Shock as Petero Civoniceva poised to captain Fiji in rugby league's World Cup

[El Diablo]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...eagues-world-cup/story-e6frexnr-1226580660561

Shock as Petero Civoniceva poised to captain Fiji in rugby league's World Cup

Dean Ritchie
The Daily Telegraph
February 19, 2013 12:00AM

RETIRED NRL star Petero Civoniceva is poised make a shock return to representative football later this year to captain Fiji in rugby league's World Cup.

Civoniceva will be 37-and-a-half when he leads the Bati into the tournament in England and Wales.

The former Brisbane and Penrith front-rower is keeping fit for the event by playing for local Brisbane club Redcliffe in the Queensland Cup competition.

If he competes in the World Cup, Civoniceva will become one of the oldest Test skippers in rugby league history. St George's Billy Wilson captained Australia against New Zealand in 1963 aged 36.

Civoniceva retired from the NRL after last season with the Brisbane Broncos.

The World Cup will be the swansong for Civoniceva, who played 45 Tests for Australia and 33 State of Origin games for Queensland.

Civoniceva played two years with the Panthers before returning to Brisbane for his farewell NRL season.

Fiji officials are delighted Civoniceva is ready to lead their nation. They believe Civoniceva will give Fiji instant credibility in the World Cup, which will run from October 26 until November 30.

* THE annual Petero Civoniceva Medal will be be held at Mount Pritchard Leagues Club on Saturday week. NRL stars Jarryd Hayne, Wes Naiqama and Akuila Uate will attend. Tickets are available on 0408 201 192.

 

[roughyedspud]

not that big a shock really...many of us called it last year

 

[parraparraparra]

Hell yes.

 

[Aragorn]

37 1/2 and still hitting it up as a prop? the guys has big balls.

 

[deluded pom?]

The guys an Aussie with the caps to prove it.

 

[Tone83]

I don't know why people feel compelled to put silly rules in place to inhibit people from making what is a deeply personal choice. Yes the guy played for australia and rightfully so as he was and is a valid contributing citizen of australia. However he also has a very valid claim to play for fiji as he is, you know, a fijian. Why anyone would want to set up beauracratic boundaries to stop him from doing both is beyond me. For what gain? As far as rep footy goes I think everyone should play where their heart is at that time, as long as they have some semblance of a justified reason to play for said rep side. Let common sense prevail.
Under my "rules" there would be no problem with GI playing for qld, he played some club footy in qld and its where his heart is, his call. Also in petero's heyday he might have said this anzac test I'm playing for australia because I'm an aussie and f**k the kiwis, goin in to bat for oz, oi oi oi. Then world cup rolls around and he might have said "you know what, on this world stage celebrating the international diversity of the game I feel I should support my struggling ancestral home, think its the right thing to do" and I don't see why anyone would have a right to have a problem with that. Just a shame this hasn't always been the case, world cups made dramatically less interesting than necessary just because of this infantile stupidity of swearing allegiance and if you do this then you can't do that. Total bullshit. I'd love to see hayne and uate join petro, after playing for oz in the anzac test and the blues this year and next. Why not?

 

[Evil Homer]

Guy above doesn't understand international sport.

 

[Tone83]

I understand they have stupid rules in place, through history free thinking evolved humans have questioned stupid rules and by doing so improved the world. I am now a part of this noble legacy.

 

[dangerousdave]

Guy above doesn't understand international sport.

Sadly Rugby League is not an international sport

 

[Amadaca]

Guy above doesn't understand international sport.

This.

Leaving aside our recent history, its honestly one of the worst posts I've ever seen.

 

[Amadaca]

I understand they have stupid rules in place, through history free thinking evolved humans have questioned stupid rules and by doing so improved the world. I am now a part of this noble legacy.

& even though this was probably in jest, its one of the funniest things I've read in a while.

The sheer scale of the self-defeating logic this guy applies to eligibility is positively head-spinning.

 

[hutch]

Guy above doesn't understand international sport.

This.

 

[hutch]

Sadly Rugby League is not an international sport

Can you explain to me how rugby league is not an international sport?

 

[Tone83]

I'm sure many bogans and ignoramai would agree with you guys. However I guarantee the australian citizen nrl players that were born overseas would all feel I'm right on the money and they'd be so refreshed to see someone finally understands their position. Why the rules are currently structured to appease ignorant bogans I dont understand.

 

[Amadaca]

I'm sure many bogans and ignoramai would agree with you guys. However I guarantee the australian citizen nrl players that were born overseas would all feel I'm right on the money and they'd be so refreshed to see someone finally understands their position. Why the rules are currently structured to appease ignorant bogans I dont understand.

You forgot to call us racists & abusers of women for disagreeing with you.

 

[deal.with.it]

There is nothing preventing people for listening to their heart in declaring which nationality they feel most close with.
HOWEVER, in international sport, whether netball, cricket, hockey, olympics, or RUGBY LEAGUE, rules are in place for a reason. I'm not even going to begin to list why these rules are in place, because the list would be so god damn long.
The reasons against having these rules stem from your above post Tone, however these are far lighter in weighting.
Being a person who has a very mixed nationality, I am all for people being able to represent different nations, HOWEVER, the same 2 year stand down period should apply for rugby league as it does for nearly all sport. Simple.

 

[Tone83]

Goes without saying, why else would it bother you seriously? Why else would you adopt this embarrassing "loike it or loive it" mentality? Its easy to connect the dots.

 

[deluded pom?]

Why the rules are currently structured to appease ignorant bogans I dont understand.

The fact that Civoniceva can jump from Australia to Fiji without any fuss means the rules are actually appeasing ignorant bogans like you. It's funny how Civoniceva's Fijian heart only started calling him when Australia had no more use for him.

 

[Tone83]

No he was awkwardly forced to not play for fiji previously, with threats of taking away his right to play origin. Now fiji get the over the hill scraps.

 

[hutch]

No he was awkwardly forced to not play for fiji previously, with threats of taking away his right to play origin. Now fiji get the over the hill scraps.

That's not true.