Andrew Fafita & Tonga

[londonrlfan]

1 hour ago, Allora said:

Look at you mugs
What was that Kiwi that played for England Rangi Chase? the average Aussie Heighington, not even good players.
You have to question a Halfback that moved to Australia when he was a kid and is an Englishman.

At one stage the English Coach wanted the Morris Twins and others to be English due to their Great Great Grandparents.

 

Widdop moved to Australia at 16. Bit embarrassing trying to claim him as an Australian. 

[londonrlfan]

The fact we're celebrating Fifita not switching AGAIN is embarrassing. The same goes for Taumalolo and the rest. They've picked Tonga, now stick with it. 

[GeordieSaint]

56 minutes ago, Scubby said:

It's almost worth applying just to give Nige a rollocking at interview.

In all seriousness, at that wage packet, they are after an ex-player/turned administrator. Not sure it’ll bring the fresh ideas the sport needs...

[Scubby]

2 minutes ago, GeordieSaint said:

In all seriousness, at that wage packet, they are after an ex-player/turned administrator. Not sure it’ll bring the fresh ideas the sport needs...

It is exactly what they are after. Hence, the references to RL experience and admin jobs. We don't want anyone rocking the boat around here. People like Draper don't last long for a reason. It reads like a list of all the things David Collier was overseeing that Nigel can't be arsed with not a top executive post.

[GeordieSaint]

11 minutes ago, Scubby said:

It is exactly what they are after. Hence, the references to RL experience and admin jobs. We don't want anyone rocking the boat around here. People like Draper don't last long for a reason. It reads like a list of all the things David Collier was overseeing that Nigel can't be arsed with not a top executive post.

I am less resistant to having support to Wood; 3 x individuals can do far more work than 1 bloke on his own. But it's sad to see the same insular attitude at play; we can do so much better as a sport if we stop messing about protecting the interests of a few people - they'd stand to benefit themselves if they could look beyond their own nose.

[Scubby]

3 minutes ago, GeordieSaint said:

I am less resistant to having support to Wood; 3 x individuals can do far more work than 1 bloke on his own. But it's sad to see the same insular attitude at play; we can do so much better as a sport if we stop messing about protecting the interests of a few people - they'd stand to benefit themselves if they could look beyond their own nose.

The posts do remind me of the RFL general manager vacancy a year or two back which may well have said "we already have an in-house guy in mind don't bother". I wouldn't be surprised to see a RLEF person just be given the role. It may turn out to be a spark that drives the game - it may not. If it ends up being someone like the CEO at Wales who is part-time at the RFL and a couple of days at Wales RL then it will be same old same old.

[GeordieSaint]

18 minutes ago, Scubby said:

The posts do remind me of the RFL general manager vacancy a year or two back which may well have said "we already have an in-house guy in mind don't bother". I wouldn't be surprised to see a RLEF person just be given the role. It may turn out to be a spark that drives the game - it may not. If it ends up being someone like the CEO at Wales who is part-time at the RFL and a couple of days at Wales RL then it will be same old same old.

Jeez... another person doubling up would be a huge disappointment. For £75k, you could get a decent project manager or administrator from a wide range of sources. 

[graveyard johnny]

origin has been going stale for a while, cant wait for tonga v nz

[DavidM]

Just now, graveyard johnny said:

origin has been going stale for a while, cant wait for tonga v nz

Tonga v Australia for Mr Fifita to !

[B rad]

5 hours ago, scotchy1 said:

They need some games to play before we complain about them switching 

Remember to sign the petition about just that

https://www.change.org/p/rugby-league-international-federation-equal-opportunity-for-pacific-rugby-league-players

[RabbitRhinoovOZ]

7 hours ago, londonrlfan said:

Widdop moved to Australia at 16. Bit embarrassing trying to claim him as an Australian. 

Why not ? you lot where on another thread a while back trying to claim him as a Melbourne Storm junior .

[RayCee]

The SOO was a great contest while it was even. About a decade ago, Queensland took it over and it’s not the same. I used to watch every game but just 5 minutes of highlights now. Australia needs to see the goose that’s been laying the golden egg  may not continue indefinitely doing so. International RL must be promoted more as an option.

Players like Fafita will become more common, turning their back on SOO when once that was unthinkable. Interestingly, some of the comments in the Australian media indicates his stance is upsetting some. It’s proving a slap in the face to lovers of SOO, regardless of whether he was playing it this year or not. I see it as a reality check. International RL can do so much more for the game than SOO. Australian RL needs to accept that and work more with the international game.

[GeordieSaint]

Had a response from NZRL; they are keen on playing Tonga but no dates in the diary.

[roughyedspud]

2 hours ago, GeordieSaint said:

Had a response from NZRL; they are keen on playing Tonga but no dates in the diary.

Personally I reckon the kiwis should host Tonga in a 3 test series in 2019..

Then in 2020 they should host a blockbuster pacific cup..NZ,Tonga,Fiji,Samoa,png & cooks..I genuinely think they'd sell out every game,they'd have zero problems selling media rights & sponsorship etc..it would pay for itself and probably make a profit..it would be massive and a great lead in to the 2021 world cup..

And that idea is on my application for GM of RLIF

[GeordieSaint]

1 hour ago, roughyedspud said:

Personally I reckon the kiwis should host Tonga in a 3 test series in 2019..

And that idea is on my application for GM of RLIF

You stole the 2019 idea from my original post... you’ll fit in well with RL circles claiming credit for other people’s ideas! ?

Good luck with the application; might also apply just to spite you! ?

[roughyedspud]

How dare you edit out the 2020 pacific cup idea...lol

[RP London]

On 4/2/2018 at 12:53 PM, Allora said:

Great Britain picked a player that was not eligible to represent Great Britain. He was Irish.

Its Great Britiain and Ireland that play not just GB so that is why he was eligable

To look at it quickly out of the Welsh Squad that went to the world cup they list their place of birth and 11 are born in England with them all coming through the English system. I would bet quite a lot on the fact that Ireland and Scotland are similar if not the same. 

With the "go home argument" I dont really see where you are coming from on that one.. it is often something you hear over here said about people who bemoan the UK about one thing or another. People will point out how its actually much better in the UK than where they left and how their life is better in the UK than if they stayed at home even though the UK is not perfect.. "however if you dont like all the good the UK can give you then why not just go home" is the argument, and one that I have sympathy with though dont necessarily agree with. 

This person, however, is not saying living in Tonga is better than living in Australia, he is not saying he would be better off there, he is just saying he would simply prefer to represent them, and his heritage, than he would Australia.. and sometimes when you see comments like "go home" you can understand why.. maybe he has been told that once too often when talking about his Tongan heritage, hardly going to make you feel "Australian". When I see some of the things English people come out with I want to be a different nationality as its embarrassing. The more my son gets the micky taken out of him for being half Irish the more I can see him wanting to support them.. funny that!

You talk of Australia like we cannot understand your mixture of people in one country, you obviously have missed the last 100 years in the UK (Including a lot of Australians "coming home") we get it, we get the attitude, it doesnt mean we agree with it 

(BTW the I married an xxxx or loads of my friends are xxxx doesnt make you any less of a racist/homophobe/insert issue here... it just means you should know better, I am not by any means saying you are racist just pointing out it is normally the preserve of one to quote their friends/spouse as a defence, bit like "with all due respect" as in some way absolving you of any hurt caused by the utter lack of respect you are about to show)

[Tommygilf]

Equally, Philip Sami of the Titans has come out and declared for Queensland in spite of being eligible for Samoa. I don't have a problem with this at all. 

2 things should be clear. You pick your National/Rep team by 20/21. And you stick with it - you can't just swap because one team is dropping you. This is where I totally agree with the sentiment you should play where your heart is. I could qualify for England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland for example. Yet realistically I feel English - 3 lions and all that.

I think in Oz RL (and particularly NSW) rep footy has become just another paypacket, just part of the job. For Fifita to go into that Tongan camp and experience it, it must be exhilarating - even compared to winning the WC with Oz. Kind of what I imagine the difference was between the English team camp and the other home nations at the last Euros. By making so much money out of Origin, its a problem of their own making that its viewed as another step on a ladder. 

International competition should be about passion.

 

[deluded pom?]

1 hour ago, RP London said:

Its Great Britiain and Ireland that play not just GB so that is why he was eligible

Didn't they change the name to accommodate Carney? prior to then we were always just Great Britain IIRC.

[RP London]

25 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

Didn't they change the name to accommodate Carney? prior to then we were always just Great Britain IIRC.

1990s it became the British Isles XIII and the badge became that of all 4 of the "home nations" which included the irish shamrock... I think this happened around the time they decided that they would split into 4 nations for the world cups etc. I think the badge with British Isles XIII carried on being worn on the right breast with the lions head on the left. GB&I was its shortened format and, of course, "The Lions"... 

[deluded pom?]

I've never heard or seen them referred to as the British Isles ever. I've done a search and I can only find one reference to a "British Isles" rugby league team on an auction site. They are selling a boomerang signed by the 1946 "British Isles" touring team but the COA only says it's a British team.

[RP London]

1 hour ago, deluded pom? said:

I've never heard or seen them referred to as the British Isles ever. I've done a search and I can only find one reference to a "British Isles" rugby league team on an auction site. They are selling a boomerang signed by the 1946 "British Isles" touring team but the COA only says it's a British team.

There is a difference between what they are commonly known as and what their official title was.. 

I did a quick google on GB RL shirts and you can see through this link that on the right breast is the crest including the 4 home nation badges and underneath is the "British Isles XIII"

same again here

and here

there is a good zoom in here

However most of these I would guess would be in the carney era... but i did manage to dig up this little gem from 1999 where they even added a little flash of green but at this point it was "Great Britain and Ireland"

 

 

[deluded pom?]

Like I said, I couldn't find any reference to them ever being called a British Isles rugby league team but as you have highlighted it was on the official badge.

[RP London]

The badge was also linked to the other home unions post 1995 as they split to play as themselves the the GB&I team playing above them.. 

 

[RP London]

5 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

Like I said, I couldn't find any reference to them ever being called a British Isles rugby league team.

I remember the change coming in around 1995/96 so as to make it inclusive as Ireland were getting their own team... The badges came in to try and tie everything together (much like the Union version does) and they went with the British Isles after going with GB&I and I think they realised then that by going British Isles it gave an ability to shorten it "unofficially" and still be the British Lions. 

i dont think it ever really took off as its still just known as GB which is what will end up on all the links and searches as its what people will write about even if it is techincially incorrect. 

In the same way as a lot of journos etc just shorten the union version to the Lions as GB&I lions is just a bit more of a mouthful.