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Nigel Vagana's drive to improve Samoan RL

westie

Bench
Messages
3,936
I'm very anti moves to union. But I really can't fathom a possible reason to turn down a quick half mil. He's not got anything to do in league now. Perhaps he could find a minor coaching or mentoring role... but it's not going to pay well. Especially at a cost cutting souths.

And I also can't understand why he can't be just as involved in Samoa RL? He wouldn't have lived in the country anyway... so apart from encouraging blokes who you guys think shouldn't play anyway I can't see what more he could do in Sydney.
 

screeny

Bench
Messages
3,984
I'm very anti moves to union. But I really can't fathom a possible reason to turn down a quick half mil. He's not got anything to do in league now. Perhaps he could find a minor coaching or mentoring role... but it's not going to pay well. Especially at a cost cutting souths.

And I also can't understand why he can't be just as involved in Samoa RL? He wouldn't have lived in the country anyway... so apart from encouraging blokes who you guys think shouldn't play anyway I can't see what more he could do in Sydney.

But he could easily have gotten a gig in RL somewhere - Crowe said he'd hire him at Souths.

Of course he can't be as involved with SRL while living in France. For one the distance would preclude him from travelling to the island and the link would be all but severed.

As for not turning down a quick half mil - I quite agree!

SBW said he wanted to be a good example for islander players, and he is as good as his word.
 

brendothejet

First Grade
Messages
7,998
I'm sorry but it is very simple Westie.

Everyone has their ire up because this guy has come out and said that playing for Samoa was not about having a run around in the WC at the end of his career but putting something back into samoa and committing for the long haul.

His actions have proven this to be bullsh*t.

Now he is getting his cake and eating it to.

What a f**king wanker. Him and all his dopey "samoan" mates for lying to the public.
 

Brutus

Referee
Messages
26,355
Gee French RU is doing great things for our WC.

Nice work Nigel.

Shows you the quality of French RU when an aged hack who has barely played much RU can get a 500k contract.
 

LordLeague

Juniors
Messages
158
This is clearly a positive for Rugby League. The more money French RL waste on the likes of Vagana, the less they'll have to spend on our better players, and the less likely they'll be to want other RL players after they see Vagana play!

Lord League
 

kiwileaguefan

Juniors
Messages
2,426
Vagana at the Cup crossroads







NIGEL Vagana's plans to lead Samoa to the Rugby League World Cup could be kicked to touch by cash-rich French rugby scouts hunting the dumped Rabbitohs centre.


In an exclusive interview, Vagana has told Sunday News of his agonising choice between playing for his beloved Samoan side or accepting a code-switching offer which will set up his young family for life.

"I have been trying to do my bit to get the Samoan team up and running all year,'' said Vagana, left in financial limbo after being told by Souths he isn't wanted for 2009.

"What I didn't realise is that union starts up pretty soon in the northern hemisphere. And if something was to happen, I guess I will have to try and speak to the club involved and see if I can get some sort of exemption (to delay joining them until after the October World Cup).

"I'm still really keen to play for Samoa.

"I wouldn't like to be in the position where it comes down to me choosing between a deal for a couple of years and setting up the family or playing in (the league) tournament for one month.

"Hopefully, it doesn't come down to that."

Vagana, who has played 38 games for the Kiwis and has a 13-year NRL and Super League career, says should he be forced to make the decision, it will be the hardest of his life.

"I haven't really told my agents what I want to do yet," he said.

"They are, I guess, just sending feelers out here and there and waiting on me to decide.

"I'd like to sort my future out sooner rather than later. It's about what's best for my family."

But the dad-of-two wants league fans to know he isn't selling out on the game that has made him a household name.

"I want people to know that I'm not choosing to leave to go to union," said Vagana, who played for the Warriors, Bulldogs, Sharks and Rabbitohs.

"I know a lot of people are talking about how so many league boys are leaving to go to union for the money.

"I've been a league boy through and through. I grew up with the game and started playing with Richmond from the time I was seven years old."

"The time comes, though, when you have to make decisions. I thought I was doing one thing next year and that's not going to happen now.

"If a union club works out to be the best option for my family and I, so be it."

Vagana, whose wife Sadhana is seven months pregnant, had expected to stay with Souths next season but a clause in his contract stipulated he had to play nine first-grade games this year. He's only played six and has been dropped from the top side since round 12.

Vagana, who says he has "two good years left in top-level football", wasn't keen to discuss his treatment at the Rabbitohs this year.

But close friends have told Sunday News he's devastated at being axed.

"I guess it's been a pretty adventurous year and at the end of the day it's a business for the Rabbitohs as well," Vagana said.

"It's been a tough year at times. (But) I've been around the sport long enough to know that this is the nature of the business and it's something you have to deal with."
 

Coastbloke

Bench
Messages
4,180
Yeh, I don't think you can have a go at Vagana in this case..

This is very dfifferent to Money Till Williams and Gasnier..
 

roughyedspud

Coach
Messages
12,181
if richard lewis turned round tomorrow and said "nah sod this i'm off back to tennis" what would you say to that?


cos as much as richard lewis is the saviour of the game in europe, mr vagana positioned himself as the saviour of samoan RL..........until of course a better offer came along...

the facts are vagana put himself in a position of importance within samoan RL...and now he seem just a quick to dump them...i'm not surprised he'd do such a thing cos it's very evident that no island heritage player has any loyalty towards anyone what so ever.......we can all name a list as long as our arms of islanders who have said one thing and done another........
 

playdaball

Bench
Messages
3,525
Let's now rip into other players who have stated that they are going to go/or are playing/rumoured to be playing RU:

- Wai koopu
- Benji Marshall
- SBW
- Mark Gasnier
- Luke Rooney

Jason Robinson
Brad Thorn
Rogers, Sailor, Lote, Paul, Farrell ...

Phil Blake, Hugh MacGahan, Mark Graham, Mike Ford, Shuan Edwards etc etc etc
 

hutch

First Grade
Messages
6,810
Let's now rip into other players who have stated that they are going to go/or are playing/rumoured to be playing RU:

- Wai koopu
- Benji Marshall
- SBW
- Mark Gasnier
- Luke Rooney

Jason Robinson
Brad Thorn
Rogers, Sailor, Lote, Paul, Farrell ...

Phil Blake, Hugh MacGahan, Mark Graham, Mike Ford, Shuan Edwards etc etc etc

why not? them leaving gives the sport that made them who they are today a massive kick in the guts. rugby league is lesser for not having them around.
 

brendothejet

First Grade
Messages
7,998
Comparing Phil Blake to Nigel Vagana is the funniest thing ive ever heard.

Firstly, Phil Blake was a good player everywhere he went. Nigel was solid and created havoc at the bulldogs.

then after scoring 5 tries in a night, dissapeared and never played decent football again. He was a myth at international level and in a vain last ditch effort to get one more turn on the ride, he pledged his allegience to samoa.

He quickly turned his back on it for a buck.

Rogers, Sailor and Thorn all came back to league. Farrell ran scared knowing he couldnt beat Australia in a series.

SBW did a money run after having his ear chewed off by that feral piece of sh*t nasser, Benji hasn't even gone yet, Gasnier was a piece of poor management on behlaf of the dragons and Channel 9.

Your comparisons are weak at best.

vagana is a turncoat of the highest order.
 

screeny

Bench
Messages
3,984
Let's now rip into other players who have stated that they are going to go/or are playing/rumoured to be playing RU:

- Wai koopu
- Benji Marshall
- SBW
- Mark Gasnier
- Luke Rooney

Jason Robinson
Brad Thorn
Rogers, Sailor, Lote, Paul, Farrell ...

Phil Blake, Hugh MacGahan, Mark Graham, Mike Ford, Shuan Edwards etc etc etc
Talk about completely missing the point!

As for our Nige, you've just gotta laugh. Take the money Nige, we both know you will....

Roughyedspud phrases it well. That's the thing about making yourself a responsible person, Nige...you have to discharge those responsibilities otherwise you're not responsible.
 

playdaball

Bench
Messages
3,525
I never compared Blake with Vagana but both have had they had similar careers in England, Auckland and Australia.

To say that Vagana was a myth at International level is an insult to all New Zealanders. He wore the Black and White Kiwi jersey proudly and played some great games for the Kiwis, including the 24 -0 defeat of Australia in the 2005 Tri Series Final. He pledeged his allegiance to Samoa to help and assist a growing RL nation.

He quickly turned his back on it for a buck - Welcome to the real world pal !! I'm not sure if you work or are still at school but if you got an offer from a company that meant that you could make more money, have an easier lifestyle, not work as hard .. would you take it ??? I have done this in the past with work and if need be would consider changing jobs tomorrow.

You praise Sailor, Rogers and Thorn (now playing RU) for coming back to RL ... who says that Vagana won't come back to RL??? Hopefully he'll be involved with Samoa or his Auckland club, Richmond, which he mentioned in the Sunday News article. Richmond is one of Auckland's great clubs and for the past 30 years or so has been made up of a lot of Samoans.

Your comparisons are weak at best - YOUR QUOTE BUT RELEVANT.
vagana is a turncoat of the highest order - WHY ??? Like Benji (your comment above) he hasn't actually gone yet.

One other point ...

Why not ask Samoans what they think of Nigel Vagana!

Get used to it as we may see a lot more players switch codes in the future. I don't like it but it is reality especially as NZ'ers have been used to seeing it for decades.
 

playdaball

Bench
Messages
3,525
if

...i'm not surprised he'd do such a thing cos it's very evident that no island heritage player has any loyalty towards anyone what so ever...............

I'm not sure what you mean by loyalty but I'll throw a few names into the hat ..

-Ruben Wiki
-Fred Ah Koui and family
-Kevin Iro
-Tony Tuimavae
-THE LATE GEORGE MANN
- Dennis Williams
- Olsen Filipania
- The Solomona family

I could go on and add more names.
 

nadera78

Juniors
Messages
2,233
I'm not sure what you mean by loyalty but I'll throw a few names into the hat ..

-Ruben Wiki
-Fred Ah Koui and family
-Kevin Iro
-Tony Tuimavae
-THE LATE GEORGE MANN
- Dennis Williams
- Olsen Filipania
- The Solomona family

I could go on and add more names.

David Solomona played for Samoa, then New Zealand, and was being talked of as potentially playing for Samoa again.
Ruben Wiki was constantly being linked with Samoa, and recently with Fiji.
Kevin Iro played international footie for both NZ and the Cook Islands (much as I love him for doing his bit for the development of tgg in the Cooks).

In my book, loyalty does not include playing for any country you feel like just to get a game.
 

playdaball

Bench
Messages
3,525
David Solomona played for Samoa, then New Zealand, and was being talked of as potentially playing for Samoa again.
Ruben Wiki was constantly being linked with Samoa, and recently with Fiji.
Kevin Iro played international footie for both NZ and the Cook Islands (much as I love him for doing his bit for the development of tgg in the Cooks).

In my book, loyalty does not include playing for any country you feel like just to get a game.

People look at things differently ...

-The Solomona family have been stalwarts of the Richmond club in Auckland, a largerly PI club. Members of their family have also played for Samoa and NZ.
-Wiki has been a role model fro young PIs.
-Kevin Iro has done wonders for the Cook Islands developing the code in Rarotonga.
-George MANN snr who passed away last week started the Tongan RL

Rather than picking on PI players we should be looking at a few other bits and pieces:

- Why is it that after 100 years RL is still not a true international game? (hurts me to say that but it is true)

- Why is it that PI players can really only play for their country of origin/ethnicity once every 4 years?

- Why is it that clubs still dominate our game?

- WHAT IS THE FUTURE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL RL?
 

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