Pacific Tests - June 25th

[StandOffHalf]

1 hour ago, Sports Prophet said:

Well, there are always benefits outside the financial. Perhaps the NRL considers the non-tangible gain is worth more than the financial loss? It’s feasible.

* Edit note - I just saw the Bennet article. The NRL are not organising mid season tests moving forward. Looks like they weren’t profitable after all.

I suppose now we really will get the opportunity for Tonga, Samoa, PNG, Fiji et al to organise their own post season fixtures and see how well they go.

The reason for their being scratched is Channel 9's desire for all three Origins to be on Wednesday nights.

[John Drake]

6 hours ago, Dunbar said:

Can I remind you what you wrote on the thread about posting attitudes. 

"The problem with this place is that a lot of people on here seem to believe that anybody that presents an idea or piece of information that challenges their preconceived notions is a troll by default, and that gives them the right to try and bully them off the site.

That leads to fights and a lack of civility, which leads to a bad atmosphere.

In other words, if you want to fix the atmosphere problem you need to crackdown on the people who add absolutely nothing to a discussion except to insult or mock other people."

You are perfectly entitled to your opinion but you can't complain about the atmosphere on here and then go around describing people as insufferable racists just because they present an alternative view to yours.  If you want civility, then show some.

Exactly right, and that's why this character has just been permanently booted off this forum.

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

3 hours ago, Big Picture said:

No, it's not perfectly normal at all.  Qualification for national teams is based on nationality and always has been, and rightly so.  The practice of allowing non-nationals to play based in mere residency or heritage is an add-on to that used by only some international governing bodies of team sports which have a World Cup or World Championship.  As for whether those "Tongan" or "Samoan" players feel Tongan or Samoan, that's irrelevant because they're only Tongan or Samoan if they're eligible to get a Tongan or Samoan passport.

Yeah, sure, you're right. It's not normal at all. Only those small sports on the fringes do it, like, er, I dunno...

- Football

- Rugby

- Athletics (and numerous other Olympic sports)

- Cricket

 

Come on. That's the whole of the sports section of every global newspaper, give or take. Maybe it doesn't happen in petangue, curling, or pelota, I've no idea mate. But it happens in the ones that count, so to say Rugby League is in some way stretching things beyond the pale is nonsense-on-a-stick

 

 

 

 

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

3 hours ago, Gomersall said:

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/got-this-one-wrong-wayne-bennett-blown-away-by-footy-bosses-crazy-call/news-story/eb960aad357683f7537a075f860f04c6

Bennett has done so much for the International game.

He was a key voice in keeping the Tri & then Four Nations going, until the Aussies (and RFL incompetence) eventually killed it - just as it got embedded in our cultural psyche as a reliable, expected "event" with some early heritage and stories. To be replaced by the nothing - the usual never-happening imaginary 4- or 5-year calendar of hypotheticals. Plus I swear he only took the England job as a favour to save us from ourselves. Great man, we need more like him.  

[Davo5]

4 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

Well, there are always benefits outside the financial. Perhaps the NRL considers the non-tangible gain is worth more than the financial loss? It’s feasible.

* Edit note - I just saw the Bennet article. The NRL are not organising mid season tests moving forward. Looks like they weren’t profitable after all.

I suppose now we really will get the opportunity for Tonga, Samoa, PNG, Fiji et al to organise their own post season fixtures and see how well they go.

You may have seen the article but if you’d have read it you’d realise that Ch 9 have dictated the ending of the weekend Origin game & the NRL fearful of losing a few bob have meekly obeyed their cash cow.

[Dallas Mead]

7 hours ago, Gomersall said:

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/got-this-one-wrong-wayne-bennett-blown-away-by-footy-bosses-crazy-call/news-story/eb960aad357683f7537a075f860f04c6

Insular and parochial NRL in “doing something insular and parochial” shocker!  Disgraceful.  Short sighted.  Annoying. Pathetic.  Not in the slightest bit surprising though.

[DavidM]

I did notice that the NRL gave the two tests at Campbelltown to their most junior inexperienced referees 

[Dallas Mead]

5 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

Well, there are always benefits outside the financial. Perhaps the NRL considers the non-tangible gain is worth more than the financial loss? It’s feasible.

* Edit note - I just saw the Bennet article. The NRL are not organising mid season tests moving forward. Looks like they weren’t profitable after all.

I suppose now we really will get the opportunity for Tonga, Samoa, PNG, Fiji et al to organise their own post season fixtures and see how well they go.

Well no, what would be great would be for Tonga, Samoa, ONG, Fiji et al to organise their own IN season fixtures through the IRL at the same time as this year and see who decides to play for their country rather than an eastern Australian state.

[gingerjon]

7 hours ago, RP London said:

i am sure @gingerjonwill confirm this or tell me i'm wrong but I think the Qatari Handball federation did this back in 2013 ish for a world champs? gave out loads of passports to players that hadn't played an international for another country for 3 years which meant they could swap to Qatar, and they made the semis or final... was a tad controversial. 

The 'Controversies' section of the wikipedia page on the 2015 World Championship gives a pretty good account of it.

[Sports Prophet]

6 hours ago, Davo5 said:

You may have seen the article but if you’d have read it you’d realise that Ch 9 have dictated the ending of the weekend Origin game & the NRL fearful of losing a few bob have meekly obeyed their cash cow.

I don’t know what you are arguing about. Yes I saw that. The bare basics of it all are, that 9 are offering to cash the NRL up to move back to Wednesdays. If the mid season Pacific Tests were so profitable (that you insinuated at the beginning that they were), then the NRL would have told 9 to shove it.

[Sports Prophet]

5 hours ago, Dallas Mead said:

Well no, what would be great would be for Tonga, Samoa, ONG, Fiji et al to organise their own IN season fixtures through the IRL at the same time as this year and see who decides to play for their country rather than an eastern Australian state.

Sure, happy for them to do that too.

Sadly, I expect neither those said nations or the IRL have the stomach for going up against the NRL and their clubs.

[Copa]

The phrase used in relation to women’s sport “you can’t be what you can’t see” applies in this case.

It’s a strong investment in the future of rugby league across Oceania to have these pacific tests. Taking control of some of the world’s best nurseries for contact sport participants is a good thing to aim for.

[Anita Bath]

15 hours ago, DavidM said:

Nailed it 

With the expansion to 17 teams next season, including the Bennett coached dolphins, will that mean an extra round of NRL games? to eat into the calendar?

[Davo5]

7 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

I don’t know what you are arguing about. Yes I saw that. The bare basics of it all are, that 9 are offering to cash the NRL up to move back to Wednesdays. If the mid season Pacific Tests were so profitable (that you insinuated at the beginning that they were), then the NRL would have told 9 to shove it.

You were the one insinuating the NRL funded the Pacific Tests out of some sense of duty to the game,I’m merely pointing out they didn’t do it out of charity and gained from the games financially otherwise they wouldn’t have taken place.

Were they as profitable as the Chanel 9 Origin deal,obviously not hence we won’t be seeing these great games take place mid season for the foreseeable future.

[Davo5]

8 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

Sure, happy for them to do that too.

Sadly, I expect neither those said nations or the IRL have the stomach for going up against the NRL and their clubs.

Given those clubs forced the cancellation of the World Cup because it would interfere with their preseason preparations I really doubt they’d have much chance of getting the players released during the season.

[Sports Prophet]

2 hours ago, Davo5 said:

Given those clubs forced the cancellation of the World Cup because it would interfere with their preseason preparations I really doubt they’d have much chance of getting the players released during the season.

Well we agree there.

[unapologetic pedant]

The YouTube views for Rep weekend highlights packages are currently running as follows -

NSW v QLD 224k

PNG v Fiji 272k

Samoa v Cook Islands 104k

NZ v Tonga 184k

And the women`s -

NSW v QLD under-19s 28k

NSW v QLD 53k

NZ v Tonga 34k

All these are up on NRL games at the equivalent juncture. Three out the four men`s games are massively up. The figures for the women`s games proportionally exceed those for NRLW games by even wider margins.

If AFL could stage a Rep round capable of attracting this much interest on a global platform, they wouldn`t be scrapping it. 

[StandOffHalf]

Interesting discussion on 100% Footy, mostly with Gus holding court:

(3) Watch | Facebook

[Dunbar]

28 minutes ago, StandOffHalf said:

Interesting discussion on 100% Footy, mostly with Gus holding court:

(3) Watch | Facebook

He's a difficult bloke to agree with.

Even when I agree with 90% of what he is saying here, he so full of his own self importance that the message was lost.

[DavidM]

Gus was talking about what everybody else is talking about way before everybody was talking about it , and Gus was predicting everything that’s actually happened way before anyone else ever predicted it was gonna happen. And if he ever said anything that didn’t actually come true he didn’t say it , and actually said what came true and said it before anyone ever even thought of it 

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

On 28/06/2022 at 16:29, DavidM said:

Gus was talking about what everybody else is talking about way before everybody was talking about it , and Gus was predicting everything that’s actually happened way before anyone else ever predicted it was gonna happen. And if he ever said anything that didn’t actually come true he didn’t say it , and actually said what came true and said it before anyone ever even thought of it 

He’s the Donald Trump of rugby league that bloke 

[arcticchris]

Fantastic weekend of Rugby League. The highlight was the PNG - Fiji clash that had power, passion and plenty of skill in a tight contest.

Joey Manu was virtually unplayable and is an obvious contender for best player in the world currently. Best centre of the last decade and possibly even more dangerous at full back with freedom to roam.

I watched Origin but just couldn’t get anywhere near as interested as I was in each of the 3 international mens games despite the high likelihood of the Samoa - Cook Islands game being one sided.

People will write Tonga off but I think they ran into a very motivated NZ side who played better than they have in a long time and missing their coach was a huge factor.

We need much more of this and it’s a big mistake by Channel 9 to want midweek Origin 3 times and scrap the mid season internationals.

[Guest]

NRL now support an international window after the season has ended. Be interesting to see what the set up will be. I still think there's room for mid-year tests and a dedicated window will allow players to play Origin and for their country every year. The mid year tests can still be played without Origin players.

[Big Picture]

53 minutes ago, arcticchris said:

Fantastic weekend of Rugby League. The highlight was the PNG - Fiji clash that had power, passion and plenty of skill in a tight contest.

Joey Manu was virtually unplayable and is an obvious contender for best player in the world currently. Best centre of the last decade and possibly even more dangerous at full back with freedom to roam.

I watched Origin but just couldn’t get anywhere near as interested as I was in each of the 3 international mens games despite the high likelihood of the Samoa - Cook Islands game being one sided.

People will write Tonga off but I think they ran into a very motivated NZ side who played better than they have in a long time and missing their coach was a huge factor.

We need much more of this and it’s a big mistake by Channel 9 to want midweek Origin 3 times and scrap the mid season internationals.

Sorry, but it's not even a small mistake by Nine to midweek Origin, the Australian public has spoken and Origin rates better which really isn't any surprise.

Nine's viewers are Australian after all, and the sight of young men who have grown up in Australia turning out for other countries instead is naturally going to be a turnoff for most of those viewers.  And judging by the modest crowd, a turnoff for the public where ticket sales are concerned too.  Then again they can't play the matches in Tonga or Samoa because then the cost would be prohibitive compared to the paltry gate takings they might get such tiny, poor island countries.

[Gomersall]

5 hours ago, Big Picture said:

Sorry, but it's not even a small mistake by Nine to midweek Origin, the Australian public has spoken and Origin rates better which really isn't any surprise.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/largest-origin-tv-audience-since-2019-tunes-in-for-game-two-rout-20220627-p5awxc.html