Papalii turns his back on Kiwis

[Frank_Grimes]

Who?

I'm guessing he's referring to Josh Hoffman, Gerard Beale, Nathan Cayless, Jason Nightingale, Jason Cayless and Frank Pritchard.

 

[Iafeta]

Again, no problem if that was his decision all along. Instead he committed to us, played for the jk's, signed a letter of intent, came out in the media saying he'd told Mel 'no' and was 100% kiwi - but then flip flops over the last fortnight and even said yesterday that it was about the money.

At a time where union is clawing back against league in this country, fiascos like this make
International league look like a circus and turns marginal/borderline fans
Off the game

TBPH, with an attitude like that, I'd rather he didn't put on the black jumper. What a tosser, and frankly, someone who seems to be very dim witted between the ears. He's made himself out to be a fairly big merkin through all of this by admitting its about the cash, and his flip-flop status of who he is 100% for. PErhaps doesn't realise what 100% means? What a dumbshyte.

 

[Meth]

I'm guessing he's referring to Josh Hoffman, Gerard Beale, Nathan Cayless, Jason Nightingale, Jason Cayless and Frank Pritchard.

I cant speak off the top of my head to every one of those cases, but I am assuming his objection is that they were born in Australia. Which would be silly, considering I have never contended that a player shouldn't be able to represent Australia on the basis that they were born in NZ, or vice versa.

 

[Iafeta]

Place of birth is not an overriding consideration if we're getting into 'what should be clear cut definitions of who you are eligible for'. My mate was born in Malaysia. The fact is though, his family were on the move as his old man was in the Australian Army, and, he ended up in the Australian Army as well. TBPH, I had absolutely no idea that he wasn't born here.

I also don't think you can say that we base it off a league player signing a document when they're 16. I'm sure there are professional league players who weren't even playing league at 16.

There are times when players should be allowed to make a choice. Papalii in that sense certainly falls into that area. I have no issues with that. The issues are his ridiculous statements about who he is 100% eligible for, and the nonsense (well... nonsense in that its so ludicrous its not funny) that the reason he's eligible for QLD is the money. I don't blame him for that either, thats something the RLIF/ARLC/NZRL/QRL/NSWRL have to get their heads around.

 

[RecordBreakingMaroons.]

The international eligibility fog will never be cleared-up unless we nail-down the stupidity which allows a player to represent a country, then at RL World Cup time, represent another different country.

That is THE grey area which need to be sorted. As long as that precedent is not abolished, there will always exist a statute which renders national representation as notional representation.

 

[mean_maori_mean]

I'm guessing he's referring to Josh Hoffman, Gerard Beale, Nathan Cayless, Jason Nightingale, Jason Cayless and Frank Pritchard.

Please are they really australian? yes while they could all be considered at least partly australian.
Would anybody in Oz - actually call them australian.

Hoffman - will be labelled a Koori or aboriginal
Pritchard - an islander
Cayless - a maori prob. gett called a kiwi regardless

Ask any of the blokes that been in camp if they have felt like they made the wrong choice, the kiwis/nz environment is more accepting and open to polynesian players.

All this crap about Papalii looking upto Mal Meninga as a youngster is crap - he is 20 years old - betcha he never watched a game of mal meginga whilst he was still playing.

Forget calling him the next wiki - how about the next tunza carroll perhaps that is better.
That sad thing is not only did his manager steer to make his decision but so did the canberra club.

 

[Frank_Grimes]

Please are they really australian? yes while they could all be considered at least partly australian.
Would anybody in Oz - actually call them australian.

Hoffman - will be labelled a Koori or aboriginal
Pritchard - an islander
Cayless - a maori prob. gett called a kiwi regardless

So...all of the above were born and raised in Australia and you think NZ has rightful claim to them, but Papalii moved to Australia when he was 6 and you have a problem with Australia claiming him?

 

[Meth]

So...all of the above were born and raised in Australia and you think NZ has rightful claim to them, but Papalii moved to Australia when he was 6 and you have a problem with Australia claiming him?

I am pretty sure everybody, aside from the lunatic fringe, has consistently said that the issue is not about Papalii's eligibility to play for Australia, but the role that State of Origin has played in his flip flop.

 

[Joker's Wild]

Please are they really australian? yes while they could all be considered at least partly australian.
Would anybody in Oz - actually call them australian.

Hoffman - will be labelled a Koori or aboriginal
Pritchard - an islander
Cayless - a maori prob. gett called a kiwi regardless

Ask any of the blokes that been in camp if they have felt like they made the wrong choice, the kiwis/nz environment is more accepting and open to polynesian players.

All this crap about Papalii looking upto Mal Meninga as a youngster is crap - he is 20 years old - betcha he never watched a game of mal meginga whilst he was still playing.

Forget calling him the next wiki - how about the next tunza carroll perhaps that is better.
That sad thing is not only did his manager steer to make his decision but so did the canberra club.

Um, dude...

 

[Bobby DIGital]

This shit wont end until the choice is taken out of the players hands.

As for Papa...he's an absolute dick for saying he's 100% with us and then flip flopping. But like Mason he moved there at a very young age so he's entitled to play for them I guess. But like I said, take the choice away from em and none of us would be arguing.

I'm sure QLD upped the ante for his services after he owned Gallen.

 

[hutch]

You can't take the choice away from the players, it's international sport, some people have allegiances to more than one country. The players need to make a decision and once the decision is made they need to be forced to stick with this decision.

 

[ShadesOfTheSun]

You can't take the choice away from the players, it's international sport, some people have allegiances to more than one country. The players need to make a decision and once the decision is made they need to be forced to stick with this decision.

This.

In an increasingly global world, people move. Sometimes they maintain a strong connection to, and pride with, their home country. Sometimes they don't. Some of the most patriotic people I know have been adult-age immigrants.

I myself grew up in Australia for 22 years before moving overseas to Canada. I've been here for a comparatively short amount of time, but if asked which country I identify as a citizen of, the answer is obvious. Which country is more home? The country where I met my fiancee, bought my first house, started my career, and have made my life, or the country where I grew up?

For mine, all the talk of age cutoffs is heading in the wrong direction. It's the flip flopping that we dislike, and it's the flip flopping that should be stopped.

 

[Mixmasterreece]

This.

In an increasingly global world, people move. Sometimes they maintain a strong connection to, and pride with, their home country. Sometimes they don't. Some of the most patriotic people I know have been adult-age immigrants.

I myself grew up in Australia for 22 years before moving overseas to Canada. I've been here for a comparatively short amount of time, but if asked which country I identify as a citizen of, the answer is obvious. Which country is more home? The country where I met my fiancee, bought my first house, started my career, and have made my life, or the country where I grew up?

For mine, all the talk of age cutoffs is heading in the wrong direction. It's the flip flopping that we dislike, and it's the flip flopping that should be stopped.

I agree with this within reason. I do however have a hard time stomaching the likes of teo or kasiano switching within a couple of years of moving in their late teens

 

[Penrose Warrior]

You can't take the choice away from the players, it's international sport, some people have allegiances to more than one country. The players need to make a decision and once the decision is made they need to be forced to stick with this decision.

Absolutely, and this includes where you play your junior football. If you play for the Junior Kiwis, you're a Kiwi. Fullstop. Schoolboys, U16s, whatever it is. I can't fathom playing for two different countries - yet our last two captains have done so.

 

[Meth]

You can't take the choice away from the players, it's international sport, some people have allegiances to more than one country. The players need to make a decision and once the decision is made they need to be forced to stick with this decision.

I agree.

And somehow, the lure of playing Origin ($$) needs to be removed from the equation. If a person has a legitimate case for choosing between 2 countries (which Papalii does), the decision should not be based on which of the two is more financially lucrative. If I was Australian, I'd be absolutely ashamed to see Tamou and Papalii in the green and gold, as I am as a Kiwi to see Fien and Webb in the black and white.

 

[ozbash]

You can't take the choice away from the players, it's international sport, some people have allegiances to more than one country. The players need to make a decision and once the decision is made they need to be forced to stick with this decision.

Doesnt apply in this case, theres no conscience or "after serious consideration", its all about your nationality or patriotism being for sale.

 

[ozbash]

Webby and Fein took 2nd best, they had no show of making the roos so they agreed to become kiwis.

Looked good on the cv for future contract negotiations - International.

Sickening selections, really.

 

[Meth]

Webby and Fein took 2nd best, they had no show of making the roos so they agreed to become kiwis.

Looked good on the cv for future contract negotiations - International.

Sickening selections, really.

For sure.

Papalii, Tamou > Fien, Webb

 

[Frank_Grimes]

Webby and Fein took 2nd best, they had no show of making the roos so they agreed to become kiwis.

Looked good on the cv for future contract negotiations - International.

Sickening selections, really.

You don't think the same thing happened with Nightingale, Hoffman, Beale etc?

All of them weren't within a bulls roar of selection for QLD/NSW/AUS when they chose to select NZ. I guess it's just easier to hate on someone for making a choice for immediate cash rather than a choice for future cash.

 

[Meth]

You don't think the same thing happened with Nightingale, Hoffman, Beale etc?

All of them weren't within a bulls roar of selection for QLD/NSW/AUS when they chose to select NZ. I guess it's just easier to hate on someone for making a choice for immediate cash rather than a choice for future cash.

None of those players flip flopped, to my knowledge. You can speculate over their motivations if you like, but that's all really. It's much clearer with Tamou/Papalii/Fien/Webb