Kaufusi Is Tongan

[Sports Prophet]

Turned his back on a certain Kangaroos selection to play for Tonga.

Eligible for NZ too as the nation of his birth, the Tongan heritage has won his heart.

[Dallas Mead]

Ace.

[Harry Stottle]

5 minutes ago, Dallas Mead said:

Ace.

Ace Rimmer? 

Smoke me a kipper skipper, I'll be back for breakfast!

[Eddie]

I had a sizeable bet on Tonga at 12/1 before the tournament was postponed, this is good news. 

[Harry Stottle]

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

I had a sizeable bet on Tonga at 12/1 before the tournament was postponed, this is good news. 

Don't want to dissapoint you Eddie but I believe you will waste your money, all the big money backers would look no further than Aus even if they are 1/10 or greater, and they won't lose. As I have said before there are those who will be in this Aus team who I believe in years to come will be revered as some of the greats of the past have been.

Edited July 22, 2022 by Harry Stottle

[GUBRATS]

1 hour ago, Harry Stottle said:

Ace Rimmer? 

Smoke me a kipper skipper, I'll be back for breakfast!

Good to know you know your ' SMEG ' Harry 

Boys from the Dwarf

[Eddie]

7 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Don't want to dissapoint you Eddie but I believe you will waste your money, all the big money backers would look no further than Aus even if they are 1/10 or greater, and they won't lose. As I have said before there are those who will be in this Aus team who I believe in years to come will be revered as some of the greats of the past have been.

Oh yeah I know Australia are massive odds on favourites and deservedly so, but I do think Tonga could beat them in a one off game, certainly one in ten times. 

[AB90]

3 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Oh yeah I know Australia are massive odds on favourites and deservedly so, but I do think Tonga could beat them in a one off game, certainly one in ten times. 

Good thing about the Tonga bet is they are on the other side of the draw to Aus and NZ meaning they can only meet them in the final. 

They just have to get through England and Samoa.

[DavidM]

1 minute ago, AB90 said:

Good thing about the Tonga bet is they are on the other side of the draw to Aus and NZ meaning they can only meet them in the final. 

They just have to get through England and Samoa.

England will knock out Tonga 

[Harry Stottle]

8 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Good to know you know your ' SMEG ' Harry 

Boys from the Dwarf 

""Twist my nipple nuts, and call me Susan"

[Harry Stottle]

8 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Oh yeah I know Australia are massive odds on favourites and deservedly so, but I do think Tonga could beat them in a one off game, certainly one in ten times. 

Well they did that in Auckland in '19, so that's your 1 in 10 gone there Eddie, incidentally I was at the game, and without all the euphoria that Tonga recieved the game itself was a dissapointing dull affair.

[Davo5]

37 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Oh yeah I know Australia are massive odds on favourites and deservedly so, but I do think Tonga could beat them in a one off game, certainly one in ten times. 

Australia massive odds on,really ?

[Eddie]

4 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Australia massive odds on,really ?

Yes they’re 4/11. 

[Scubby]

2 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

Turned his back on a certain Kangaroos selection to play for Tonga.

Eligible for NZ too as the nation of his birth, the Tongan heritage has won his heart.

The dam has broken now and any attempt to try and tweak the rules to advantage Australia again will be called out.

Ultimately, the ARLC thought all Origin players of Polynesian heritage would simply fall into line and be at Australia's disposal as and when they needed them. Well Fitita, Tupou and To'o said no, and it turns out Australia have been caught off guard by many more doing the same.

More draconian measures are laughable. Imagine the quality of Origin without those Polynesian players going forward?

Most other sports would be thanking their lucky stars for this opportunity and see it as a clear advantage over AFL. 

[Eddie]

4 minutes ago, Scubby said:

 

Most other sports would be thanking their lucky stars for this opportunity and see it as a clear advantage over AFL. 

This

[Scubby]

2 minutes ago, Eddie said:

This

It could also cause huge headaches for NZRU because it is something even the All Blacks can't replicate because of how weak Samoa, Tonga and Fiji are. 

Imagine Tonga v NZ, NZ v Sam, Sam v Tonga, PNG v Aus, Aus v NZ, Aus v Eng, Aus v Tonga .......... nuts! Throw in England and France too.

The Confed Cup idea concept tweaked could have been 6-8 years old now had the Aussies not been shamed into it because they were so far up their #######

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

3 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

Turned his back on a certain Kangaroos selection to play for Tonga.

Eligible for NZ too as the nation of his birth, the Tongan heritage has won his heart.

Great.....would love to see Phil Goulds or Mals face when they hear

Edited July 22, 2022 by Bedfordshire Bronco

[DavidM]

26 minutes ago, Scubby said:

The dam has broken now and any attempt to try and tweak the rules to advantage Australia again will be called out.

Ultimately, the ARLC thought all Origin players of Polynesian heritage would simply fall into line and be at Australia's disposal as and when they needed them. Well Fitita, Tupou and To'o said no, and it turns out Australia have been caught off guard by many more doing the same.

More draconian measures are laughable. Imagine the quality of Origin without those Polynesian players going forward?

Most other sports would be thanking their lucky stars for this opportunity and see it as a clear advantage over AFL. 

Tonga will be officially a tier 1 nation very soon and the Origin eligibility rules which are under increasing scrutiny will totally fall apart . People will be able to play internationally for whoever they wish but NSW and Queensland will pick players from or aligned to those states . Its ultimately inevitable the way its going 

[Scubby]

6 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Tonga will be officially a tier 1 nation very soon and the Origin eligibility rules which are under increasing scrutiny will totally fall apart . People will be able to play internationally for whoever they wish but NSW and Queensland will pick players from or aligned to those states . Its ultimately inevitable the way its going 

I think Freddy Fittler said if you do your high schooling in NSW or Queensland (i.e. under 13) then you qualify for Origin. Which country you play for outside of that doesn't matter. 

Makes complete sense and would have allowed Radley (and before him) Jack Reed to do both - but not adult immigrants like Sam Burgess or James Graham. Would also mean Jason Taumalolo could play for Queensland. How does that hurt State of Origin? And would insular Aussies really care?

Edited July 22, 2022 by Scubby

[DavidM]

Just now, Scubby said:

I think Freddy Fittler said if you do your high schooling in NSW or Queensland (i.e. under 13) then you qualify for Origin. Which country you play for outside of that doesn't matter. 

Makes complete sense and would have allowed Radley (and before him) Jack Reed to do both - but not adult immigrants like Sam Burgess or James Graham. Would also mean Jason Taumalolo could play for Queensland. How does that hurt State of Origin?

Indeed , I’d put a small wager on Radley still playing Origin in his career 

[Scubby]

5 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Indeed , I’d put a small wager on Radley still playing Origin in his career 

Hopefully down the line the game will recognise those players who stuck up for themselves and went to play for Tonga in 2017. It has taken 5 years but led us to where we are today.

[Sports Prophet]

12 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Tonga will be officially a tier 1 nation very soon and the Origin eligibility rules which are under increasing scrutiny will totally fall apart . 

No they won’t. There is no clear credentials to be considered tier 1 and the IRL have no intention of re classifying any nations from tier 2 to tier 1.

[DavidM]

Just now, Sports Prophet said:

No they won’t. There is no clear credentials to be considered tier 1 and the IRL have no intention of re classifying any nations from tier 2 to tier 1.

Why

[Sports Prophet]

10 minutes ago, Scubby said:

 

Makes complete sense and would have allowed Radley (and before him) Jack Reed to do both - but not adult immigrants like Sam Burgess or James Graham. Would also mean Jason Taumalolo could play for Queensland. How does that hurt State of Origin? And would insular Aussies really care?

Under current SOO eligibility, JT could not represent Qld as no players that have represented a Tier 1 nation (that is not Aus) cannot be selected.

[Sports Prophet]

1 minute ago, DavidM said:

Why

Tiering was brought in by IRL to set criteria that no players can change from one tier 1 nation to another. That is its sole purpose.

The IRL are well aware that by promoting Tonga to Tier 1 may significantly jeopardise the standard of the Tonga national side.