okay guys i'm called into work, if somene reads this in the next hour can something polish and fix my grammer/spelling up a little bit.....sorry its bit rush aye....but works full on. can someone post me the poished article by pm.
==============================
--
Just like the Island Way
If you think about sports in the Pacific Islands the first thing which would go to mind is Island Rugby or even more so Rugby 7’s. However with a bit of thought this can change into something more exciting.
Worldwide Rugby League is more I guess a ‘minnow’ sport compared the 15 man code.
Rugby league first came to the islands in 1986, with first international competition in the ‘Pacific Cup’in 1988.
After early promises and positives , the game took a turn for the worse during the Super League War in 1997. Not only damaging the ever so popular ARL and ESL , it also affected but a game in the Pacific Islands. This was followed by a fall in revenue from the 2000 World Cup, and the banning of cigarette sponsorship in Tonga almost saw the game disappear.
For years the Rugby League World have only had three Giants of the New Zealand Kiwis, Australian Kangaroo’s and the Great Britain Lions. But imagine a forth giant? Imagine professional NRL/ESL players with blood that links to being a Fijian, Tongan, Samoan or Papa New Guinean all merging to be one tribe, one continent. I present you my “PACIFIC ISLAND TEAM”.
Below I have selected players who would qualify to play for my Pacific Island team, I have excluded big name players such as Petro Civonoceva (fiji) Brent Kite (tonga) and Steve Matai (Samoa) as they are more then extremely likely to selected to represent one of the three ‘Giants” in each test match.
I have selected a few players who have played for New Zealand before, this is due to them being unlikely to get selected for the Kiwis team for quite sometime.
1 Patrick Ah Van (Warriors) (Samoa)
2 Henry Fa'afili (Warrington) (Samoa) (Kiwis)
3 George Carmont (Newcastle) (Samoa) (Kiwis)
4 Wes Naiqama (St George) (Fiji)
5 Lesley Vanikolo (Bradford) (Tonga) (Kiwis)
6 Thomas Leulauai (Wigan) (Samoa) (Kiwis)
7 Stanly Gene (Hull KR) (PNG)
8 Fuifui Moimoi (Parramatta) (Tonga)
9 Tevita Latu (Wakefield) (Tonga) (Kiwis)
10 Willie Brown (Roosters) (Samoa)
11 Sione Faumuina (Cowboys) (Samoa) (Kiwis)
12 Awen Guttenbiel (Castleford) (Tonga) (Kiwis)
13 Vinne Anderson (St Helens)
Bench
14 Charlie Tonga (Roosters) (Tonga)
15 Neville Costigan (Canberra) (PNG)
16 Fraser Anderson (Cronulla) (Tonga)
17 Karl Te Mata (Harlequins) (Cook Islands)
Captain: Fuifui Moimoi
Goal Kicker: Wes Naiqama
Coach: Marcus Bai (PNG)
Not just around the Pacific but Imagine the success and life to Rugby League World Wide if my above selected team was formed. Just think about how much joy and enthusiasm it would bring to the Pacific Nations and lastly ponder the above team competing against the three Giants of Rugby League.
And to think such players as Andrew Lomu, Clinton Toopi, Henry Perenara and the ‘Paea’ brothers missed out would suggest huge depth around a possible Island team. Not much would be lost if some of the top squad were injuried and not avalible with great back up.
I know if this were to work it would take quite some years to make it successful. I shall be putting a petition online up sometime in the next few weeks and then be sending it to the board of Rugby League to review.
What a dream to Rugby League if this were to be pulled of.
