stop the switching. if some players choose a pi nation, great, if some stick to their 'home' country where they grew up, good because you know they had the choice and followed their heart.

 

[hutch]

What it would do is it would allow players like Hayne, Uate, etc etc who are good enough to aspire to play for a big three side to commit to an Island side for life without financial penalty.
If they can play big games to raise their profile and to get big pay, they don't need to chase selection for Australia as a way of increasing their income.

hayne should never have played for fiji. he never wanted to play for anyone else and only did so when he found out he could get away with playing for fiji and not get punished when it came to origin and aus selection again. its a joke.

uate should never play for anyone but fiji. by having tests matches during the origin period, as well as end of season games, it would ensure he does.

 

[ali]

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=119176

Pacific Cup be held this year.

The the winner of the tournament enters the 2010 Rugby League Four Nations tournament (consisting of Australia, New Zealand, England and a qualifying nation). A Pacific Cup is also proposed to be held in 2011.
"I definitely think a Pacific team deserves and needs to be included (in international quad-series)," Millard said.

"I think the best way is a Pacific Nations competition each year during the Origin period and the winning team goes through. "It will be massive for the international game and for league to break that dominance of rugby union over there. But a combined team would be good, too. "With Tonga, Samoa and Fiji combined, it would be an unreal team. "We'd give the competition a fair shake."

Both of these options are better than the status quo!

 

[joshreading]

I am convinced in the short term (next ten years) a combined Pacific Island team is the only way.

It is the only way a LEGITIMATE born and bred side can be fielded. For instance, people cite Samoa as having a good record against larger nations. How many BORN and Bred Samoans were in the RLWC side? I think there was ONE.

If we want Pac Islanders to want to play RL for the Islands then we need to give them a decent option. They must choose to play for Australia or NZ (in which they get paid) or in reality nothing. The local Pac Island games are no attraction to top line stars.

BTW - I would ultimately require selection games (amongst the island sides for the United side)

 

[roopy]

uate should never play for anyone but fiji. by having tests matches during the origin period, as well as end of season games, it would ensure he does.

Uate will play for Australia for the money - unless he can make good money playing for an island team.
However you cut and dice it, players have 10 years to set themselves up for life, and they will go for the money every single time.

 

[Angry_eel]

PNG
Pacific Islands
Australia
New Zealand.

Mid-Year international series. You know it makes sense.

It makes sense apart from the fact that New Zealand and PNG are pacific Islands too.

 

[Bobby DIGital]

LOL...who gives a f*ck what Daryl Millard thinks?

 

[aarondoyle]

I personally prefer them all to represent their own individua countries... but I guess it works for the West Indies. How else can little island nations ever compete?

 

[The Observer]

lets have a europe team too.....and a africa tea too

The RFL and RFU field both a British and Irish Lions team, as well as 4 Home Nations. In Cricket, the West Indies represent 6 different Island nations.

simple answer is no...they've won 1 game iirc...samoa,on there own,have a far better record against the top nations...

This answer is simply incorrect. The PIRA RU team has only played 9 games over the past 4 years, whereas the individual nations have all played for decades. They struggled on their two tours to Europe, but they were hamstrung by inadequate preparation time because European clubs refusing to release players and they had no warmup games, and a lack of finances. They did play well in Australia and NZ when they had better time to prepare and played warmup games. They won in Italy after they had time to gel and had some match practice together.

BTW the combined team have been beaten anywhere near the extent of the individual nations. The combined team only lost 40-20 to the All Blacks, yet Samoa and Tonga have both shipped over 100 points to them in recent years. Likewise, thecombined team conceded under 40 points to Australia, yet Australia has beaten Fiji and Tonga by over 60 points in recent years.

Let's look at the recent RL results too:

 

[roughyedspud]

The RFL and RFU field both a British and Irish Lions team, as well as 4 Home Nations. In Cricket, the West Indies represent 6 different Island nations.

the RFL don't....they disbanded GB remember...why? because a combinded team,99% of which would be english anyway, stunted the development of the game in ireland,scotland & wales

Let's look at the recent RL results too:

please don't use GB beating australia in sydney & england getting tanked by australia in melbourne as some kind of example...

 

[deluded pom?]

You could always counter with G.B.'s 64-10 hammering in Sydney a few years back spud.

 

[roopy]

You could make a case for a Melanesian and a Polanesian side.