Radradra Wants to Play for Australia

[B rad]

The strong get stronger the weak get weaker. When I die an old man Im sure there will still be only 3 competitive nations in rugby league internationally and the admistrators will be scratching their heads as to where they went wrong.

[deluded pom?]

The strong get stronger the weak get weaker. When I die an old man Im sure there will still be only 3 competitive nations in rugby league internationally and the admistrators will be scratching their heads as to where they went wrong.

Probably not as the administrators think they are doing the game proud.

[Tex Evans Thigh]

As ever criticism of the RL authorities is getting very outdated and fails to recognise a lot of very good progress that is being made.

Nothing has been implemented yet let alone judged as to whether it has been a success. I'm entirely sceptical on the RLIFs ability to influence SL and NRL to comply. Organising the tournaments is great. Pushing them, promoting them and getting the players involved is another thing.

 

Meanwhile Im still waiting to hear the dates and venues confirmed for the 4 nations, our premier comp after the world cup, to be announced with a little over 6 months to go. England still don't have enough games, no teams do. Im all for the RLIF pushing things but were a million miles off at the moment.

[Ullman]

On the away goals rule if I remember correctly.

Looks like the Vikings weren't the only ones making a mistake by turning up in East Yorkshire but they were better navigators than this bloke:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1583778/Satnav-takes-Earls-daughter-to-wrong-Stamford-Bridge.html

[USRLFAN]

What a joke!  I think Burgess might suit up for the Kangaroos this year.    Looks like England will be playing a best of NRL team in the four nations.  I believe this is a perversion of the eligibility rules.  They were designed to let tier 2 nations compete not enable tier 1 nations to poach talent and form Frankenteams. We need a revision to the eligibility rules.  Last year the Kiwis took two players from tier 2 nations(Samoa, Tonga) on the UK tour.  Those players are now ineligible to play for Samoa and Tonga until 2018.  Australia recently suited up James Segeyaro, a Papauan, to play against the Kumuls! Papua, France and Fiji are the countries that show the most promise and weakening them will have a disastrous  effect on creating a respectable international game outside of the big 3. Radrada is the best Winger in the world and this will definitely improve the Australian side.

[deluded pom?]

Segayaro has not played for Australia.

[JoneslessBishop]

But Tex you fail to comment on the success of the last World Cup and the promise of the following one (states like South and Western Austrlia bidding to be involved when they showed no interest in 2008).

The heads of SL and the NRL sit on the RLIFs board. The NRL clubs are very open to international competition as they have shown to their attitude to the WCS, with the head of the NRL suggesting it will be grown to 4 teams with 2 games played in Oz. It's the ARL who are organizing the mid-season Pacific Nations games to complete the standalone Origin test, with the NRL teams having willingly freed up the weekend.

The tide is turning, and your views leave you trapped on the increasingly engulfed rock of smug interntional scepticism!

4 Nations venues are complicated as the RFL don't own theiir own ground, and if the RFL want to use the Burgess/ Bennett effect to spread the geographical appeal of our sport, they need to negotiate with non-RL clubs. Makes things more difficult. Add to that Scotsoun stadium, which seemed a banker for a Scotland game, got flooded and there are now plans to install a 3G pitch, which throws a spanner in the works.

But hey, no need to actually try and gain any appreciation of what is going on, just chuck around the kind of negative attitude that is one of the main factors that holds us back as an interntional game. Discourage other ARL fans from watching international RL as its not a worthwhile expercise. And you'll get to tell everyone 'I told you so' if it doesn't work. You've got a no-lose strategy. Congrats

[EastLondonMike]

Think Segayaro played for the PMXIII against PNG, which isn't recognised as an International side, i think..

The two year "sit out" rule needs enforcing, and should start from whenever you declare for another nation, and should not end/restart after a world cup. Pick a nation and stick to it for gods sake.

And ditch the residency rule completely.

[Scubby]

It's just another way for agents/managers to maximise earnings for their player. Exactly the same with Segeyaro and before that Tamou.

 

Sadly, international RL doesn't come into it. It is an attempt to boost earnings and profile by playing in SOO and Aussie tests full stop. I think the Aussies like it that way too.

 

Randradra can't play Origin but just wait for the rule bends when he has played a couple of tests for the Aussies.

[JoneslessBishop]

A think a tweak to the Origin rules is a pertinent and potentially positive point Scubby. At the moment, there seem to be far more commercial incentives to playing Origin than interntional RL, even in a Kangaroos shirt.

Therefore, why not change the Origin rules so you can still represent your heritage country but play Origin IF you genuinely developed as a RL player in that state. SOO is a completion between states, reflecting the strength of RL development in that state. What interntional shirt the player then goes on to wear is irrelevant.

Farmduck took exception to that, and is within his rights, but for me this small tweak fm would be an advantage to SOO as ensure the most star players and properly reflects where players develop, and would massively enhance the Pacific Nations as would allow players to turn out for their ancestoral homes without impacting an Origin career that would have so much prestige and commercial benefit

[EastLondonMike]

Its a funny thing the Origin eligibility. A series based on so much passion about being a Queenslander or being from NSW, yet they bend and twist the rules to be able to include players born and raised in countries such as New Zealand and Fiji, and would have happily allowed Gaz Widdop to play Origin if he'd have declared himself for Australia, based on having lived in Australia for a short period of time, yet they refuse to even contemplate changing the rules to allow such players to freely represent a state they qualify for and also a country other than Australia, which they also qualify for. 

 

It's not really about the pride of wearing an Australian jersey, its just about making sure certain players aren't wearing the opposition jersey.

[brooza]

What a joke!  I think Burgess might suit up for the Kangaroos this year.    Looks like England will be playing a best of NRL team in the four nations.  I believe this is a perversion of the eligibility rules.  They were designed to let tier 2 nations compete not enable tier 1 nations to poach talent and form Frankenteams. We need a revision to the eligibility rules.  Last year the Kiwis took two players from tier 2 nations(Samoa, Tonga) on the UK tour.  Those players are now ineligible to play for Samoa and Tonga until 2018.  Australia recently suited up James Segeyaro, a Papauan, to play against the Kumuls! Papua, France and Fiji are the countries that show the most promise and weakening them will have a disastrous  effect on creating a respectable international game outside of the big 3. Radrada is the best Winger in the world and this will definitely improve the Australian side.

He played for the Australia PM XIII, not Australia. They're a rep team but not an international team, so he is still eligible for PNG (though he's not very popular in PNG after that

[deluded pom?]

He played for the Australia PM XIII, not Australia. They're a rep team but not an international team, so he is still eligible for PNG (though he's not very popular in PNG after that

From what I can gather Segayaro wasn't happy with the way his late father was treated by the PNGRFL and doesn't want to play for the Kumuls.

[brooza]

From what I can gather Segayaro wasn't happy with the way his late father was treated by the PNGRFL and doesn't want to play for the Kumuls.

It appears you are correct - http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/james-segeyaro-the-man-png-wish-they-had-all-to-themselves-20150925-gjusvf.html

 

 

Segeyaro's decision to pursue an international career with Australia, rather than for his birthplace of PNG, was due to the lack of respect shown to his father Iffysoe when he passed away a year ago.

 

Iffysoe Segeyaro once lined up against Mal Meninga in a Test match for the Kumuls in 1982 and is said by locals to have been the brains behind schoolboy rugby league in PNG. Despite this, Segeyaro walked away from his father's funeral knowing he could never play for a country that disrespected his father so much. 

[Tex Evans Thigh]

But Tex you fail to comment on the success of the last World Cup and the promise of the following one (states like South and Western Austrlia bidding to be involved when they showed no interest in 2008).

The heads of SL and the NRL sit on the RLIFs board. The NRL clubs are very open to international competition as they have shown to their attitude to the WCS, with the head of the NRL suggesting it will be grown to 4 teams with 2 games played in Oz. It's the ARL who are organizing the mid-season Pacific Nations games to complete the standalone Origin test, with the NRL teams having willingly freed up the weekend.

The tide is turning, and your views leave you trapped on the increasingly engulfed rock of smug interntional scepticism!

4 Nations venues are complicated as the RFL don't own theiir own ground, and if the RFL want to use the Burgess/ Bennett effect to spread the geographical appeal of our sport, they need to negotiate with non-RL clubs. Makes things more difficult. Add to that Scotsoun stadium, which seemed a banker for a Scotland game, got flooded and there are now plans to install a 3G pitch, which throws a spanner in the works.

But hey, no need to actually try and gain any appreciation of what is going on, just chuck around the kind of negative attitude that is one of the main factors that holds us back as an interntional game. Discourage other ARL fans from watching international RL as its not a worthwhile expercise. And you'll get to tell everyone 'I told you so' if it doesn't work. You've got a no-lose strategy. Congrats

Grow up mate. I want international league to succeed as much as anyone. I want RL to succeed, but unfortunately you trotting out over engineered non-sensical insults isn't going to hide the fact that its a million miles away and a few light touches aren't going to change things.

 

I applaud the RLIF in trying and wish them success, but success will only come when international RL is seen as the pinnacle. At the moment Origin is by most.

 

Of course the World Cup was fantastic, decent crowds, some good games. Sadly the legacy of that was we had to wait 2 years for an England game on home soil. The truth of the World Cup was also that we couldn't fill Wembley for a double header semi, only 3 teams had a cat in hell's chance of winning, whilst the games were entertaining the standard was low. Catalans would beat France, every NRL team would have beaten every team in the comp apart from the big three, most comfortably and teams were rammed full of heritage players. Don't get me wrong, I loved it and cant wait for the next one, but the public aren't daft and we have a big gap to bridge there. Our peripheral nations, apart from France are just too small to compete long term. its a problem.

 

Your excuse for 4 nations venues is laughable. Just about every other sport can sort this out. I can tell you were the Champions League final is in 2017, I cant tell you where the 4 nations final is in 6 months. I live abroad and actually want to go back to watch us v Aus but flights go up every week. Fag packet mate. the venues should have been announced before the NZ series.

 

I haven't got a 'no-lose' strategy either. Every F'ing day I have to listen to union idiots and argue with them, or explain to the unlearned that there are 2 types of 'Rugby'. Ill soon be coaching people who hadn't heard of the game and getting them involved because I love the game and want it to grow. Youre doing a fine job behind your keyboard though pal, reading a half baked action plan from blokes who have so far delivered very little. We all want it to work it doesn't mean we shouldn't analyse it and follow it in blind faith.

[B rad]

I dont see why they just dont have a Pacific Cup every year, exlucding World Cup year. Give Pacific Nations 3 games, with pay similar to Australian/New Zealand players. If these nations play a similar amount of games and are paid a similar amount of money then that provides more insentive for players these nations NEED to become more competitive to stay with the nations our game needs them to stay with to improve internationally.

[Farmduck]

I dont see why they just dont have a Pacific Cup every year, exlucding World Cup year. Give Pacific Nations 3 games, with pay similar to Australian/New Zealand players. If these nations play a similar amount of games and are paid a similar amount of money then that provides more insentive for players these nations NEED to become more competitive to stay with the nations our game needs them to stay with to improve internationally.

 

Who do you expect to do the paying?

[Tex Evans Thigh]

These nations need big events, that's what players strive for, what they want to be involved in. Fiji v tonga in front of 5000 in Campbell Town or wherever is not a big event.

 

They need some home games if this is possible, they need a credible competition and they need big crowds. Im sure Tonga v Samoa played on the Islands would be more popular than in a Sydney suburb and would start to be a draw for the players. Playing NZ would be a draw. At the moment most of the island nations are feeder teams for NZ and Aus which comes across as such when they play their games in Aus.

[JoneslessBishop]

Good luck in the coaching Tex but what is the point in shooting down interntional RL? No one says it's perfect, but who cares if Radrara changes allegiances. There will be plenty more to pull on a Fiji shirt. Id prefer there to be 4 Nations venues already but you can't site that as an example but ignore a great prior 4 Nations and last seasons Kiwi test.

All I'm saying is that the game is firmly moving In the right direction. No one had come up with a strategy for a long time, but this one looks coherent and well considered, and given the last and next world cups, the last 4 nations and kiwi test series we have had, I think the days when we should expect to fail have passed. That's not blind faith. It's recognizing progress.

Despite initiatives such an expanded WCS and a new interntional calendar, people always want to highlight any bump in the road, even the smallest, like Radradas decision, as signs of impending doom, and I find that very frustrating.

And re your post above, that is exactly what the Confed Cuo will do. World Cup 2017, Confed Cup 2019, mid season tests for the Pacifc Nations every year from 2018. An improving landscape. Tweak SOO eligibility and there is every reason for players to represent those nations, and some good reasons even if they don't

[USRLFAN]

brooza, on 25 Feb 2016 - 05:16 AM, said:

He played for the Australia PM XIII, not Australia. They're a rep team but not an international team, so he is still eligible for PNG (though he's not very popular in PNG after that

 

I stand corrected.  Thanks for the info.

 

 

brooza, on 25 Feb 2016 - 05:22 AM, said:

It appears you are correct - http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/james-segeyaro-the-man-png-wish-they-had-all-to-themselves-20150925-gjusvf.html

This is what I remember. The folks in Papua being upset with him.  He was booed every time he touched the ball.  Its a shame as I don't think he has a chance to make the Kangaroos but he would be a great asset to NG.  I really fear with all these mounting defections, and that France pummeling, that World cup 2017 could start to look like 2000.

[EastLondonMike]

Like i said in a previous post, nothing stopping NZ from organising a  mini tour of Fiji and PNG around Origin time, one game in each Country over three weekends.. Imagine a three game series between Tonga and Samoa also at Origin time also?!..

Money is an issue, but with plenty of cash and TV support for the game in Australia it really shouldn't be. Its probably more a case of a genuine lack of desire from those in control for such games to happen.

[Futtocks]

Like i said in a previous post, nothing stopping NZ from organising a  mini tour of Fiji and PNG around Origin time, one game in each Country over three weekends.. Imagine a three game series between Tonga and Samoa also at Origin time also?!..

Money is an issue, but with plenty of cash and TV support for the game in Australia it really shouldn't be. Its probably more a case of a genuine lack of desire from those in control for such games to happen.

Plenty of cash in Australia, yes, but in NZ?

[JoneslessBishop]

The mid season test between the Pacifc Nations during the Origin standalone weekend are going to be televised to fill airtime outside of the main event. Aussie TV airtime so hopefully some good cash, but crumbs from the rich mans table. But still pretty prestigious and a good start. Maybe not initially in those nations but maybe in time. Games scheduled for PNG and hopefully Fiji in the World Cup

[Tex Evans Thigh]

I genuinely hope it pays off. They need to be playing in front of big crowds though to make it an event and not a stepping stone to Origin or NZ/Aus selection.

 

NZ tour as part of the calendar would be fantastic.

[deluded pom?]

Steve Mascord's take on things

 

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/how-australia-can-be-the-robin-hood-of-international-sport-20160225-gn35a8.html

 

What is it about eligibility rules that fascinates a certain section of rugby league supporters so much?
When the Sydney Morning Herald broke the story about Parramatta's Semi Radradra wanting to play for Australia, I was deluged on Twitter.

  Perhaps eligibility rules are interesting because they represent how rugby league sees itself. They encapsulate the world view of officials in contrast to those of the game's supporters.
  The first thing I'd like to say is that, as an individual, Semi Radradra has the right to put himself forward for any team he is properly entitled to represent.

In the new edition of Rugby League World magazine, colleague Gavin Willacy points out the Fiji Bati have played just twice since the 2013 World Cup semi-finals. Australia don't play too often either but they do pay much better - $20,000 a game.
He is not eligible for NSW because he did not live there before he was 13. From here on, the situation is very much about how the NRL and the Australian team sees themselves.
And the first problem is that they see themselves as indivisible. It's conceivable that some of the money the NRL derives from New Zealand broadcast rights is contributing to the wages of the new Australian coach, Mal Meninga.
How is this justifiable?
Brent Webb may have played for New Zealand and Rangi Chase for England but does Australia seriously need the residency rule to pick a national team?
On one hand Origin players are being banned from representing the so called "islands" but on the other "islanders" are supposedly about to be picked by Australia. It's the embodiment of having cake and eating it too.
Put another way … you cannot play Origin unless you commit to Australia but we'll let you play for Australia if you are not eligible for Origin.
Rules are rules but then there's policy and these policies on the part of Australia are abusive and about as far from statesmanlike as you can ever imagine.
Rugby league has a great opportunity to funnel talent back to developing countries at Test level and steal the march on other sports where economic migration has a decisive effect on the international balance of power. We can be the Robin Hood of international sport.
Australia should never use the residency rule to pick a player because Australia is the game's most powerful country and has an unfair economic advantage over everyone else.
Origin players should be permitted to represent other tier two countries for whom the properly qualify without changing their country of election.
Playing Origin should not tie you to Australia. Australia does not need the help of the $30,000-a-man to hoard talent.
The NRL should pay at least one $20,000 match fee per year to each player who represents another country – as they did for the Kiwis in last year's Anzac Test.
How do we have a Collective Bargaining Agreement that covers Australasians but not Fijians, Italians, Papuans and Lebanese? How is that worded?
Finally the Australian team should be run by an independent High Performance Unit and not the NRL. The NRL's role should be to fund the team but also keep it in line to protect the interests of the game worldwide, to which it has a moral responsibility as the peak club competition.
At the moment I am reminded of a 40-year-old friend a few Christmases back, bowling at 100 miles an hour at a six year old during a game of backyard cricket when I think of Australia's efforts to "make international rugby league great again".
Premier League is not there for the benefit of the England soccer team, The NBA is not there for the benefit of the US basketball team. The NRL should have the same independence given it contains players of all nationalities.
ARLC chairman John Grant should not read out the Australian team. The directors should not get around in green and gold scarves.
That's my world view. What's yours?