PNG - Townsville Now Gears Up for Kangaroos

[yakstorm]

Townsville Now Gears Up for Kangaroos
http://www.arlfoundation.com.au/index.cgi?det=1&intArticleID=1646&sID=11

The North Queensland Cowboys may have exited the NRL finals series, but the excitement surrounding league in Townsville will be sustained for a further two weeks.

Giving the north a taste of Test match euphoria, a combined Australian team will take on Papua New Guinea at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday, October 9.

The composite Australian team will be made up of players in the Junior Kangaroos (under-19s) and squad members for the Australian Tri-Series team.

Coach Wayne Bennett will choose the balance of the side, marking the first such time Junior Kangaroos have been melded with the senior squad.

From there, the Australian team will travel to Auckland to take on New Zealand, while the Junior Kangaroos will face PNG again in Lae on October 17.

Queensland-based members of the Junior Kangaroos train-on squad include former Townsville schoolboy Sam Thaiday and New Guinean descendant Neville Costigan.

A full list of train-on players will be posted on QRL.COM.AU later this week. A finalized team for the Townsville match will be made Sunday.

 

[League Freak™]

More half measures.

Why even bother.

 

[Stevo_G]

it's better than nothing

 

[League Freak™]

it's better than nothing

Well...thats a wonderfull argument. :roll:

 

[Johns Magic]

it's better than nothing

Well...thats a wonderfull argument. :roll:

I think it's valid

 

[Lantana]

More half measures.

Why even bother.

Not a good idea to raise revenue for the PNG leagues?

Is that reason enough to "bother" or would you prefer to just bag the ARL for not doing anything to assist International RL.

Thanks Yakstorm

 

[Anonymous]

It's good development and experience for the PNG players. Grow up LF.

 

[carlnz]

why bother? Go tell the to gene and co who are flying back to play...unlike these players who take the game for granted in the NRL....PNG treat it with respect and treat it like a religon, they have nuts as they want to play the best in the world...

Go PNG...

 

[League Freak™]

See here we have all the people that dont mind these half measures. They are willing to take anything that tossed up to them, being fed any PR line these administrators are willing to come up with.



WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!!


A full Test match would have drawn a sellout crowd and giving this game the international recognition it deserves. It would have made more money, got more exposure, drawn more sponsors and mdeia attention....


But no.


We'll just go all half ar$ed once again when it comes to the international game. After all....people like YOU wont mind on bit.


Well I do ****ing mind! This type of crap has gone on for decades and its these half measure that has seen League because a laughing stock and union leave us in the DUST!


So because you open you little mouths ask youself......."Do I have an opinion of my own, or will I just cop any old **** the ARL is willing to dish up to me"?

 

[carlnz]

HAHAHA Fair coment mate...is the game going to be on TV?

 

[roopy]

The real difference between league and union administration is that Union is prepared to take a loss to expand their game - while the League people want every game to at least break even.
This has led to Union having a 'culture' of attending dud games and every fan trying to do what is good for the game - while League fans won't go an inch out of their way unless they will be 'entertained'.

 

[League Freak™]

See people read my posts and think Im being negative about the internetional game.

They couldnt be further from the truth.


99.99% of the time I seem negative....Im actually so bloody frustrated.......its so sad what poor administration has done to the game.



Im past being understanding and hopefull. Now....Im just p*ssed off! :x

 

[roopy]

It isn't as simple as poor administration - it is a whole culture we need to change.

Fans need to do their bit for the game. At the moment, most fans are only interested in top line games - everything else is ignored.

 

[League Freak™]

It isn't as simple as poor administration - it is a whole culture we need to change.

Fans need to do their bit for the game. At the moment, most fans are only interested in top line games - everything else is ignored.

If Australia played say.....France and it was promoted as heavily as the ARU or AFL promotes their games......you could get atleast 30,000 to that game.


Townsville would sell out their stadium to see the Kangaroo's play PNG if it was promoted.

I bet 70% of League fans dont even know there is a game on against PNG in just over a weeks time. Normally they might be interested, but for some stupid tjrown togeather team.....why bother.

 

[dimitri]

its been happening for years

we do shit all to promote international league



something big needs to be done

we need welsh and french teams in the super league

we need to help build the pacific

then we need to play many many more tests

and of course make sure the world cup is played every 4 years

 

[League Freak™]

its been happening for years

we do sh*t all to promote international league



something big needs to be done

we need welsh and french teams in the super league

we need to help build the pacific

then we need to play many many more tests

and of course make sure the world cup is played every 4 years

But dimitri you are forgettingsomething very important.

The terrible half measure we have now, they are better then nothing.

So we should all be really, really happy that the administrators of our game are so pathetic. I dont know what....but thats how we should all be feeling.

 

[griff]

I agree with nospam49.

Instead of the proper test match we should be having we get this meaningless half measure that only serves to devalue the Australian jumper and the Kangaroos brand.

If they want to go ahead with this Junior Kangaroos + fringe Australia reps hybrid then they need to start making it very clear that this is not the proper Australian team - eg by calling it Australia A or a Presidents XIII or something similar.

 

[yakstorm]

ATM its going to be the ARL XIII, it wont be considered a Test Match, and no one who plays in the match will get a Kangaroos number.

The wording in the article from the QRL isn't the best in the world. Pretty much what Wayne Bennett wants to do is give some of the players in the Tri-Nations squad a match because a number of them haven't played since Rnd 26.

Now instead of having say a probables v possibles or a match against some local club team hidden away like many rep teams do, they have gone with the option of giving PNG a high profile match (for PNG it is huge).

Sure its not perfect, but for what is such a rushed fixture, it is better than nothing.

There is also a number of other complications making it hard for it to be a full test match.

 

[The Observer]

It would be nice if Rabaul-born Bronco Neville Costigan and Adrian Lam turned out for this PNG team.

 

[DIEHARD]

Exactly Joker. At least Costigan.