Tonga Robbed!

[Clarkent]

Agree Top 4 Pacific Nations during SOO - NZ Tonga Fiji Samoa

Would add a 6 Nation Pacific Shield for teams 4 plus 5 others. Top team qualifies for following year eg Samoa, PNG, Cook Is, Niue, Solomon Is, Vanuatu

Leave the kiwis to play England... Would rather see PNG join Fiji Samoa and Tonga... PNG are just as passionate as Tonga at home... I hope they organise more games for the Pacific it's what I look forward to every year

 

[Lemon Squash]

I did

Bagged out Fifita by accusing him of not knowing the Tongan national anthem.
This is of course without knowing a single thing about the bloke and his family.

Did semi know the Aussie national anthem?

LOL you better read it again then.

I stated twice I don’t care if players want to represent their heritage. I was making a point though that I bet he didn’t know the anthem as he didn’t grow up there just to strengthen my argument he isn’t fully Tongan.

I could have used the same example for 100s if players in the World Cup, I’m not picking on Fafita particularly.

 

[Munted]

View attachment 16544 I hope this image shows up as Im not show on how to post pics. It shows Whitehead clearly playing at the ball and not the arm.

Lol.
25 frames per second and here we have a single frame with a hand on the ball.

Case closed!

 

[thorson1987]

Haha yeah same as last week.
Heaps of idiots running in between moving cars, jumping into moving cars, hanging out of moving cars.
Saw a world cup trophy replica 50 times the size mounted to the roof of a car...

Smart lot.

Lebanon fans were the same after the England game. Didn't mind the drums and music on the way to the station, but don't be f**kwits dancing in the middle of the street or drive like f**king idiots.

 

[carcharias]

LOL you better read it again then.

I stated twice I don’t care if players want to represent their heritage. I was making a point though that I bet he didn’t know the anthem as he didn’t grow up there just to strengthen my argument he isn’t fully Tongan.

I could have used the same example for 100s if players in the World Cup, I’m not picking on Fafita particularly.

You picked the wrong one then
If you’d bother to read this thread before making dumb arse assumptions.

It had already been posted in this thread that Fifita and his family go to Tongan gatherings regularly .
Another poster has said his wife is Tongan and he sees Fifita at every single Tongan gathering they go to.

He is very much a part of the Tongan community in Sydney.

Here it is
Roostah posted this.

Being married to a Tongan woman I can tell you right now that Fifita is far more Tongan than Bennett is British. The Fifita brothers are at pretty well every major Tongan event I’ve been to in Sydney and the name Fifita is about as Tongan as it gets. He may have been born in Australia but that doesn’t mean his connection to Tonga is any less strong for being mixed and growing up into Aus.

 

[Valheru]

Tonga weren't robbed, correct call.

As for the heritage player debate, i have no problem with players representing their country of heritage, it makes the whole thing more interesting.

Having said, let's call a spade a spade, these teams are essentially AUS/NZ B teams full of players who would likely play for their country of birth if selected. JT is an obvious exception but he is likely to be back in NZ colours when the hierarchy there changes.

 

[Pommy]

The way yourself and your wife identify yourself doesn't change the way these players identify themselves.
As such, it's not up to you to question their 'Tonganess'.

Then why have a rule that only allows it to go so far?
I am going to question a player who walks out on the nation at the last minute. I watched Tonga qualify for the World Cup, funny enough it wasn’t the same side that played today.

 

[Pommy]

So what?
Australia NZ and the stinkin poms have had many many many more bullshit blow in islanders play for them over history.
Semi only played for Australia a couple of years ago
It is shit.
And f**kwits like Adam Blair and Cronk have a whinge about a couple of blokes playing for countries of their parents.

They are only in these other countries because of a an economical situation.
As if a bloke from Tonga would prefer to live in mount druitt.

People keep mentioning blowins to the ‘big 3’ like I’m in favour of that. Semi for oz and Rengi for England are even worse.
These people are in other countries because they were born there which is kind of my point, they’re not from Tonga, Mount Druitt is their home.

 

[carcharias]

People keep mentioning blowins to the ‘big 3’ like I’m in favour of that. Semi for oz and Rengi for England are even worse.
These people are in other countries because they were born there which is kind of my point, they’re not from Tonga, Mount Druitt is their home.

How do you know they aren’t dual citizens?
They can play for Tonga if they are eligible and especially if their parents are from there.

 

[Pommy]

How do you know they aren’t dual citizens?
They can play for Tonga if they are eligible and especially if their parents are from there.

I don’t but I bet most aren’t.
I understand the rules, I’m not even saying the rules should be changed. It’s just bullshit to say look how good Tonga goes when they get their best players. When in fact they’re kiwis and Ozzie’s and the two key players repped for those nations this year with one dumping Tonga at the last minute to do so. Neither were arsed to play the Cook Islands in the qualifier, but now they’re Tongan roots are so strong etc..........

 

[WaznTheGreat]

LMAO look how forward that pass is to Fifita,if that was called the final score would stay 20-6,Tonga wasn't robbed.

 

[carcharias]

I don’t but I bet most aren’t.
I understand the rules, I’m not even saying the rules should be changed. It’s just bullshit to say look how good Tonga goes when they get their best players. When in fact they’re kiwis and Ozzie’s and the two key players repped for those nations this year with one dumping Tonga at the last minute to do so. Neither were arsed to play the Cook Islands in the qualifier, but now they’re Tongan roots are so strong etc..........

So you didn’t like seeing teams being competitive?

You’ll absolutely f**ken love the final next week then.

Does graham and Widdop still get to play?
After all, they are here for the same reason Fifita and Taumalolo are.

 

[Pommy]

So you didn’t like seeing teams being competitive?

You’ll absolutely f**ken love the final next week then.

Does graham and Widdop still get to play?
After all, they are here for the same reason Fifita and Taumalolo are.

I have no issue with teams being competitive as I said I’m not saying the rules should change but don’t try to sell it as something it isn’t.
Fifita is Australian born so not at all like Widdop or Graham.
Taumalolo is here for the same reason as Widdop and Graham but he doesn’t play for Australia either so I’m not sure what comparison you’re making.

 

[Force]

Lol.
25 frames per second and here we have a single frame with a hand on the ball.

Case closed!

If you watch the video it shows him playing at the ball. Any video ref would've picked that up but he wasnt given that chance, although seeing as the pommy video ref was too eager to overturn a No-Try call to England without sufficient grounding, I wouldn't hold my breathe.

 

[Munted]

If you watch the video it shows him playing at the ball. Any video ref would've picked that up but he wasnt given that chance, although seeing as the pommy video ref was too eager to overturn a No-Try call to England without sufficient grounding, I wouldn't hold my breathe.

I just can't agree.
I wouldn't call it a strip, it doesn't have the hallmarks of your 1:1.
Go look at a 'normal' strip where players literally reef the ball out with force , or Thurston having that pulling motion as he goes in for the tackle in origin.
Intent is to strip the ball.

This tackle is your text book go in hard with your arm swinging in to dislodge the ball because the dumbo fatfita has poor ball security.

Everyone does it, and it'll be a knock on/poor ball security all the time when called correctly (aware of calls going the other way in the past).

 

[Last Week]

Right or wrong Tonga deserved the chance to go up to the VR... This is the decision to find out which teams go to the final and the ref didn't even send it up to the VR... If this was the NRL grand final the ref wouldn't even hesitate going up to the VR... Even if the VR said no try everyone would've been happy with that... As long as it was decided properly... But the idiot ref wanted none if that

Why? If it was the correct call from the on field ref?

Having an English video ref over rule that would be much worse.

 

[carcharias]

I have no issue with teams being competitive as I said I’m not saying the rules should change but don’t try to sell it as something it isn’t.
Fifita is Australian born so not at all like Widdop or Graham.
Taumalolo is here ( NZ ) for the same reason as Widdop and Graham but he doesn’t play for Australia either so I’m not sure what comparison you’re making.

This is where you seem to completely miss the point.
Widdop and Graham are here for work.
That is the only reason they are here.
Fifita and Taumalolo are here for the same reason at the end of the day.
Their parents are the ones who came here and I dare say their reasons for doing so were a million times more important that Widdop and Graham’s.
The fact that years later they both became footy stars doesn’t change the original reason why they are here.

Have you ever been to Tonga?
Do you have any idea how much money people earn there?
If players want to play for their parents country out of pure respect then I am 100% behind them.
It’s great for the game.

They did it for virtually nothing and they should be commended.

 

[Pommy]

This is where you seem to completely miss the point.
Widdop and Graham are here for work.
That is the only reason they are here.
Fifita and Taumalolo are here for the same reason at the end of the day.
Their parents are the ones who came here and I dare say their reasons for doing so were a million times more important that Widdop and Graham’s.
The fact that years later they both became footy stars doesn’t change the original reason why they are here.

Have you ever been to Tonga?
Do you have any idea how much money people earn there?
If players want to play for their parents country out of pure respect then I am 100% behind them.
It’s great for the game.

They did it for virtually nothing and they should be commended.

I thought it was their country? What’s your argument as you seem to be flip flopping.
How much respect do you show Tonga when you drop out of the squad last minute to play for Australia?

 

[carcharias]

I thought it was their country? What’s your argument as you seem to be flip flopping.
How much respect do you show Tonga when you drop out of the squad last minute to play for Australia?

No I’m not
I’ve stayed exactly the same the entire time.
If they want to play for Tonga because they have Tongan heritage then why shouldn’t they?

It’s when blokes like semi radradra play for Australia purely for the money that I have a problem.

 

[parrawentyfan]

According to the Telegraph, Fifita has now pledged to stay with Tonga. Behind a paywall do don't know what the article says