Rugby Australia to target top NRL talent - Lomax case settled

[ayatollah_murdoch]

All Blacks great Michael Jones says rugby union losing 'hearts and minds' to league

His comments came just before the Moana Pasifika Super Rugby team said it would fold unless new investors came in.

www.rnz.co.nz

 

[Wb1234]

 

[CAS]

That's what i love about Rugby Union folk, Arrogance and a reluctance to look at facts, that Area apparently are all Union Nuts and NOT turning to Rugby League because they prefer it, but because they feel abandoned, utter bollox, keep thinking you rule the world guys, maybe go back to banning people again to help.

 

[taste2taste]

The Aus government is about to give Fijiian, Tongan and Samoa Rugby Union 150 million of Aus tax payers dollars.

You can't make this stuff up.

 

[taste2taste]

If NZ best players go to league it would at least make Bledisloe games competitive.

Australian players not good enough to make the NRL
Vs
NZ players not good enough to make the NRL

 

[marlins2.0]

That's what i love about Rugby Union folk, Arrogance and a reluctance to look at facts, that Area apparently are all Union Nuts and NOT turning to Rugby League because they prefer it, but because they feel abandoned, utter bollox, keep thinking you rule the world guys, maybe go back to banning people again to help.

Tana Umaga is a Leaguie at heart. Was on contract with Newcastle but got homesick, then rugby went "professional" (read - decided to pay tax).

 

[Murishido]

The Aus government is about to give Fijiian, Tongan and Samoa Rugby Union 150 million of Aus tax payers dollars.

You can't make this stuff up.

Well we are giving png 600m for rugby league so 3 countries getting 150m combined for union seems unders

 

[Last Week]

Well we are giving png 600m for rugby league so 3 countries getting 150m combined for union seems unders

The GDP of PNG is more than 3 times the GDP of Tonga, Samoa and Fiji combined.

If we're talking investment, PNG is easily the obvious choice. Particularly given their natural resources.

 

[Murishido]

The GDP of PNG is more than 3 times the GDP of Tonga, Samoa and Fiji combined.

If we're talking investment, PNG is easily the obvious choice. Particularly given their natural resources.

I'll give benefit of the doubt on this one, there's a few issues with looking at it like that

A) gdp and aid would, if anything, be negatively correlated. Otherwise we'd just give the us money (outside of treasuries which you could argue is aid in disguise)
B) even if it weren't, 600 is 4 x 150 so that seems fine on your gdp calc (i see it as >4 times)
C) our foreign spending isn't an investment other than a social one, so that's the wrong lens to put on as we don't get a financial return. You can argue that's what you mean but then it discredits using gdp even further.
D) being resource rich and still higher poverty suggests investment outside of true infrastructure is pretty pointless
E) png was already our biggest recipient of funding pre nrl. So it's unlikely to move the dial from a strategic point of view in a conflict.

 

[Last Week]

I'll give benefit of the doubt on this one, there's a few issues with looking at it like that

A) gdp and aid would, if anything, be negatively correlated. Otherwise we'd just give the us money (outside of treasuries which you could argue is aid in disguise)
B) even if it weren't, 600 is 4 x 150 so that seems fine on your gdp calc (i see it as >4 times)
C) our foreign spending isn't an investment other than a social one, so that's the wrong lens to put on as we don't get a financial return. You can argue that's what you mean but then it discredits using gdp even further.
D) being resource rich and still higher poverty suggests investment outside of true infrastructure is pretty pointless
E) png was already our biggest recipient of funding pre nrl. So it's unlikely to move the dial from a strategic point of view in a conflict.

You're the one claiming that $600m for PNG is unders compared to $150m for Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.

You seem to have taken it rather personally that a fact was presented to you in your comment.

 

[stratocaster]

If NZ best players go to league it would at least make Bledisloe games competitive.

Australian players not good enough to make the NRL
Vs
NZ players not good enough to make the NRL

Australia should be playing New Zealand every year in a test match, hopefully incorporated into the Pacific Cup structure.

But we should also bring back the Kangaroos vs Kiwis three game series. Call it ANZAC Origin. Every four years to keep it at major event status like the Ashes.

Like we do with State of Origin, don't have it forgotten about in October/November. Play ANZAC Origin in the middle of the season, 3 games in 3 weeks in early July.

It's a disruption to the NRL season but it could become bigger than State of Origin if done right.