Pacific Championships 2024

[Farmduck]

FT:  PNG  42   Cook Islands  20

[Farmduck]

Voss made a good point. Apart from the first and last tries, all PNG's points came in a 26 minute period starting around the 30-minute mark. So, a good win but, overall, not such a great performance. Of course you can only beat the team in front of you and any win's a win, etc, etc.

[Hopie]

https://youtu.be/QapcqstY314?si=p9eaDDjqyDMrXDZ8

Some of those cards would be different in Super League, but what an atmosphere!

[StandOffHalf]

9 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

I would have been fuming if a penalty was called for that. If you charge the ball down, you’ve charged it down. Anything after that which isn’t foul play via unsportsmanlike behavior should be disregarded.

 

It was a bit like that penalty against James Graham years ago.

Yeah, on balance, I think you have to give the player charging-down the benefit of the doubt.

Edited November 3 by StandOffHalf

[StandOffHalf]

Just watched the Kukis against the Kumuls. Felt too tired to get up this morning, so recorded it for later viewing.

Gosh, what an odd and chaotic opening 25-30 minutes from the home side. They looked flat and their defensive structure looked shot, with dog-legs and gaps everywhere.

The Kukis were good in scoring their first two tries and going out to an early 10-point lead.

The Kumuls came a bit to life and scored a couple to lead at HT, adding a few more early in the second half. Lam and MacDonald were fairly good, after that off-colour opening 25-30-minute spell. Their prop rotation was also pretty strong. I thought Namo went well and made himself felt.

I think the wind may have been a pretty big factor in Port Moresby. It seemed to affect the kick-offs and the Cooks found it hard to make ground in the second half.

Hard to see that sort of performance worrying the Kiwis. They'll have to up their game hugely to be in the contest next weekend. MacDonald aside they are probably just a bit short of star first-graders in the backs. Derby, Matthias, Roltinga, Morea Morea, etc. are all promising players but they haven't played at that level. Coates has jumped ship, and they don't have stars such as a David Mead or a Justin Olam.

I fear it could be pretty one-sided next weekend.

Edited November 3 by StandOffHalf

[Odsal Outlaw]

54 minutes ago, StandOffHalf said:

Just watched the Kukis against the Kumuls. Felt too tired to get up this morning, so recorded it for later viewing.

Gosh, what an odd and chaotic opening 25-30 minutes from the home side. The looked flat and their defensive structure looked shot, with dog-legs and gaps everywhere.

The Kukis were good in scoring their first two tries and going out to an early 10-point lead.

The Kumuls came a bit to life and scored a couple to lead at HT, adding a few more early in the second half. Lam and MacDonald were fairly good, after that off-colour opening 25-30-minute spell. Their prop rotation was also pretty strong. I thought Namo went well and made himself felt.

I think the wind may have been a pretty big factor in Port Moresby. It seemed to affect the kick-offs and the Cooks found it hard to make ground in the second half.

Hard to see that sort of performance worrying the Kiwis. They'll have to up their game hugely to be in the contest next weekend. MacDonald aside they are probably just a bit short of star first-graders in the backs. Derby, Matthias, Roltinga, Morea Morea, etc. are all promising players but they haven't played at that level. Coates has jumped ship, and they don't have stars such as a David Mead or a Justin Olam.

I fear it could be pretty one-sided next weekend.

I don’t think it matters massively if it’s a bit one sided next weekend. Hope it’s not of course. But it’s great that by winning the Bowl they get the chance to test themselves against the next level up. That helps them improve. Also ensures the Kiwis are on their game as they won’t want to get relegated!

[sam4731]

Do we still not know the status of the Cook Islands participation next year? If they can't play because of the World Series, who will take up their spot? Maybe the Cook Islands could play their matches mid season, with PNG/NZ and Fiji playing twice or three times post season.

[StandOffHalf]

4 minutes ago, Odsal Outlaw said:

I don’t think it matters massively if it’s a bit one sided next weekend. Hope it’s not of course. But it’s great that by winning the Bowl they get the chance to test themselves against the next level up. That helps them improve. Also ensures the Kiwis are on their game as they won’t want to get relegated!

Yeah, of course. I don't want to sound overly negative. 

It's great that they have earned the game against the Kiwis.

It's worth remembering that this is quite a weakened Kumuls side as well, with plenty of young and new faces. No Johnston, Coates, Olam, Ipape, Martin wasn't there.

[JM2010]

1 minute ago, sam4731 said:

Do we still not know the status of the Cook Islands participation next year? If they can't play because of the World Series, who will take up their spot? Maybe the Cook Islands could play their matches mid season, with PNG/NZ and Fiji playing twice or three times post season.

Could add Lebanon, they’d be competitive and need to play more games

[arcticchris]

17 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

I would have been fuming if a penalty was called for that. If you charge the ball down, you’ve charged it down. Anything after that which isn’t foul play via unsportsmanlike behavior should be disregarded.

 

Totally agree. It was 100% a deliberate play at the ball and the minimal contact with Johnson’s legs was both incidental and unintentional.

 

It would have been a very soft call to give a penalty there. Credit to all the officials for making the right call and not buckling to favour the bigger nation.

[GeordieSaint]

Shame NZ are not playing PNG in Port Moresby. 

Have the Kiwis ever played over there? 

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, GeordieSaint said:

Shame NZ are not playing PNG in Port Moresby. 

Have the Kiwis ever played over there? 

A few times but not since 1994 - if wiki is correct.

[Damien]

4 minutes ago, GeordieSaint said:

Shame NZ are not playing PNG in Port Moresby. 

Have the Kiwis ever played over there? 

That would have been epic.

[Damien]

9 hours ago, arcticchris said:

Totally agree. It was 100% a deliberate play at the ball and the minimal contact with Johnson’s legs was both incidental and unintentional.

 

It would have been a very soft call to give a penalty there. Credit to all the officials for making the right call and not buckling to favour the bigger nation.

If Tonga had lost because of that it would have left a very sour taste. 

[Jim from Oz]

2 hours ago, Damien said:

That would have been epic.

 

[Damien]

Just now, Jim from Oz said:

 

Oooh cheers. Looks a good watch, I will check it out later  

[MatthewWoody]

9 hours ago, gingerjon said:

A few times but not since 1994 - if wiki is correct.

There was an old documentary on YouTube covering a Kiwi tour in PNG. 

But now I can't find it. 

[Hopie]

4 games in one stadium on one day is a bit bonkers, wouldn't it have been better to split things up?

[Jim from Oz]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/why-sydney-s-first-test-sell-out-in-30-years-ramps-up-nrl-expansion-heat-20241103-p5kngr.html

 

[Jim from Oz]

For those who can't see behind the pay wall:

NRL chief Andrew Abdo says the prospect of Sydney’s strongest-selling Kangaroos Test in more than 30 years has reinforced the NRL’s expansion bids to create a shorter season and a permanent calendar window for international rugby league.

A 30,000-strong, sold-out Commbank Stadium is on the cards for Sunday’s Pacific Championships final between Australia and Tonga, given strong ticket sales and an impressive fan turn-out for the island nation in recent years.

The Kangaroos have rarely played in Sydney (their last Harbour City outing was a 2017 World Cup pool game against Lebanon at Allianz Stadium), partly due to fears of underwhelming crowds for late season internationals.

Not since the 1992 Ashes, when 40,141 fans packed into the old Sydney Football Stadium and only a few hundred tickets went unsold, has a Kangaroos Test sold as well as this weekend’s four-game fixture.

The Pacific Championships’ strong attendances have come despite the fact that numerous players missed the tournament through injury and burnout fears. The NRL and the RLPA are aligned in pursuing a shortened regular season.

Abdo said ongoing expansion talks and a 20-team NRL competition would allow for a shorter season to be taken into the next broadcast negotiations for 2027 and beyond and that greater emphasis could be placed on the international game.

“We sold five or six thousand tickets [for Sunday’s finals] on Saturday alone and that shows the fans are really keen on this format and the international footy,” Abdo told this masthead.

“There’s Australia against Tonga but we’ve got four games next Sunday and we’ve sold around 20,000 tickets already. We’re expecting to get up into the high 20,000s and if all goes well, we could have a sell-out, which would be fantastic again for the international game.

“If and when expansion is approved by the ARL Commission, quality over quantity is so important when thinking about the season structure.

“Of course, additional teams in the premiership give us extra options when we think about the design of the year and how everything fits together.

etc

[Copa]

I just went online to find a a few tickets and it’s sold out except for wheelchair/disability allocations.

[Sports Prophet]

More positive talk from the NRL/ARLC about their dedication to improving RLs international footprint.

It’s been a fantastic series to date and I believe last year outsourced the final to NZRL, whilst this year having in house looks to have done the trick.

Pure speculation, but I do wonder if the ARLC are even going to be co-hosting the Ashes in England next year as an investment/revenue share partnership. A few posters on here believe the RFL are short on money, and if correct, it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that the ARLC are walking into this series as a major decision maker on how a 2025 England Ashes series would be delivered.

[StandOffHalf]

We need words to be backed up by actions though, and a quick return to what we had with at least one mid-season weekend.

[gingerjon]

3 hours ago, Jim from Oz said:

For those who can't see behind the pay wall:
 

NRL chief Andrew Abdo says the prospect of Sydney’s strongest-selling Kangaroos Test in more than 30 years has reinforced the NRL’s expansion bids to create a shorter season and a permanent calendar window for international rugby league.

A 30,000-strong, sold-out Commbank Stadium is on the cards for Sunday’s Pacific Championships final between Australia and Tonga, given strong ticket sales and an impressive fan turn-out for the island nation in recent years.

The Kangaroos have rarely played in Sydney (their last Harbour City outing was a 2017 World Cup pool game against Lebanon at Allianz Stadium), partly due to fears of underwhelming crowds for late season internationals.

Not since the 1992 Ashes, when 40,141 fans packed into the old Sydney Football Stadium and only a few hundred tickets went unsold, has a Kangaroos Test sold as well as this weekend’s four-game fixture.

The Pacific Championships’ strong attendances have come despite the fact that numerous players missed the tournament through injury and burnout fears. The NRL and the RLPA are aligned in pursuing a shortened regular season.

Abdo said ongoing expansion talks and a 20-team NRL competition would allow for a shorter season to be taken into the next broadcast negotiations for 2027 and beyond and that greater emphasis could be placed on the international game.

“We sold five or six thousand tickets [for Sunday’s finals] on Saturday alone and that shows the fans are really keen on this format and the international footy,” Abdo told this masthead.

“There’s Australia against Tonga but we’ve got four games next Sunday and we’ve sold around 20,000 tickets already. We’re expecting to get up into the high 20,000s and if all goes well, we could have a sell-out, which would be fantastic again for the international game.

“If and when expansion is approved by the ARL Commission, quality over quantity is so important when thinking about the season structure.

“Of course, additional teams in the premiership give us extra options when we think about the design of the year and how everything fits together.

etc

Are they looking at a 19 game regular club season plus play-offs?

Then add on three Origin and 3-4 internationals?

[Dave T]

4 hours ago, Jim from Oz said:

For those who can't see behind the pay wall:
 

NRL chief Andrew Abdo says the prospect of Sydney’s strongest-selling Kangaroos Test in more than 30 years has reinforced the NRL’s expansion bids to create a shorter season and a permanent calendar window for international rugby league.

A 30,000-strong, sold-out Commbank Stadium is on the cards for Sunday’s Pacific Championships final between Australia and Tonga, given strong ticket sales and an impressive fan turn-out for the island nation in recent years.

The Kangaroos have rarely played in Sydney (their last Harbour City outing was a 2017 World Cup pool game against Lebanon at Allianz Stadium), partly due to fears of underwhelming crowds for late season internationals.

Not since the 1992 Ashes, when 40,141 fans packed into the old Sydney Football Stadium and only a few hundred tickets went unsold, has a Kangaroos Test sold as well as this weekend’s four-game fixture.

The Pacific Championships’ strong attendances have come despite the fact that numerous players missed the tournament through injury and burnout fears. The NRL and the RLPA are aligned in pursuing a shortened regular season.

Abdo said ongoing expansion talks and a 20-team NRL competition would allow for a shorter season to be taken into the next broadcast negotiations for 2027 and beyond and that greater emphasis could be placed on the international game.

“We sold five or six thousand tickets [for Sunday’s finals] on Saturday alone and that shows the fans are really keen on this format and the international footy,” Abdo told this masthead.

“There’s Australia against Tonga but we’ve got four games next Sunday and we’ve sold around 20,000 tickets already. We’re expecting to get up into the high 20,000s and if all goes well, we could have a sell-out, which would be fantastic again for the international game.

“If and when expansion is approved by the ARL Commission, quality over quantity is so important when thinking about the season structure.

“Of course, additional teams in the premiership give us extra options when we think about the design of the year and how everything fits together.

etc

That's all nice, but I am.gettibg fed up with the NRL trying to claim they are smashing everything and gaslighting us about history.

In 2008 they got 2 x 34k crowds versus the Kiwis in Sydney.

In 2002 they got 2 x 30k+ crowds when playing GB and NZ.

They have also had 24k and 28k. 

These crowds were without being double headers.