Pacific international thread

[Scubby]

We aren't talking about dinosaurs here messing around with City-Country; Origin U20s and disrupting Pacific Test teams. Fittler, Daley and Menninga all have fingers in their own pies. Having Menniga with his fingers all over PNG is ridiculous. He should be nowhere near them - all he cares about is Queensland.

How can the game in Australia uncover Fiji adults like Uate and Waqa and then poach them for the Kanagaroos? Do they not know how much of a difference they can make for their home country. It would be like England telling Theo Fages to ditch France because he is living and playing in the UK.

Honestly, would anyone give a sh*t if Uate played on the wing for Fiji and NSW in Origin? Would there be some kind of uproar from Kangaroo supporters?

 

[deluded pom?]

We aren't talking about dinosaurs here messing around with City-Country; Origin U20s and disrupting Pacific Test teams. Fittler, Daley and Menninga all have fingers in their own pies. Having Menniga with his fingers all over PNG is ridiculous. He should be nowhere near them - all he cares about is Queensland.

How can the game in Australia uncover Fiji adults like Uate and Waqa and then poach them for the Kanagaroos? Do they not know how much of a difference they can make for their home country. It would be like England telling Theo Fages to ditch France because he is living and playing in the UK.

Honestly, would anyone give a sh*t if Uate played on the wing for Fiji and NSW in Origin? Would there be some kind of uproar from Kangaroo supporters?

See the Ryan Atkins thread Scubby. Some Aussies want their cake and they want to eat it too.

 

[miguel de cervantes]

The only thing that matters is earning capacity. ie. the players choose the representative path within the eligibility "guidelines" that ensures them a maximum number of games played for a maximum renumeration - ie origin then australia.

Until this is changed, nothing will really change.

Solutions:

(a) enforce equal pay for test matches for both teams, win lose or draw, tied to a % of revenue generated from the game with a minimal pay level in place.

(b) international players can play origin, but they must do so for free.

 

[Evil Homer]

- Organizes annual Pacific tests
- Ensures that the best players will not play because they've been promised selection in a meaningless Aussie state competition

Only the ARL.

 

[The Great Dane]

We aren't talking about dinosaurs here messing around with City-Country; Origin U20s and disrupting Pacific Test teams. Fittler, Daley and Menninga all have fingers in their own pies. Having Menniga with his fingers all over PNG is ridiculous. He should be nowhere near them - all he cares about is Queensland.

How can the game in Australia uncover Fiji adults like Uate and Waqa and then poach them for the Kanagaroos? Do they not know how much of a difference they can make for their home country. It would be like England telling Theo Fages to ditch France because he is living and playing in the UK.

Honestly, would anyone give a sh*t if Uate played on the wing for Fiji and NSW in Origin? Would there be some kind of uproar from Kangaroo supporters?

Yes a massive one, one so big that it could massively impact on SOO, which the NRL wont allow because it's basically the crown jewel of not only Australian sports programs but Australian TV in general being the highest rating programs on Australian TV and all.

Have a read of this and you'll get somewhat of an understanding of why they don't want to risk SOO- http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/state-of-origin-worth-up-to-500000-per-minute-if-sold-separately-in-broadcast-deal-20150425-1mt27p.html

Can you name one player that has been poached for SOO since the eligibility rules changed last year (or the year before?), I can't think of one.

Tamou and Uate are the last two that I can think of, but they were both before the eligibility rules were changed and would both be ineligible for SOO under the new rules! Obviously the rule isn't retrospective so they can still play for either NSW or Australia, but if they were new kids just coming through now they would both be ineligible and both would be playing for NZ and Fiji (as it is Uate has been playing for Fiji in recent times and I seriously doubt that Tamou will ever get a call up to Australia or NSW ever again so if they want NZ can have him).

BTW If Waqa and Uate aren't playing it's not because they are trying to play Origin or for Australia, as for Mead I can't say for certain as I don't know when he got to Australia, but he's no hope of an Origin jersey and he'd know that so I doubt that he'd not be playing because of some forlorn hope of playing Origin. It's much more likely that they have either been asked not to risk injury by their clubs or that they've decided to take the time off to recover from a niggle or some other minor injury.

Serious question hutch. Do City/Country players have to commit to Australia to be eligible for selection?

No you don't have to have committed to Australia to play City vs Country, you only have to have played your first 1st grade game either in a CRL competition (or for a NSWcup or NRL club within a CRL region if you're first 1st grade game was in one of the professional comps) or in a NSWRL competition and you can't be committed to the Maroons.
You don't need to have committed to either the Blues or Australia to play, and normally they don't choose players that aren't eligible for the Blues and/or Roos anyway.

 

[The Great Dane]

- Organizes annual Pacific tests
- Ensures that the best players will not play because they've been promised selection in a meaningless Aussie state competition

Only the ARL.

That's just a conspiracy theory with absolutely basis, and besides as i said in my other post Waqa is 100% ineligible for SOO and Uate isn't going anywhere near a SOO jersey even if he desperately wants to and he knows it.

As I said before I don't know if Mead is eligible for SOO, but if he is and he wants to try to get a run then that is up to him, not anybody else.

BTW "meaning" is unquantifiable in this context and as such is completely arbitrary.

 

[Scubby]

Yes a massive one, one so big that it could massively impact on SOO, which the NRL wont allow because it's basically the crown jewel of not only Australian sports programs but Australian TV in general being the highest rating programs on Australian TV and all.

Have a read of this and you'll get somewhat of an understanding of why they don't want to risk SOO- http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...rately-in-broadcast-deal-20150425-1mt27p.html

Can you name one player that has been poached for SOO since the eligibility rules changed last year (or the year before?), I can't think of one.

Tamou and Uate are the last two that I can think of, but they were both before the eligibility rules were changed and would both be ineligible for SOO under the new rules! Obviously the rule isn't retrospective so they can still play for either NSW or Australia, but if they were new kids just coming through now they would both be ineligible and both would be playing for NZ and Fiji (as it is Uate has been playing for Fiji in recent times and I seriously doubt that Tamou will ever get a call up to Australia or NSW ever again so if they want NZ can have him).

BTW If Waqa and Uate aren't playing it's not because they are trying to play Origin or for Australia, as for Mead I can't say for certain as I don't know when he got to Australia, but he's no hope of an Origin jersey and he'd know that so I doubt that he'd not be playing because of some forlorn hope of playing Origin. It's much more likely that they have either been asked not to risk injury by their clubs or that they've decided to take the time off to recover from a niggle or some other minor injury.



No you don't have to have committed to Australia to play City vs Country, you only have to have played your first 1st grade game either in a CRL competition (or for a NSWcup or NRL club within a CRL region if you're first 1st grade game was in one of the professional comps) or in a NSWRL competition and you can't be committed to the Maroons.
You don't need to have committed to either the Blues or Australia to play, and normally they don't choose players that aren't eligible for the Blues and/or Roos anyway.

David Mead had played for PNG for 6 years (8 Tests) and 2 World Cups before he had to give up PNG to play for NSW Country. Can you believe that? Basically being strung along that he might make Origin. This appears to be because they had a few injuries for City-Country in 2014 FFS. Rushing through paperwork so he could play in a pointless low key trial.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...nges-eligibility/story-fniabjcr-1226900064511

 

[Evil Homer]

That's just a conspiracy theory with absolutely basis, and besides as i said in my other post Waqa is 100% ineligible for SOO and Uate isn't going anywhere near a SOO jersey even if he desperately wants to and he knows it.

As I said before I don't know if Mead is eligible for SOO, but if he is and he wants to try to get a run then that is up to him, not anybody else.

BTW "meaning" is unquantifiable in this context and as such is completely arbitrary.

A conspiracy theory? :lol: Look at the team lists, look how many PNG/Fijian players are in there, the answer is 5. City-Country is utterly meaningless for them because, as you say, they won't be playing Origin. So why the f**k were they selected? Are you trying to tell me that it's just pure incompetence on the part of the City-Country selectors to select these Origin-ineligible international players on the same weekend that an international match is taking place?

 

[East Coast Tiger]

They've picked the best teams possible.

The reality is they are all Australian players from a variety of cultural backgrounds. I wouldn't expect the monoculture of English RL to understand this concept. They are all eligible for origin.

The only player who didnt grow up in Australia is uate and he, to this day, has never played a game of rugby league in Fiji. He is a Country Rugby League player so he's been picked for Country.

 

[hutch]

See the Ryan Atkins thread Scubby. Some Aussies want their cake and they want to eat it too.

Having their cake and eating it too is allowing these players to play origin and for another country. They simply shouldn't have been picked for this meaningless game because they made the decision to represent another country. If the arl and nswrl want to only pick Aus eligible players, these players should not be eligible.

We are heading down the path of stand alone origin weekends which will give these countries further opportunities to play test matches. How ridiculous if players had to choose between a test or an origin and they always chose the Australian state match. It's one or the other, not both.

 

[Scubby]

They've picked the best teams possible.

The reality is they are all Australian players from a variety of cultural backgrounds. I wouldn't expect the monoculture of English RL to understand this concept. They are all eligible for origin.

The only player not born and bred in Australia is uate and he, to this day, has never played a game of rugby league in Fiji. He is a Country Rugby League player so he's been picked for Country.

Wasn't mead born in PNG? Why is Frizell picked for City-Country if he doesn't want to play for Australia? Randradra will be next even if there is no way he can qualify for NSW. It will be residential first for Kangaroos then back door Origin for the Blues.

http://www.walesrugbyleague.co.uk/article/12873/tyson-frizell-committed-to-wales

 

[hutch]

Didn't realise Reagan Campbell Gilllard was also a Fijian international. Make that 5 Fijian players in the city and country teams.

 

[franklin2323]

Didn't realise Reagan Campbell Gilllard was also a Fijian international. Make that 5 Fijian players in the city and country teams.

Yeah he is cousin to the Sims brothers

 

[hutch]

If Akuila can, Sisa can

Uate was eligible under the old rules, he played rugby league in nsw aged 15. The rules are now 13 and under which rules out waqa, radradra and co.

 

[Scubby]

Uate was eligible under the old rules, he played rugby league in nsw aged 15. The rules are now 13 and under which rules out waqa, radradra and co.

Radrandra will play Origin before the next world cup I can guarantee that. He will qualify for Australia on residential. They will pick him for the Kangaroos and then ask for special dispensation for him to play for the blues. Nailed on.

 

[franklin2323]

Having their cake and eating it too is allowing these players to play origin and for another country. They simply shouldn't have been picked for this meaningless game because they made the decision to represent another country. If the arl and nswrl want to only pick Aus eligible players, these players should not be eligible.

We are heading down the path of stand alone origin weekends which will give these countries further opportunities to play test matches. How ridiculous if players had to choose between a test or an origin and they always chose the Australian state match. It's one or the other, not both.

Exactly next TV rights we will have have stand alone SOO. Imagine the outrage at Islander players missing a test to play for QLD

 

[franklin2323]

They've picked the best teams possible.

The reality is they are all Australian players from a variety of cultural backgrounds. I wouldn't expect the monoculture of English RL to understand this concept. They are all eligible for origin.

The only player who didnt grow up in Australia is uate and he, to this day, has never played a game of rugby league in Fiji. He is a Country Rugby League player so he's been picked for Country.

Yeah the idiots up there don't understand these are Austr born players wanting to play for their country of birth... What hide they have. The international rules are the farce here.

 

[Scubby]

Yeah the idiots up there don't understand these are Austr born players wanting to play for their country of birth... What hide they have. The international rules are the farce here.

So explain how a 7-year PNG test player like Mead born in PNG suddenly wants to play for Australia?

 

[Scubby]

Exactly next TV rights we will have have stand alone SOO. Imagine the outrage at Islander players missing a test to play for QLD

Standalone Origin weekends may possibly help international RL - at least more than now. At least they will be picking 17 from each side who are going to play in the bl**dy thing. Not 34 never going to be NSW also-rans in a trial at a bush park stadium.

If tests ran alongside Origin then all though farting around in City-Country could play tests. City-Country serves no purpose - the quality is rubbish.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

So explain how a 7-year PNG test player like Mead born in PNG suddenly wants to play for Australia?

Because he's from tweed heads and has probably always wanted to play for NSW and Australia.