B rad

They will probably rest Farnsworth the first game against Samoa. Let him get some match fitness in the other pool games so he is good for the finals.

That's true. Lolohea and Amone will probably play in the halves. If they lose one of those they are in a lot of trouble. If they put Isaiya Katoa in the squad he can provide a decent kicking game (ex union boy) which they really need but the kid hasn't played NRL yet and that is really throwing him in the deep end. I hope they bring him and play him some of the pools. He will probably be their future halfback if he goes ok at the Dolphins next year.

Its not the end of the world for Tonga. Staggs form hasn't been great this year, probably because he has been carrying that injury. I wouldn't have him in the top Tongan side on form. They still have Penisini and Talakai. Koula and Hopoate are handy backups and Suli might even be back from injury by then.

He would have made the squad and probably played a couple of the pool games, backed up for the big ones if there was an injury. To many head knocks this year though. Safety first, an offseason will do him a world of good.

Farnsworth might be back. Give him a few games in the pools and go from there. Young has been getting better and better. Should be in the squad and have the opportunity to push into the top line up even if he doesn't start there. He has been the one good thing about Newcastle this year and although he is still developing he is a top tier athlete of the sport.

Who is coaching Wales atm? Briers would be a nice fit.

Totally agree

Tesi has good running attack but he has a bit to learn in defense and taking high balls. He will battle it out for fullback with a safer but less attacking Will Hopoate or the exceptionally fast but more inexperienced Tolutau Koula. Very interesting to see who will get that number 1 position. Tesi could be a decent 14 as well since he can cover centre and probably wing quite easily if there is an injury or HIA in the backline.

I think people (myself included) are looking at potential at the moment. Samoa could be very very strong but until all the players commit we wont know. Where as England for Australians at least are a bit out of sight out of mind. GB tour and England vs an All Stars were not really encouraging. In saying that Matt Parish has a terrible record with a fairly strong Samoa as well. The coach may be the anchor holding the national side back rather than the playing roster. So much uncertainty with this game. It could be a close hard game or either side could blow the other away. We wont know until game day.

Paulo committed to Australia today, so I was wrong about that. Surprising because he has played 9 games for Samoa. I thought with all these good young players he would be onboard. Josh Aloiai from Manly is a handy back up. It gives Australia a bit more depth in front row and probably pushes them further as favorites.

It will be the most anticipated game of the pool rounds for me and a great way to open the tournament. They could field a Panthers backline minus halfback and fullback (If they don't pick Stains at fullback and nor should they). These guys are all young and have come through grade together. They know each others game and naturally play off each other. Then there is Milford who has been playing for Samoa before it was cool. He can be hit and miss but with a gun backline and forward pack full of experienced bulldozers you might see his best form from him ever. I am tipping Paulo and Papalii as almost certainties to be the starting props. Haas and Tino next to no chance. They will play for Australia. There are more players eligible for Samoa then for Queensland in the NRL. The rest of their side will be very good. Cant wait. It should be awesome.

So I was up in arms when I heard about Peter V'landys in this position then I found out everyone who has ever had his job has had the same roll. They dont really pick the team, its an honorary position. He gets to read out the names.

The problem with Niu is he doesnt take highballs. He lets them bounce. If you are playing against Australia Cleary is going to send some towering bombs his way and him letting them bounce to see where they go is a recipe for disaster. Otherwise I would have put him in because his attack is very good. Defense is a bit hot/cold though. Hopoate is a safer option. I was hoping Amone would go really well but he ended up getting dropped to the bench from the Dragons who are struggling abit. Talakai is the form centre of the comp, Will Penisie is going very well at Paramatta, so putting Staggs at 5/8 gets him the ball (which he has been criticized for not getting enough of), fills a weak position for Tonga and helps fit in the other good centres into the backline. Moses Suli is playing good as well but you cant fit him in.

“With Tonga being a tier two team, I know I can play there as well. I want to try to make Origin first and hopefully I get to represent Tonga [too]. I want to represent my parents, I owe a lot to them." https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/best-40-minutes-ever-how-siosifa-talakai-turned-manly-into-roadkill-20220422-p5afbu.html Tonga backline maybe looking like this 1 Hopoate 2 Kotoa 3 Talakai 4 Penisini 5 Topou 6 Staggs 7 Lolohea Not the most creative halves (They have never had them anyway and still beat everyone) but that is a very talented powerful backline full of very good players.

So there is a fair few guys that have nominated Australia already but that doesn't mean they will get picked. Tino Fa'asumaleaui, Payne Haas, Brian To'o, (Aus) with Dylan Brown nominating for NZ. This was before Parish was going to step down so we will see if that has any impact. To'o has already said he is willing to play for Samoa if he doesn't get picked for Australia which is a reflection of where our game is at, at the moment. Pacific is attractive, but not that attractive. Should there ever be a time when all the top nations are getting paid and play the same amount of money and games Id and there is no advantage to playing with a power house like Australia or NZ Id like to see commitment to a national team go from 1 year as it is at the moment to a international cycle to slow down the nation hoping.

New Article from Fox sports. Very informative. “Next time there’s a Test he won’t get the cattle,” says Maitua. “Nobody will want to play. “What he’s done for them is enough, we need a fresh face to lure the top talent back to Samoa. “Sia [Soliola] is the number one leader. He is the only man in the NRL that can have an influence on the younger players. He is a leader without saying anything. “And if he isn’t playing [since 2013], you’ve got to ask why? It’s confusing that nobody can see that from inside the Samoan inner sanctum. “It’s baffling why they want to stay with the same methods. Until that happens, then everything will stay the same way.” Parish was contacted for comment, however, he responded that he had no intention to provide any formal comment. https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/world-cup/booze-boycotts-taking-the-pss-the-civil-war-threatening-to-tear-footymad-nation-apart/news-story/0a88eca6b61cbdeb7e0bef74e40748e4

So in 2016 they beat Tonga, this was before Tonga had all those top tier players become available. They were going quite well at that point. In 2015 they almost beat England and New Zealand while under Parish. They also went fairly well in the 2017 mid season test against England. They fielded a fairly strong team. The RLWC that same year is where they started their decline. They didn't win a game and got through the to the semis on a points for and against draw with Scotland. Again they had a fairly decent team but many players ended the tournament overweight and played well below their potential. Willie Mason in his podcast claims Roger Tuivasa Sheck would have played for Samoa that year except for Parish been coach. https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/forget-what-papers-are-saying-heres-who-really-needs/id1499743238?i=1000520424659 Since then they beat a PNG team in the midseason test which contained a very young Xaavier Coates who probably hadn't played A-grade at that time, James Segeyaro and Rhyse Martin as the only NRL players in their starting 13 with Kurt Baptise on the bench. Their entire team was NRL A-graders with possibly the exception of James Gavet who I cant quite remember. When they were destroyed by Fiji 44 - 18 that same year there was 8 Fijian players who I recognize as either A-grade NRL/Super League players. The rest are mostly from lower grades with one from the Fijian competition. Samoa's entire side with maybe the exception of again James Gavet and Marion Seve are NRL regulars some having played State of Origin and Martin Taupau who is an ex NZ legend with 24 tests. Its fairly obvious Parish is getting no where near the best out of this team. There is no argument. He has gone terrible since the 2017 RLWC though before then he did quite well. If Parish is an obstacle for Samoa achieving success he needs to go. Obviously it would be better if a Craig Bellamy or Ivan Cleary took over but at the moment the only offer is the Johns brothers and SBW which would still be an improvement over the current coach who cant attract the top tier players or get the best out of them when they play.

He has the wrong Fijian game. Its 2019 Oceanic cup. Its actually really good to watch from a Fijian point of view. They throw the ball around, its very exciting. Pathetic from Samoa though.

Great podcast by Willie Mason https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/forget-what-papers-are-saying-heres-who-really-needs/id1499743238?i=1000520424659

A Johns and SBW chatting about it.

Better than Parish. Especially if they can attract higher class players. Remember Fatty Vautin who never coached a side before beat a very strong NSW with a team of "Neville nobodies" Parish has lost the players respect. Johns x2 and SBW isn't the perfect option. A Cleary or Bellamy would be obviously preferable, but right now Parish should go.

When Parish took over he was doing a real RL missionaries job. Samoa kind of started the Pacific revolution before Tonga came in and made it a huge thing. They almost knocked over NZ in the last minute of the game after going down to England by 6 points in 2014. They also under Parish did a good job in the mid season test vs England in 2017. From there it was downhill though with much of the squad getting fat during the RLWC 2017 and putting in disappointing performances through out the tournament. Their last game in 2019 stacked with full NRL talent they absolutely got smashed by a Fijian side with no where near the NRL experience. Thats why its so hard to understand the reason Samoa are so keen on keeping Parish when three greats of the game (well maybe two if you don't include Matty) are willing to take over for free. They all work in the media so it means coverage for the RLWC which has been lacking. They will attract some of the best players. It just seems madness. Parish's hart is in the right place with development but obviously now he is doing more damage than good and its time he moved on.

It has a lot of people scratching their heads.

So there was a letter signed by Samoan players asking the Samoan board to remove Parish because they felt they couldnt succeed under him. There is also talk that RTS would play for Samoa as well as a host of others if they change the coach. What the Johns Brothers and SBW bring are two good football minds and a guy passionate about the nation because his father is Samoan as well as actual media coverage from Ch 9 (A Johns SBW) and Fox (M Johns) which before this story has been minimal. So what has happened now it seems is the Johns Brothers and SBW have been invited to assist in order to encourage players to make themselves available. https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/125031676/samoa-coach-to-ask-sonny-bill-williams-for-help-with-rugby-league-world-cup-campaign https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/05/03/taumalolo-like-the-impact-of-johns-brothers-sbws-samoa-coaching-dream/