Underwhelming start to the pacific tournaments

[Bamboozle]

Anyone else think these half-@rsed tournaments have been rubbish so far?

 

should have sticked with the 4nations concept as it was building up nicely before it got canned.

[jim_57]

3 team tournaments are a bit of a joke of a format. We have limited international weekends as it is, having teams having a “bye” each week is such a waste. No wonder players came up with excuses barely better than “cbf”. 

Should have been a top tier of 4 nations to double the amount of games pre-final. Or at the very least some of the bye teams could have played each other and/or Lebanon. NZ V Fiji this week would have been a perfect warm up test for both. Could have had Australia V PNG next week too.

[Bamboozle]

13 minutes ago, jim_57 said:

3 team tournaments are a bit of a joke of a format. We have limited international weekends as it is, having teams having a “bye” each week is such a waste. No wonder players came up with excuses barely better than “cbf”. 

Should have been a top tier of 4 nations to double the amount of games pre-final. Or at the very least some of the bye teams could have played each other and/or Lebanon. NZ V Fiji this week would have been a perfect warm up test for both. Could have had Australia V PNG next week too.

No wonder the international game is in the sh#tter.

 

we deserve everything we get .

[Bamboozle]

PNG are progressing nicely though.

 

 

[Damien]

I was glad to see any international games but an odd number of 3 teams is just a joke and simply seems designed to cut down on games. Any format that has bye weeks for teams, during the only period that we can now play international games, is poor.

[Bamboozle]

2 minutes ago, Damien said:

I was glad to see any international games but an odd number of 3 teams is just a joke and simply seems designed to cut down on games. Any format that has bye weeks for teams, during the only period that we can now play international games, is poor.

This.

talk about a momentumn killer.

[Damien]

There really needs to be 4 teams in a group so that every team plays every weekend. I'd personally just have all 6 top Pacific Nations, Australia, NZ, PNG, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa in a 6 nations for 5 games each. Don't even bother with a final if an extra game is a concern.

We were told that scrapping the mid season international would mean an extended end of season international window (yes I know, please stop the giggling at the back). Teams playing a maximum of 3 games is not that and is less than what we had for years anyway.

This leaves Cook Islands very much on the outer but with a population of 15k and not the same diaspora I don't see the same potential. Nothing stopping them playing Lebanon and Italy in a Tri Nations.

[Bamboozle]

5 minutes ago, Damien said:

There really needs to be 4 teams in a group so that every team plays every weekend. I'd personally just have all 6 top Pacific Nations, Australia, NZ, PNG, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa in a 6 nations for 5 games each. Don't even bother with a final if an extra game is a concern.

We were told that scrapping the mid season international would mean an extended end of season international window (yes I know, please stop the giggling at the back). Teams playing a maximum of 3 games is not that and is less than what we had for years anyway.

This leaves Cook Islands very much on the outer but with a population of 15k and not the same diaspora I don't see the same potential. Nothing stopping them playing Lebanon and Italy in a Tri Nations.

Even a 4 team competition with a 3 team qualifying competition running side by side would work like the old 4nations format.

[sam4731]

1 hour ago, Bamboozle said:

Anyone else think these half-@rsed tournaments have been rubbish so far?

 

should have sticked with the 4nations concept as it was building up nicely before it got canned.

If you want to know the heart that is going into this tournament, look at the Kangaroos.

They are going home this week as opposed to spending time in camp with their teammates. I've obviously never played for my country but I'm guessing having that team camaraderie is one of the highlights.

For them, this is simply post season training for next year's SOO.

[Bamboozle]

1 minute ago, sam4731 said:

If you want to know the heart that is going into this tournament, look at the Kangaroos.

They are going home this week as opposed to spending time in camp with their teammates. I've obviously never played for my country but I'm guessing having that team camaraderie is one of the highlights.

For them, this is simply post season training for next year's SOO.

The game deserves better.

the end of season internationals used to be my favourite part of the season.

[sam4731]

Just now, Bamboozle said:

The game deserves better.

the end of season internationals used to be my favourite part of the season.

The fact that they are playing NRL rules and not international rules is another big middle finger to the rest of the world.

[Bamboozle]

1 minute ago, sam4731 said:

The fact that they are playing NRL rules and not international rules is another big middle finger to the rest of the world.

And the game as a whole suffers which the NRL bosses are too dumb or blinkered or both to see.

[Bamboozle]

Silver lining to the poor crowd in Port Moresby hopefully could be the canning of the dumb png/pasifika NRL team.

[Gomersall]

4 hours ago, sam4731 said:

The fact that they are playing NRL rules and not international rules is another big middle finger to the rest of the world.

The rest of the world will be playing to NRL rules sooner or later. You heard it here first

Edited October 15, 2023 by Gomersall

[Farmduck]

1 hour ago, sam4731 said:

The fact that they are playing NRL rules and not international rules is another big middle finger to the rest of the world.

Which NRL rules do you consider the biggest problems?

[Bamboozle]

5 minutes ago, Farmduck said:

Which NRL rules do you consider the biggest problems?

The fact that they aren’t international rules.

[sam4731]

9 minutes ago, Farmduck said:

Which NRL rules do you consider the biggest problems?

I don't consider any of them a problem but these are not NRL matches. They are international matches which have their own set of rules determined by the IRL which the NRL have decided to ignore.

[sam4731]

33 minutes ago, Gomersall said:

The rest of the world be playing to NRL rules sooner or later. You heard it here first

We already all play by their rules anyway.

[Farmduck]

10 minutes ago, Bamboozle said:

The fact that they aren’t international rules.

Which ones aren't?

4 minutes ago, sam4731 said:

I don't consider any of them a problem but these are not NRL matches. They are international matches which have their own set of rules determined by the IRL which the NRL have decided to ignore.

That's not very specific. Which IRL rules have the NRL chosen to ignore in these Pacific Cup/Bowl games?

[sam4731]

40 minutes ago, Farmduck said:

Which ones aren't?

That's not very specific. Which IRL rules have the NRL chosen to ignore in these Pacific Cup/Bowl games?

1 on 1 rips when someone is falling off the tackle which aren't allowed in the international rules. Penalties for ruck infringements inside a teams 40 instead of a six again. 2 points for a field goal outside the 40. These are just off the top of my head, I'm sure others might be able to add more.

[unapologetic pedant]

I think the aim of the NRL leadership is to get SH fans in the habit of expecting a series of men's and women's internationals at the end of every NRL and NRLW season. And then build the prestige year-by-year. Formats are less important at this stage.

This weekend was a reasonable start. Weeks 2 and 3 should be better. Their hands were a little tied this year when Tonga committed themselves to tour England before the CBA was agreed. My only criticism is the decision to play a men's final.

 

[Dunbar]

I enjoyed the mens Kangaroo and Samoa match, probably because Samoa showed plenty of guts to stay in the match.

And I particularly enjoyed the Jillaroos and Kiwi Ferns match as it was really competitive. 

The matches this morning not so much but the Kangaroos Kiwi game should be a cracker.

[Damien]

16 minutes ago, unapologetic pedant said:

I think the aim of the NRL leadership is to get SH fans in the habit of expecting a series of men's and women's internationals at the end of every NRL and NRLW season. And then build the prestige year-by-year. Formats are less important at this stage.

This weekend was a reasonable start. Weeks 2 and 3 should be better. Their hands were a little tied this year when Tonga committed themselves to tour England before the CBA was agreed. My only criticism is the decision to play a men's final.

 

If they don't expect that then it is entirely the fault of the said NRL leadership! Up until very recently it was absolutely the norm.

Obviously I am talking about the men's game here.

[DavidM]

I always wonder why NRL refs think a ball carrier taking out a marker isn’t a penalty . Then again , moving off the mark used to be a penalty 

[StandOffHalf]

Very underwhelming start.

3 in a pool is just to cut down on games.