Time to take the pacific!!

[roughyedspud]

Just read that the union mob are launching this world league but the pacific nations are "locked out" for at least a decade...

Now is the time for league to take these nations!! They are being abandoned by union!

 

[Disinterested third party]

The Pacific already belongs to RL. The population as a whole is largely in two countries - PNG and Australia.

 

[Walter sobchak]

Just read that the union mob are launching this world league but the pacific nations are "locked out" for at least a decade...

Now is the time for league to take these nations!! They are being abandoned by union!

Best case scenario would be for Australia, NZ and England to play regular test matches in Samoa, Fiji, png and Tonga.

2nd best scenario would be to take NRL pre-season trial matches to said countries.

 

[Walter sobchak]

The Pacific already belongs to RL. The population as a whole is largely in two countries - PNG and Australia.

Fiji is the jewel in the crown. The amount of rugby talent in both codes that comes out of there is crazy.

 

[Disinterested third party]

We’ll keep the pop centres with 30 million and union can have Fiji.

 

[adamkungl]

There wasn't a peep from NRL HQ when the Western Force went bust, why would this be any different.

 

[roughyedspud]

The NRL would rather bully and rape the pacific than do any good..

 

[Whatwhere]

Just read that the union mob are launching this world league but the pacific nations are "locked out" for at least a decade...

Now is the time for league to take these nations!! They are being abandoned by union!

And 24 hours after its leaking amid extreme public and player outcry it has been for all intensive purposes canned.

 

[yakstorm]

A bit harsh to say the NRL is doing nothing for the Pacific, as they have underwritten the Pacific Test now every year since 2013, and have announced / set to announce:

• New Zealand v Tonga - Mid-Year
• Samoa v PNG - Mid-Year + Oceania Cup
• Fiji v Cook Islands - Mid-Year
• Samoa v Fiji - Oceania Cup
• Australia v Tonga - Oceania Cup
• PNG v Fiji - Oceania Cup

Throw in the GB Lions playing both Tonga and PNG plus the potential Cook Islands v South Africa RLWC Qualifier which is still being discussed, it is actually a pretty big year for the Pacific teams.

If everything goes ahead the PNG, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji will play 3x games, whilst Cook Islands will play at least 2x with a 3rd in the mix.

 

[adamkungl]

Do we have any word on either the Cup or the Cooks v SA game?

 

[roughyedspud]

I see the Fijian,Samoan & Tongan RU are gonna hold a vote on boycotting the union world cup..

This is what I mean...GO AND GET THEM..Australian RL has it in its power to absolutely destroy union in the pacific AND Australia if it wanted too..

Yeah the mid season pacific tests is a start but we all know it's not promoted anywhere near what it should be! This up coming pacific series should be a turning point so I'll have them abut of slack to afterwards ..

As Adam said...the western force and it's fans where primed to be taken over and we (RL) ignored it...

We (RL) have dragged our feet over the NSWcup Fiji team....we need to get them in ASAP....Likewise Samoan and Tongan teams..we needn't demonstrate to the pacific nations there a development pathway to the top via Rugby League that Union is unwilling to supply them with...

 

[Walter sobchak]

I see the Fijian,Samoan & Tongan RU are gonna hold a vote on boycotting the union world cup..

This is what I mean...GO AND GET THEM..Australian RL has it in its power to absolutely destroy union in the pacific AND Australia if it wanted too..

Yeah the mid season pacific tests is a start but we all know it's not promoted anywhere near what it should be! This up coming pacific series should be a turning point so I'll have them abut of slack to afterwards ..

As Adam said...the western force and it's fans where primed to be taken over and we (RL) ignored it...

We (RL) have dragged our feet over the NSWcup Fiji team....we need to get them in ASAP....Likewise Samoan and Tongan teams..we needn't demonstrate to the pacific nations there a development pathway to the top via Rugby League that Union is unwilling to supply them with...

NRL clubs should target players from the Fijian national RU side, 7’s side and u20’s side. Also schoolboys side if they have such a team.

Add to this the Fijian NSW cup franchise and NRL trial matches played in Fiji along side the big 3 RL test playing nations of Australia, NZ and England playing tests against Fiji in Suva and I’m absolutely certain Fiji could be added to the RL column like PNG.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

I think the big kicker would be the ARLC approaching the national Union bodies in these countries to fully jump ship to RL...

I don’t understand why we dont do this anymore. The entirety of RLs early success was because we didnt just take players, we took whole clubs and even whole competitions of RU

 

[ed612313]

Rugby League already has Samoa and Tonga.... Fiji is all thats left that is majority Union and even thats not so clear cut....

 

[hutch]

Rugby League already has Samoa and Tonga.... Fiji is all thats left that is majority Union and even thats not so clear cut....

We don’t have Samoa and Tonga at all, we have barely done a thing over there to promote the sport. There has never ever been a rugby league junior from those countries play nrl. Tim Sheens apparently brought over a local in the 80’s but nothing since. The amount of Fijian rugby league juniors can be counted on one hand also. We haven’t done anywhere near enough in the pacific.

 

[jim_57]

We don’t have Samoa and Tonga at all, we have barely done a thing over there to promote the sport. There has never ever been a rugby league junior from those countries play nrl. Tim Sheens apparently brought over a local in the 80’s but nothing since. The amount of Fijian rugby league juniors can be counted on one hand also. We haven’t done anywhere near enough in the pacific.

Even PNG has barely had the surface scratched and they're sitting there waiting on a silver platter. I know things have improved somewhat recently but really scouting for talent in PNG and the Pacific could provide a new major player source to rival NSW, QLD and NZ.

 

[Walter sobchak]

We don’t have Samoa and Tonga at all, we have barely done a thing over there to promote the sport. There has never ever been a rugby league junior from those countries play nrl. Tim Sheens apparently brought over a local in the 80’s but nothing since. The amount of Fijian rugby league juniors can be counted on one hand also. We haven’t done anywhere near enough in the pacific.

Because of the small populations of both Tonga and Samoa there is a limited amount of scope for development of RL in these countries but Fiji and especially PNG has huge potential not only for developing NRL/super league standard players but elevating the kumuls and Bati to tier1 test nations.

 

[Walter sobchak]

Even PNG has barely had the surface scratched and they're sitting there waiting on a silver platter. I know things have improved somewhat recently but really scouting for talent in PNG and the Pacific could provide a new major player source to rival NSW, QLD and NZ.

Couldn’t agree more mate and I’ve been banging on about this and will continue to do so until the real potential of RL in PNG has been realized.

2nd PNG based Queensland cup franchise in Lae alongside the Port Moresby based hunters complete with u18&u20 sides.

 

[jim_57]

Couldn’t agree more mate and I’ve been banging on about this and will continue to do so until the real potential of RL in PNG has been realized.

2nd PNG based Queensland cup franchise in Lae alongside the Port Moresby based hunters complete with u18&u20 sides.

Regarding Juniors for a start I wouldn't mind seeing PNG push the initiative a bit and put together a team of under 18s & 20s and tour Australia playing NRL junior teams and Australian Schoolboys & Under 20s. Get themselves in front of talent scouts while they're young.

Copy that for Fiji which I think they have done recently, from memory a game against Canberra juniors resulted in Canberra trialing/signing a few of the young Fijians.

 

[adamkungl]

People who think RL "owns" Tonga and Samoa are delusional.
We have test teams made of 95% Aus and NZ born players who never actually play in Tonga or Samoa, and a very small handful of Tongan or Samoan born players even at club level.
There is no pathway from Tonga or Samoa to professional Rugby League.

NFI