Tonga Robbed!

[Springs09]

Thought there would be a thread like this after reading all the upset Tongans on Facebook, some of which have gone full genius and started threatening the refs and boycotting the final etc. Though most of them seem to be Union fans with their references to the 'TMO'.

Good to see most people agree with the decision. Half the knock-ons in the NRL are because of an arm hitting the ball. If we start calling them strips then that's our game gone. Matt Cecchin's call under pressure was probably the best one he has ever made.

 

[Springs09]

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.

Fifita played junior footy here in Griffith. He was part of the Tongan community. The same Tongan community that had the town covered in red on Saturday. They call themselves Tongan because their families are Tongan and they identify as Tongan.

Saying he isn't Tongan is like saying he isn't Indigenous. He's descended from both.

 

[Springs09]

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.

Gareth Ellis's son was born in Australia when he was over here playing for the Tigers so I guess he'll be playing for Australia if he's ever good enough to play international footy right?

 

[Bobby DIGital]

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.

Don't say that too loud around here mate. The "they've been raiding island talent for generations" brigade will be out in force having an epic whinge about how disrespectful that statement is.

 

[miguel de cervantes]

Knock-on frame by frame, play with the back/forward buttons on the bottom LHS

http://www.watchframebyframe.com/watch/yt/UgAa296LBtc/46.03615

Surely the onus is on the player to hang on to the pill better than that. If a defender can't tackle the ball for fear of knocking it loose then that opens a huge pandora's box.

If the video ref had to sit there and look at that frame by frame we'd all be still watching it on telly now on Monday. So the original ruling of no-try would stand. There is absolutely no *conclusive* evidence that it was a strip.

 

[Different kind of Rabbit]

Knock-on frame by frame, play with the back/forward buttons on the bottom LHS

http://www.watchframebyframe.com/watch/yt/UgAa296LBtc/46.03615

Surely the onus is on the player to hang on to the pill better than that. If a defender can't tackle the ball for fear of knocking it loose then that opens a huge pandora's box.

If the video ref had to sit there and look at that frame by frame we'd all be still watching it on telly now on Monday. So the original ruling of no-try would stand. There is absolutely no *conclusive* evidence that it was a strip.

The strip rule itself is such a gray area. The NRL has really screwed the pooch with all the rule changes around stripping over the last 20 years.

In the old days, it was your job to hang onto the ball no matter what. Stripping was allowed if you could get away with it.

Now, this event proves that no one actually knows what a strip is anymore.

Sure, contact was made with the ball and you could argue that the hand went down in a stripping motion but for christ's sake... The bloke making the tackle was half a metre behind Fifita and looking at the ground because he was mid dive. He was literally just trying to grab any part of Fifita and hold on. The fact that he struck the ball and knocked it out was purely a bonus. In that situation, the onus was on Fifita 100% to make sure he held onto the ball. He didn't, it was a knock on and the correct call was made.

If Tonga need a scapegoat for this loss, they should hang Daniel Tupou. He is the one that bombed a run of the mill, everyday try. The pass that he dropped hit him fair in the chest ffs.

 

[gUt]

, I now consider myself an agnostic atheist because I want to believe in a higher power but my walnut sized scientifically trained brain just can't do life from a chemical sludge and an electric current.

Define life

 

[Vee]

Dumb "island" footy beat the kiwis in Pool play and knocked them out of the world cup you racist prick

Yeah, that's because NZ played dumber island footy.

 

[Clarkent]

Yeah, that's because NZ played dumber island footy.

There we're only 2 islanders in that kiwi team RTS and Taupau... Can't count leuluai in it cause he only played half a game against the Tongans... So which islanders are you referring to? Think before you say something racist

 

[Pommy]

Nz have been taking players out other island teams for years all of a sudden you have a problem with it now? If you looked at that tongan team 90% of that team played for Tonga first before being picked up by the kiwis

No I don’t have a problem with it just now. I’m not sure why you are saying that’s the case?
If children are born somewhere and then grow up in another country I have zero issue with them choosing which one they want to rep for.
If Semi plays for oz I take issue with it as it’s bollocks. Your argument though was people are eligable so why not? Semi is eligable for oz so I asked you why not?

 

[Vee]

There we're only 2 islanders in that kiwi team RTS and Taupau... Can't count leuluai in it cause he only played half a game against the Tongans... So which islanders are you referring to? Think before you say something racist

Chill Princess.

Dumb Island footy is a type of footy, not a description of the players.

 

[roughyedspud]

Same goes for jungle ball! I used to love that saying lol

 

[gUt]

they did have a monster pack of forwards

 

[Clarkent]

Chill Princess.

Dumb Island footy is a type of footy, not a description of the players.

Type of footy? Wth does that even mean? So if England gets there ass whooped by Aussie on the weekend that would be called dumb island footy? Now your just making up shit to cover your ass lol