Combined Eastern Europe and Turkey team for future internationals?

[Manfred Mann 1,161]

It would be good for the development of the international game if, in the time between now and when France and PNG have become competitive international teams, we could devise some new international team formations.

I would propose a team comprised of people of Eastern European and Turkish heritage to play against Australia, New Zealand and England. Some of these players (e.g. both Albanians) were actually born in the countries mentioned. 

As you know Albania is a predominantly Muslim country in the southern Balkans, which makes it a natural fit with Turkey.

There are currently amateur rugby league teams playing in Serbia, Albania and Turkey.

I have been able to construct most of  a quality team based upon people currently playing in the NRL and also in the Super League or Championship.

Unfortunately it is missing a five eighth, two hookers (one as interchange), and one interchange prop.

Should Tom Trbojevic choose to play for Australia (and that is far from certain given the array of top class full backs likely to be picked ahead of him) then Dallin Watene-Zelesniak is a natural replacement at full back. Tom's brother Jake, a more likely selection in an Australian team, would need to be replaced.

If anybody knows of such players of at least Championship quality who could qualify on the basis of heritage if not birth, please let me know and I will add them.

 

Tom Trbojevic (Serbia)

Nikola Cotric (Serbia), Tom Opacic (Serbia), Paul Momirovski (Poland/Macedonia), Sandor Earl (Hungary)

 

...?

Aiden Sezer (Turkey)

 

Jake Trbojevic (Serbia)

Jack Gusiewski (Poland) Emre Guler (Turkey)

Mikolaj Oledski (Poland)          ... ?               Olsi Krasniqi (Albania)

 

Interchange: Erjon Dollapi (Albania), Ben Trbojevic (Serbia)

 

Reserves: Dallin Watene-Zelesniak (Poland), Malakai Watene-Zelesniak (Poland)

Edited Wednesday at 22:18 by Manfred Mann

[Pulga 1,298]

Sorry mate, I hate these made-up exhibition teams. 

The international game has suffered enough with State Of Origin in Australia, the All Stars games and the ###### exiles stuff.

Play full internationals as per rules state from the IRL or just don't do it.

They are worthless.

[Number 16 1,550]

Today's MM brain f@rt is a pearler... 

[Omott91 828]

M. Watene Zelezniak has retired iirc.

[Gooleboy 1,559]

4 hours ago, Pulga said:

Sorry mate, I hate these made-up exhibition teams. 

The international game has suffered enough with State Of Origin in Australia, the All Stars games and the ###### exiles stuff.

Play full internationals as per rules state from the IRL or just don't do it.

They are worthless.

I agree except State Of Origin, they provide some of the best games I have ever seen. 

[Manfred Mann 1,161]

1 hour ago, Omott91 said:

M. Watene Zelezniak has retired iirc.

If you are correct about Malarkey (Joe Biden's favorite word) having retired then I would expect him to be unavailable.

Meanwhile I will inform Joe Biden through his communications office. I suspect that he will be heartbroken.

[langpark 1,238]

2 hours ago, Omott91 said:

M. Watene Zelezniak has retired iirc.

So has Sandor Earl.

[GeordieSaint 6,482]

Throw it out there... Eastern European’s and Turks don’t usually get on to well...something to do with history! 

[langpark 1,238]

2 minutes ago, GeordieSaint said:

Throw it out there... Eastern European’s and Turks don’t usually get on to well...something to do with history! 

It makes us much sense as proposing a combined Aus, Indonesia, Fiji team. Plenty in common there between the three, language, culture etc.

[Eddie 4,152]

51 minutes ago, GeordieSaint said:

Throw it out there... Eastern European’s and Turks don’t usually get on to well...something to do with history! 

I doubt Albania and Serbia would be keen on a joint team either. 

[The Hallucinating Goose 2,635]

Why don't we just concentrate on developing Greece instead of making teams up, you know seen as Greece are qualifying for world cups now and are from the region you talk of? 

[Hela Wigmen 2,783]

As woeful ideas go, this one is up there. 

[The Hallucinating Goose 2,635]

6 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

As woeful ideas go, this one is up there. 

Now would you put it up there with the time when a man called Alois Hitler said to his wife Klara, "Love, we seem to be out of Johnny condoms", and she replied, "doesn't matter, get on with it anyway..."??

[The storm 146]

6 hours ago, Pulga said:

Sorry mate, I hate these made-up exhibition teams. 

The international game has suffered enough with State Of Origin in Australia, the All Stars games and the ###### exiles stuff.

Play full internationals as per rules state from the IRL or just don't do it.

They are worthless.

My name is originally viking 

 

I could play for the Oden and Thor X111

 

These kind of selections are no good at all without the deep commitment of people in the home countries wanting to play for their national team. 

 

[Davo5 5,083]

Bringing different Muslim &Eastern European countries together,what could possibly go wrong.

[JM2010 558]

A slightly different idea would be to maybe have a few regionalised Euro tournaments such as a Balkans cup, Mediterranean cup, Scandanavian cup, Eastern Euro Cup, something involving Holand, Belgium and Germany

[Bedfordshire Bronco 1,890]

6 hours ago, Pulga said:

Sorry mate, I hate these made-up exhibition teams. 

The international game has suffered enough with State Of Origin in Australia, the All Stars games and the ###### exiles stuff.

Play full internationals as per rules state from the IRL or just don't do it.

They are worthless.

You might hate SOO and All Stars but they are a roaring success not worthless! 

[The Hallucinating Goose 2,635]

1 hour ago, JM2010 said:

A slightly different idea would be to maybe have a few regionalised Euro tournaments such as a Balkans cup, Mediterranean cup, Scandanavian cup, Eastern Euro Cup, something involving Holand, Belgium and Germany

I belelive the Balkans Cup and Med Cup did exist until recently, maybe still do, not too sure but I think were played quite sporadically and were to be replaced with the tiered european championship system, similar to the football nations league, which was to go ahead last year but was cancelled for obvious reasons and given its rugby league, the idea will probably just be abandoned now. 

Edited Thursday at 09:49 by The Hallucinating Goose

[JM2010 558]

3 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

I belelive the Balkans Cup and Med Cup did exist until recently, maybe still do, not too sure but I think were played quite sporadically and were to be replaced with the tiered european championship system, similar to the football nations league, which was to go ahead last year but was cancelled for obvious reasons and given its rugby league, the idea will probably just be abandoned now. 

Its a shame there cant be room for the tiered Euro format and some regionalised tournaments. The more the merrier I say

[Pulga 1,298]

1 hour ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

You might hate SOO and All Stars but they are a roaring success not worthless! 

Worthless may not be the right word. But I do feel that it's been a net negative on the game.

I've been to an All Stars game and it was phenomenal. The way the Indigenous Aussies get behind it! Beautiful. But if we gave the international game as much attention as the other "representative" games we would be so much further ahead of where we are.

[langpark 1,238]

18 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

... tiered european championship system, similar to the football nations league, which was to go ahead last year but was cancelled for obvious reasons and given its rugby league, the idea will probably just be abandoned now. 

You are way off. Euro Championships have been running for well over a decade now (circa 2007 I believe). They were previously named Euro Shield, Bowl, Plate, before being raplaced with the much simpler A, B, C format. 

Funnily enough, they made an announcement just yesterday regarding the 2021 Championships:   https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/1926/european-rugby-league-board-confirm-revi

Edited Thursday at 10:07 by langpark

[Bedfordshire Bronco 1,890]

10 minutes ago, Pulga said:

Worthless may not be the right word. But I do feel that it's been a net negative on the game.

I've been to an All Stars game and it was phenomenal. The way the Indigenous Aussies get behind it! Beautiful. But if we gave the international game as much attention as the other "representative" games we would be so much further ahead of where we are.

I'd choose a full international any day myself too

Will be interesting to see once Covid is truly over how the Australisian nations international calandar looks 

[JM2010 558]

8 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

I'd choose a full international any day myself too

Will be interesting to see once Covid is truly over how the Australisian nations international calandar looks 

I thought I read somewhere, maybe on this forum, that an International calendar was due to be announced soon.

I might have dreamt it though as I can't seem to find it

[naldo88 23]

2 hours ago, Eddie said:

I doubt Albania and Serbia would be keen on a joint team either. 

The beauty of rugby league is that the connection with politics is very low,  Serbs and Albanians relationship in RL might be more stronger than you might think . At least from the Albanian side ,but i am pretty shure is the same for the Serbs as well . Cheers mate

[The Hallucinating Goose 2,635]

19 minutes ago, langpark said:

You are way off. Euro Championships have been running for well over a decade now (circa 2007 I believe). They were previously named Euro Shield, Bowl, Plate, before being raplaced with the much simpler A, B, C format. 

Funnily enough, they made an announcement just yesterday regarding the 2021 Championships:   https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/1926/european-rugby-league-board-confirm-revi

Well that's good news that they are able to reschedule it, like I said, given it is RL I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd just abandoned it. Thanks for posting this!