Kangaroos Selection - 2024 including Pong-gate

[Hopie]

5 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

interesting take from Josh Mansour on the matter.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-25/kalyn-ponga-kangaroos-snub-josh-mansour/104393430

"Gobsmacked Kalyn Ponga & the Knights didn’t just tell a white lie about an injury niggle to keep him from possible Kangaroos selection. Would be a non-story considering it happens all the time."

I am shocked, shocked to find that any sort of lying is going on here!

[StandOffHalf]

45 minutes ago, stookie said:

You can think it's not great compared to the best it could be, but I won't accept it's the bare minimum. It's being pushed really hard not only during the game broadcasts, but also in general on the FTA network that has the rights (channel 9). They seem to be trying to make this work.

I believe they are being advertised because they have been bundled in with the NRL deal. More games for the broadcasters.

Two games and a final is really the bare minimum though. It's hard to present it as anything else.

[Sports Prophet]

37 minutes ago, Hopie said:

"Gobsmacked Kalyn Ponga & the Knights didn’t just tell a white lie about an injury niggle to keep him from possible Kangaroos selection. Would be a non-story considering it happens all the time."

I am shocked, shocked to find that any sort of lying is going on here!

that quote is talking about a situation where a player doesn’t want to play, rather than a situation where a player does want to play, but is being unduly pressured not to play.

[Sports Prophet]

9 minutes ago, StandOffHalf said:

I believe they are being advertised because they have been bundled in with the NRL deal. More games for the broadcasters.

Two games and a final is really the bare minimum though. It's hard to present it as anything else.

Correction. Three games and a final.

[stookie]

4 minutes ago, StandOffHalf said:

I believe they are being advertised because they have been bundled in with the NRL deal. More games for the broadcasters.

Two games and a final is really the bare minimum though. It's hard to present it as anything else.

I just checked the NRL website, every game, men's and women's, is on both FTA (channel 9) and Pay TV (Foxtel/Kayo). That's a lot more than 2 games. Most men's and about half the women's are on the channel 9 main channel (BBC1 vs BB3 type of thing).

If the TV channels are the ones pushing it, great, they are invested and want to maximise it.

If the NRL is the one pushing it, great, they are invested in international RL despite what people think.

My opinion is they are both invested to some degree; and this is a great thing. It may be a contra arrangement but I don't care, it's still value for international RL.

[stookie]

3 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

Correction. Three games and a final.

I just (re)counted, it's 16 in total.

Edit: Oh you 2 are talking about just the Aus men's games.

Edited September 25 by stookie

[Hopie]

4 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

Correction. Three games and a final.

Each team plays 2 games, and a final if they make it. 
You know why 2 games was quoted, but you are trying to inflate the figures because it is such a tiny number of games. 

[StandOffHalf]

15 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

Correction. Three games and a final.

Are you sure?

[Sports Prophet]

2 minutes ago, StandOffHalf said:

Are you sure?

Pacific Cup, yes.

But in all, as I have already stated clearly, the NRL are organising 8 men’s international Test fixtures this post season.

[Sports Prophet]

19 minutes ago, Hopie said:

Each team plays 2 games, and a final if they make it. 
You know why 2 games was quoted, but you are trying to inflate the figures because it is such a tiny number of games. 

Yes, I do know why it was quoted 2 games and a final, to disingenuously under quote the true number of fixtures by 25%, so it deserved public correction.

Edited September 25 by Sports Prophet

[StandOffHalf]

1 minute ago, Sports Prophet said:

Pacific Cup, yes.

But in all, as I have already stated clearly, the NRL are organising 8 men’s international Test fixtures this post season.

They play Tonga and the Kiwis and then the Final (if they make it), isn't it?

I haven't looked at the fixtures, but I'd be surprised if they have changed it from last year.

[Sports Prophet]

1 minute ago, StandOffHalf said:

They play Tonga and the Kiwis and then the Final (if they make it), isn't it?

I haven't looked at the fixtures, but I'd be surprised if they have changed it from last year.

That is correct.

[Sports Prophet]

20 minutes ago, Hopie said:

Each team plays 2 games, and a final if they make it. 
You know why 2 games was quoted, but you are trying to inflate the figures because it is such a tiny number of games. 

 

9 minutes ago, StandOffHalf said:

Are you sure?

 

3 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

Yes, I do know why it was quoted 2 games and a final, to disingenuously under quote the true number of fixtures by 25%, so it deserved public correction.

Ok, I take this back, maybe the original quote on two games and a final was specifically referencing Australia, as we are on a specific thread about Ponga and the Kangaroos.

I take back what I said.

[Dunbar]

Can't believe all this talk of punishing Ponga for not wanting to play for the Kangaroos this year.  It is up to him, I remember back in the day Jamie Lyon made himself unavailable for representative games.

I would have given anything to have been good enough to play for Great Britain at Rugby League but (as always) that is the fan speaking, it isn't my job to play Rugby League. 

[Tommygilf]

On 25/09/2024 at 13:58, stookie said:

If the NRL is the one pushing it, great, they are invested in international RL despite what people think.

Nobody disputes that they are, they just limit that investment to stuff they control it seems, and will actively sabotage or offer no assistance to nearly anything else.

[M j M]

1 hour ago, Dunbar said:

Can't believe all this talk of punishing Ponga for not wanting to play for the Kangaroos this year.  It is up to him, I remember back in the day Jamie Lyon made himself unavailable for representative games.

If he's made himself unavailable for rep games then he won't be looking to play Origin next year. That's all fine as long as he doesn't suddenly decide that Origin is different.

[Dunbar]

53 minutes ago, M j M said:

If he's made himself unavailable for rep games then he won't be looking to play Origin next year. That's all fine as long as he doesn't suddenly decide that Origin is different.

It is up to him if he wants to make himself available for Origin or not.

[Tommygilf]

19 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

It is up to him if he wants to make himself available for Origin or not.

He will almost certainly be available for Origin, and they almost certainly will pick him (as they do players who play internationals for other nations too)

[M j M]

31 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

It is up to him if he wants to make himself available for Origin or not.

The two are linked and should be. Internationals are the peak of the game, if he doesn't follow proper process and ducks playing for the Kangaroos then playing for the Maroons should be a non-starter.

[Dunbar]

17 minutes ago, M j M said:

The two are linked and should be. Internationals are the peak of the game, if he doesn't follow proper process and ducks playing for the Kangaroos then playing for the Maroons should be a non-starter.

Of course, that's what we all want it to be.

In reality, players see Origin as the pinnacle and Origin coaches will pick the players that they think have the best chance to win the series, whether they are Tongans, Samoans or Australians unavailable for the Kangaroos.

Origin stopped being about Kangaroo selection a long time ago.

[M j M]

9 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Of course, that's what we all want it to be.

In reality, players see Origin as the pinnacle and Origin coaches will pick the players that they think have the best chance to win the series, whether they are Tongans, Samoans or Australians unavailable for the Kangaroos.

Origin stopped being about Kangaroo selection a long time ago.

What players think and what the rules/requirements are are different. If we want the best players playing international football then they need to know that rep games aren't pick and mix.

Edited September 26 by M j M

[Tommygilf]

22 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Of course, that's what we all want it to be.

In reality, players see Origin as the pinnacle and Origin coaches will pick the players that they think have the best chance to win the series, whether they are Tongans, Samoans or Australians unavailable for the Kangaroos.

Origin stopped being about Kangaroo selection a long time ago.

Exactly, Ponga won't, and indeed can't be stopped from being selected for Origin because he is not playing for the Kangaroos. They've created something bigger, some might say a monster, and now they reap what they sow.

[Anita Bath]

46 minutes ago, M j M said:

The two are linked and should be. Internationals are the peak of the game, if he doesn't follow proper process and ducks playing for the Kangaroos then playing for the Maroons should be a non-starter.

Internationals are the peak of the game?  Where have you been for the last 20 years? 

We have a world cup whenever we can find a country willing to take on the financial risk. It takes on a different format each time, we all get hyped up about it and Australia walks off with the cup (only one other winner in last 50 years of competition)

Is there any other team sport in which one country has been so dominant? Its no longer a competition…its a carnival.

At least NSW occasionally win origin.

[Dunbar]

35 minutes ago, M j M said:

What players think and what the rules/requirements are are different. If we want the best players playing international football then they need to know that rep games aren't pick and mix.

But they are pick and mix.  Players are made unavailable every year for international selection.  The mistake Ponga made was that he was honest.

[17 stone giant]

4 hours ago, Dunbar said:

Can't believe all this talk of punishing Ponga for not wanting to play for the Kangaroos this year.

Just to be clear, would you be happy for him to sit out this years matches, but then return and play for Australia next year/ in future?