Rugby Australia to target top NRL talent

[taste2taste]

None of them would have anywhere near the percentage of heritage players in their squads as the Samoan and Tongan RL sides, especially not the major nations.

I haven't seen Tonga's team for this year, but they've had as few as 1 Tongan born and raised player in their squads at times since 2017, and Samoa's squad for this year has like 3 or 4 players born in the islands, and even then at least a couple of them moved away at a very young age. Any team with that little local representation would be considered a joke in RU.

The current Samoan World Cup Union squad of 33 has 8 players born in Samoa, the rest of the team are Kiwis and a couple of Aussies. There are also a few former All Blacks who have changed thier country of choice to Samoa

I haven't looked through the squads for Italy, Scotland, Japan..etc but you'll find they are made up largely from players not born or living there...the Irish game winning try against the boks was scored by a bloke with a broader Aussie accent than Paul Hogan, not sure if he has ever stepped foot in Ireland.

Is anyone in Union bashing them as being a joke ?

 

[Wb1234]

The current Samoan World Cup Union squad of 33 has 8 players born in Samoa, the rest of the team are Kiwis and a couple of Aussies. There are also a few former All Blacks who have changed thier country of choice to Samoa

I haven't looked through the squads for Italy, Scotland, Japan..etc but you'll find they are made up largely from players not born or living there...the Irish game winning try against the boks was scored by a bloke with a broader Aussie accent than Paul Hogan, not sure if he has ever stepped foot in Ireland.

Is anyone in Union bashing them as being a joke ?

Dane talking bs as usual

 

[bazza]

so who is the latest NRL star to make the switch?

 

[taste2taste]

so who is the latest NRL star to make the switch?

I'd say after the backlash from fans and the debacle from the Crichton offer Union might have ended its ' operation re-union ' lol

For those keeping score, from thier 'hit list ' of Union juniors that we "poached"

Union 1 - Suaallii

NRL 6 - Murray, Koula, Asofa Solomana, Penisini, Haas, Crichton

 

[docbrown]

As both the number of teams and salary cap grows, the NRL effectively becomes more attractive for converting Union players to Rugby League. Players know that they have a finite timespan in which to earn before their bodies are worn out. Some will stay because they love Union (don't ask me why). But as the money increases, so will the number of converts. Honestly, there should probably be cap exemption for converting long-time Union plays from key areas - particularly Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand at first. Get enough of those and you get closer test matches, boosting the profile of rugby league even further.

 

[bazza]

As both the number of teams and salary cap grows, the NRL effectively becomes more attractive for converting Union players to Rugby League. Players know that they have a finite timespan in which to earn before their bodies are worn out. Some will stay because they love Union (don't ask me why). But as the money increases, so will the number of converts. Honestly, there should probably be cap exemption for converting long-time Union plays from key areas - particularly Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand at first. Get enough of those and you get closer test matches, boosting the profile of rugby league even further.

I think the strategy of giving juniors from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga a clearer pathway into the NRL might be better long term
That might be regular tours for u16/18/20 rep teams or scholarships for u16/18/20 players for high school/uni in Australia while being part of the NRL team junior squad

 

[Wb1234]

 

[Perth Tiger]

As both the number of teams and salary cap grows, the NRL effectively becomes more attractive for converting Union players to Rugby League. Players know that they have a finite timespan in which to earn before their bodies are worn out. Some will stay because they love Union (don't ask me why). But as the money increases, so will the number of converts. Honestly, there should probably be cap exemption for converting long-time Union plays from key areas - particularly Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand at first. Get enough of those and you get closer test matches, boosting the profile of rugby league even further.

I honesty think any club should be able to claim the first 3 years if a players contract who has never come through a league pathway as exempt from the salary cap.

In reality 99% of those players would be union players and 80% or more would be juniors where the dollars would make no difference to the competitive balance.

But it would allow a club or a rich benefactor to entice a union player from outside out normal recruiting grounds like south Africa without it being to big a risk to even try which is the case at the moment

 

[Canard]

As both the number of teams and salary cap grows, the NRL effectively becomes more attractive for converting Union players to Rugby League. Players know that they have a finite timespan in which to earn before their bodies are worn out. Some will stay because they love Union (don't ask me why). But as the money increases, so will the number of converts. Honestly, there should probably be cap exemption for converting long-time Union plays from key areas - particularly Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand at first. Get enough of those and you get closer test matches, boosting the profile of rugby league even further.

Is there enough talent in Australian Rugby to bother though?

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Nah the 87 one is considered a Clayton's Cup because of the absence of the Boks, and the ABs didn't win it again until 2011.

Boks weren’t there in 91 either so that only gives the Wallabies one “legit” win.
But regardless that’s a bit of a bullshit argument because they weren’t there due to apartheid so their exclusion was valid.

 

[docbrown]

I think the strategy of giving juniors from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga a clearer pathway into the NRL might be better long term
That might be regular tours for u16/18/20 rep teams or scholarships for u16/18/20 players for high school/uni in Australia while being part of the NRL team junior squad

Ideally you'd do both. The more those countries beat Australia & New Zealand at league, the more their top local players get paid by league, the more grassroots will convert to league.

 

[docbrown]

Is there enough talent in Australian Rugby to bother though?

There's a couple but I was more so talking about Fiji, Tonga, Samoa & New Zealand.

Rugby league doesn't have a player pool problem. Anywhere that plays union is a potential rugby league player pool. It's the money and effort that makes it one.

 

[bazza]

There's a couple but I was more so talking about Fiji, Tonga, Samoa & New Zealand.

Rugby league doesn't have a player pool problem. Anywhere that plays union is a potential rugby league player pool. It's the money and effort that makes it one.

I imagine the main competition attracting union players from those countries would be from European union clubs
Then the risk is on both the player and the NRL club that the move might not work out

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

55 vs 28 mins

almost double

In Oz, you possibly don't grasp the extent of English RU ignorance as regards RL on the field. The bulk of Rugger fans here are absolutely convinced that the ball is in play longer in Union. It's because they think the game stops after every tackle in League. In their mind, the PTB is a form of set piece.

When Australians debate the prospects of building NRL audiences overseas, it's worth considering the nature of endemic familiarity with Union in some territories. Seeing League through a Union prism can seriously hinder understanding and appreciation of RL.

 

[Wb1234]

In Oz, you possibly don't grasp the extent of English RU ignorance as regards RL on the field. The bulk of Rugger fans here are absolutely convinced that the ball is in play longer in Union. It's because they think the game stops after every tackle in League. In their mind, the PTB is a form of set piece.

When Australians debate the prospects of building NRL audiences overseas, it's worth considering the nature of endemic familiarity with Union in some territories. Seeing League through a Union prism can seriously hinder understanding and appreciation of RL.

Nh union fans get excited over scrums rucks mauls and penalty goals

Zzzzzzz

 

[jim_57]

There's a couple but I was more so talking about Fiji, Tonga, Samoa & New Zealand.

Rugby league doesn't have a player pool problem. Anywhere that plays union is a potential rugby league player pool. It's the money and effort that makes it one.

7’s players should be a target market for potential players that wouldn’t cost a hell of a lot. We’ve seen Miller and Warbrick make a decent go of it. Cowboys had a couple of Fijian 7s players, one (Sadrugu) played in the World Cup and was looking close to making a NRL debut this year but then unfortunately signed back to Union. It won’t pay off every time but 7’s players won’t exactly break the bank either.

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

Nh union fans get excited over scrums rucks mauls and penalty goals

Zzzzzzz

There's no accounting for taste in both hemispheres. Takes all sorts to make a world.

SH eccentrics get very excited over interminable fumbling.

 

[Wb1234]

There's no accounting for taste in both hemispheres. Takes all sorts to make a world.

SH eccentrics get very excited over interminable fumbling.

I’ve seen three videos from the ruwc as highlights where it’s someone kicking a penalty goal from in front of the posts

 

[titoelcolombiano]

It may be uncomfortable, but it is the truth.

The amount of mercenary behaviour in IntRL is getting ridiculous as well. There're guys who are choosing to represent a different nation every season at this point, it's getting beyond a farce.

So don't watch then

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I've chosen to forget the last 4 mins