Pacific giant killers!

[Dakink]

To be fair I could rattle off a heap of washed up Australians on big money in the ESL

List away

 

[thorson1987]

Except they don't, did Phil Gould tell you they do that? Pretty obvious from your posts in general that you've never watched ESL and don't know anything about it. And with due respect you cannot possibly even come close to being able to understand how the situation is here.

It did seem to be Catalans recruitment strategy recently though. (knowing that it has nothing to do with England Rugby League)

 

[StadiumXIII]

In what way are those nations the most proactive in development? Because they have a load of NRL players who learned the game overseas? Not criticizing them for this BTW as these are tiny places where domestic potential will always be comparatively small, but how many players in the WC have been developed by Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Cook Islands? I think the answer is one between the four of them, a fringe bloke in the Fiji squad who hasn't got a run. Again it's not a criticism, they can succeed in other ways but trying to claim that these nations are doing more development than the others is just wrong.

Fiji has been proactive in terms of the Pacific I guess, so have PNG.. The NRL runs programs over there.. In the short term at least it adds more competitive international teams which is what SOME fans want to see, longer term teams need to be added into semi professional Australasian competitions. Like you mention they are only tiny Islands in the Pacific that can only go so far. The real growth should come from Europe, North America, MEA, Asia etc.. depending on where resources are put.

 

[Irish-bulldog]

List away

Really your gonna make me do this lol .

How about guys who couldn’t cut it in the nrl for a start, just a few Sam Williams, Jake mamo lol , Greg bird, Todd Carney, glen Stewart lol. Jamie Soward, Krisnan Inu, Kurt Gidley, chris Sandow, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Greg Eden.

My god it just keeps giving lol, why would you have this over developing young local kids in a professional set up.

Bill Tupou, Jacob Miller, Scott Anderson, Tinirau Arona, Michael Sio, David Fifita.

Do you need more ?.

 

[Marlins]

IMO the Nrl has to become the EPL of Rugby League. I obviously know the Nrl is the biggest competition of the code right now. What I mean is like the success the Pacific Teams are having is due to them playing in the NRL. What the Nrl needs to do is get basically all the best talent out of the ESL and put them in the Nrl, Qcup & Nswcup. All the best sooka basically go to the EPL.

 

[KokoRugbyLeague]

Fiji has been proactive in terms of the Pacific I guess, so have PNG.. The NRL runs programs over there.. In the short term at least it adds more competitive international teams which is what SOME fans want to see, longer term teams need to be added into semi professional Australasian competitions. Like you mention they are only tiny Islands in the Pacific that can only go so far. The real growth should come from Europe, North America, MEA, Asia etc.. depending on where resources are put.

Well those pacific teams are more important than any those continents you listed they the backbone of the game. They have bought legitimacy and colour to the game. The entertainment given by these teams has propelled rugby league into world households. Geez id say without the pacific the game would be bereft of anything

 

[Stallion]

Well those pacific teams are more important than any those continents you listed they the backbone of the game. They have bought legitimacy and colour to the game. The entertainment given by these teams has propelled rugby league into world households. Geez id say without the pacific the game would be bereft of anything

I suggest the English are helpfull and the Irish are refreshing as well. It is and has been a good world cup despite the ticketing fiasco in pricing and allocation. The location of games was also an issue that didnt help!

 

[Coastbloke]

Really your gonna make me do this lol .

How about guys who couldn’t cut it in the nrl for a start, just a few Sam Williams, Jake mamo lol , Greg bird, Todd Carney, glen Stewart lol. Jamie Soward, Krisnan Inu, Kurt Gidley, chris Sandow, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Greg Eden.

My god it just keeps giving lol, why would you have this over developing young local kids in a professional set up.

Bill Tupou, Jacob Miller, Scott Anderson, Tinirau Arona, Michael Sio, David Fifita.

Do you need more ?.

Nailed..

 

[Rory]

Really your gonna make me do this lol .

How about guys who couldn’t cut it in the nrl for a start, just a few Sam Williams, Jake mamo lol , Greg bird, Todd Carney, glen Stewart lol. Jamie Soward, Krisnan Inu, Kurt Gidley, chris Sandow, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Greg Eden.

My god it just keeps giving lol, why would you have this over developing young local kids in a professional set up.

Bill Tupou, Jacob Miller, Scott Anderson, Tinirau Arona, Michael Sio, David Fifita.

Do you need more ?.

Bird, Stewart, Gidley, Soward Carney are NSW Reps. Krisnan Inu is an NZ rep. Sandow was playing on at 2mil for Parra. They could cut it.

 

[Rory]

Don’t they go to Warrington traditionally?

Some players are scouted, but other than that i wouldn't have a clue.

 

[Clarkent]

In what way are those nations the most proactive in development? Because they have a load of NRL players who learned the game overseas? Not criticizing them for this BTW as these are tiny places where domestic potential will always be comparatively small, but how many players in the WC have been developed by Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Cook Islands? I think the answer is one between the four of them, a fringe bloke in the Fiji squad who hasn't got a run. Again it's not a criticism, they can succeed in other ways but trying to claim that these nations are doing more development than the others is just wrong.

In what way are those nations the most proactive in development? Because they have a load of NRL players who learned the game overseas? Not criticizing them for this BTW as these are tiny places where domestic potential will always be comparatively small, but how many players in the WC have been developed by Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Cook Islands? I think the answer is one between the four of them, a fringe bloke in the Fiji squad who hasn't got a run. Again it's not a criticism, they can succeed in other ways but trying to claim that these nations are doing more development than the others is just wrong.

Oh here we go again about the island nations not developing there own players... Fiji is probably the only team that developed some of there players cause they have a bigger population then Tonga and Samoa... There is no way Samoa and Tonga can develope there own cause of there small population... But then you can say the same about the kiwis most of there league players gets sent to Australia as young kids developing there players there... As long as they have there nations blood in them I don't see any problem with them representing there country

 

[Irish-bulldog]

Bird, Stewart, Gidley, Soward Carney are NSW Reps. Krisnan Inu is an NZ rep. Sandow was playing on at 2mil for Parra. They could cut it.

Mate my oringial point was you get them when they are washed up, not in the prime. I don’t think giving them shit loads is the way to go, develop your own, give them professional contracts. Why waste the spots on these washed up has beens. It’s hurting your standard and league. Wake up.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Oh here we go again about the island nations not developing there own players... Fiji is probably the only team that developed some of there players cause they have a bigger population then Tonga and Samoa... There is no way Samoa and Tonga can develope there own cause of there small population... But then you can say the same about the kiwis most of there league players gets sent to Australia as young kids developing there players there... As long as they have there nations blood in them I don't see any problem with them representing there country

Yeh, heritage players is fine for these Pacific nations. What they need to be developing is a fan culture...

The players will always be there. What we need to ensure is that, whenever there is an athlete able to compete at the top level, his dream is NRL and Tongan RL.

Aus has enough academies, the national bodies for the Islands need to be aiming for a fan culture like PNG; worshiping the game like a religion.

 

[DC80]

IMO the Nrl has to become the EPL of Rugby League. I obviously know the Nrl is the biggest competition of the code right now. What I mean is like the success the Pacific Teams are having is due to them playing in the NRL. What the Nrl needs to do is get basically all the best talent out of the ESL and put them in the Nrl, Qcup & Nswcup. All the best sooka basically go to the EPL.

The NRL has to compete with the AFL, the dominant EPL competes with no-one. Always amazed me how one part of Australia is rugby league and another part Aussie rules, with an added antipathy of fans of one sport to the other. The rivalry between two rugby codes I get, but two unrelated sports is not something I've seen before. In terms of the best footballers the very very best go to Barcelona and Real Madrid (and lately Paris St Germain).

I suggest the English are helpfull and the Irish are refreshing as well. It is and has been a good world cup despite the ticketing fiasco in pricing and allocation. The location of games was also an issue that didnt help!

Given that most of the Ireland team is English (the Scotland team too although they didn't deliver much bar the draw against Samoa) I'd say the English Super League has done very well in supplying teams for the World Cup. Again i think there are unfair expectations on what Super League can deliver.

Mate my oringial point was you get them when they are washed up, not in the prime. I don’t think giving them shit loads is the way to go, develop your own, give them professional contracts. Why waste the spots on these washed up has beens. It’s hurting your standard and league. Wake up.

Who is on "shit loads"? This isn't the NRL with $1 million plus salaries. The standard will never be NRL. We don't have the playing pool. The 27th most popular participation sport, there are 44,900 people playing RL here on a weekly basis.

http://www.totalrl.com/rugby-league-27th-popular-sport-terms-participation-according-data/

I don't want to say Super League is like a second division to the NRL as we have some fantastic talents like Jermaine McGillvary who would be a top player in the NRL, but in terms of resources (financial and playing pool) it is. Above average NRL players would be stars here, likewise similar Premier League players moving to the A League. They also help younger players develop and learn new things.

 

[ULYSSES]

[.


Who is on "shit loads"? This isn't the NRL with $1 million plus salaries. The standard will never be NRL. We don't have the playing pool. The 27th most popular participation sport, there are 44,900 people playing RL here on a weekly basis.

http://www.totalrl.com/rugby-league-27th-popular-sport-terms-participation-according-data/

I don't want to say Super League is like a second division to the NRL as we have some fantastic talents like Jermaine McGillvary who would be a top player in the NRL, but in terms of resources (financial and playing pool) it is. Above average NRL players would be stars here, likewise similar Premier League players moving to the A League. They also help younger players develop and learn new things.[/QUOTE]
I had no idea that league in the UK was in such rapid decline. Bloody hell, 39% in 11 yrs and almost 10% in the last year. This is serious. Look at the number of English playing for other nations as heritage players and the implications are widespread.
The need to devote resources to the NH is urgent. The heartland needs to feed developing areas, but our original heartland is in trouble.

 

[Stallion]

[.


Who is on "shit loads"? This isn't the NRL with $1 million plus salaries. The standard will never be NRL. We don't have the playing pool. The 27th most popular participation sport, there are 44,900 people playing RL here on a weekly basis.

http://www.totalrl.com/rugby-league-27th-popular-sport-terms-participation-according-data/

I don't want to say Super League is like a second division to the NRL as we have some fantastic talents like Jermaine McGillvary who would be a top player in the NRL, but in terms of resources (financial and playing pool) it is. Above average NRL players would be stars here, likewise similar Premier League players moving to the A League. They also help younger players develop and learn new things.

I had no idea that league in the UK was in such rapid decline. Bloody hell, 39% in 11 yrs and almost 10% in the last year. This is serious. Look at the number of English playing for other nations as heritage players and the implications are widespread.
The need to devote resources to the NH is urgent. The heartland needs to feed developing areas, but our original heartland is in trouble.[/QUOTE]

Glad you have noted the development issues in rugby league. Their are disturbing /concerning issues in Australian RL Development as well. About time some discourse on junior development was mentioned and discussed.

 

[KokoRugbyLeague]

Couldn't agree more

Oh here we go again about the island nations not developing there own players... Fiji is probably the only team that developed some of there players cause they have a bigger population then Tonga and Samoa... There is no way Samoa and Tonga can develope there own cause of there small population... But then you can say the same about the kiwis most of there league players gets sent to Australia as young kids developing there players there... As long as they have there nations blood in them I don't see any problem with them representing there country

Couldn't agree more uce just look at union best will always live and go in the well resourced places. Our fans on the other hand well they better than 100k fans clapping. We bring our boys home with hymns of pride.

 

[DC80]

I had no idea that league in the UK was in such rapid decline. Bloody hell, 39% in 11 yrs and almost 10% in the last year. This is serious. Look at the number of English playing for other nations as heritage players and the implications are widespread.
The need to devote resources to the NH is urgent. The heartland needs to feed developing areas, but our original heartland is in trouble.

Wouldn't say the sport itself is in decline. I'd say it's pretty stable. Contact sports are taking a hit (pardon the pun) in terms of playing numbers. I've found it harder to get enough players for a game in my area. Parks are full of the round ball game (1,844,900 play it weekly according to the link below). Also people now have more options than before so things are being spread out more.

Here's the full list of 33

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2017/02/15/popular-sport-england/

I'm not overly concerned as RL is embedded into the culture in the heartlands. It's part of the fabric of these towns. For example an 8.5k Super League average attendance might not seem too impressive in isolation but that's a sizeable percentage of the local populous. RL ain't going anywhere any time soon. What does need to happen is growth in other areas which is easier said than done. I don't think we could fund a Melbourne type venture without some serious investment. We had Richard Branson in London but for whatever reason it didn't work. A team in Ireland and Scotland in Super League I think would work, but again it comes down to funds to finance it.

 

[Evil Homer]

Really your gonna make me do this lol .

How about guys who couldn’t cut it in the nrl for a start, just a few Sam Williams, Jake mamo lol , Greg bird, Todd Carney, glen Stewart lol. Jamie Soward, Krisnan Inu, Kurt Gidley, chris Sandow, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Greg Eden. Bill Tupou, Jacob Miller, Scott Anderson, Tinirau Arona, Michael Sio, David Fifita.

Do you need more ?.

Sam Williams has just re-signed for Canberra. Jake Mamo is 22. Greg Bird is an Australia rep and NRL legend. Todd Carney is a Dally M winner who left the NRL for off-field reasons and is no longer in Super League. Glenn Stewart is a Clive Churchill Medalist and is no longer in Super League. Jamie Soward hasn't played in Super League since 2013 after which he returned to play in the NRL. Inu is a NZ rep who was 28 when he came over. Kurt Gidley is not in Super League. Chris Sandow is not in Super League. Sene-Lefao was 26 when he came over and could easily get a NRL contract. Greg Eden is English. Bill Tupou was 24 when he came over. Jacob Miller was 20 when he came over. I don't know who Scott Anderson is. Tinirau Arona was 26 when he came over. Michael Sio is not in Super League. Fifita was 26 when he came over.

None of those players are 'washed up Australians' and apart from maybe Greg Bird I doubt any of them are on 'big money'. And Bird plays in France, lol. There are a million problems with British RL but what you're claiming is not one of them.

 

[DC80]

Signing these NRL stars only helps Super League. We (St Helens) signed a prime Ben Barba and I'm looking forward to a full season of him.

The A League signed Del Piero from Juventus, and although he was past his prime I personally know a few Aussies who loved watching him. Plus he no doubt taught a few things to teammates and young players.