International Pacific Championship

[VB89]

Didn't think of that aspect, but yes, you have a golden gift game coming up to select him purely for strategic purposes (we're not going to lose against PNG) and your not doing it is crazy.

 

[Damo]

Yeah, I realise he’s in the squad.
But then Stacey asked/selected him for PNG and he’s like……
“I’m good”
“I’m not ready”
Whatever…….

3 years later…… Blues
Happy to be wrong. Just saying.
He wouldn’t be the first.

Speculation at its finest.

 

[Tohu’s_Knees]

Do you have the link for that bro?

I was just speculating bro.

Speculation at its finest.

Well yeah, I did say “just saying” lol
You can’t confirm it didn’t happen though can you? lol

99% of everything on this forum is speculation/opinion based.

 

[The Warrior Waka]

I was just speculating bro.

Well yeah, I did say “just saying” lol
You can’t confirm it didn’t happen though can you? lol

99% of everything on this forum is speculation/opinion based.

Oh , Ok. I hope he gets picked last minute. Or i can see this happening and NSW picking him up. That'll be fucked

 

[Damo]

Oh , Ok. I hope he gets picked last minute. Or i can see this happening and NSW picking him up. That'll be fucked

He's well down the pecking order for NSW. Although very talented and young, I don't see that changing.

 

[Noitall]

https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/11/07/nrl-admits-kiwis-robbed-of-match-winning-penalty-goal-by-ref-blunder-in-frenetic-tonga-finish/

Good to see the nrl recognises their refs and bunkers poor performances in internationals as well as nrl

 

[juju]

https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/11/07/nrl-admits-kiwis-robbed-of-match-winning-penalty-goal-by-ref-blunder-in-frenetic-tonga-finish/

Good to see the nrl recognises their refs and bunkers poor performances in internationals as well as nrl

Katoa was so not square at marker. It was so obvious live lol

 

[juju]

Tongan trio in line to become first Golden Boot winner from Pacific nation

Addin Fonua-Blake, Jason Taumalolo and Haumole Olakau’atu are in contention to become the first player from a Pacific nation to win the IRL Golden Boot in 2024.

www.nrl.com

A lot depends on the final but has to be AFB or Herbie.

 

[Noitall]

Katoa was so not square at marker. It was so obvious live lol

It’s weird how when you make a captains challenge, if they find something different than what the challenge was sent up for you get to keep your captains challenge. In this instance the challenge went up as a challenge on the kicker’s leg which was acceptable, but very easy to see was Katoa offside and nothing

 

[WA Warrior]

Apparently the Australian Women’s team Coach wants Olivia Kernick involved in the jersey presentation this week after she was left out of the squad.
If that ain’t some weirdo bizarre world thinking I don’t know what is.
Can’t be true.

 

[Zaggo]

Apparently the Australian Women’s team Coach wants Olivia Kernick involved in the jersey presentation this week after she was left out of the squad.
If that ain’t some weirdo bizarre world thinking I don’t know what is.
Can’t be true.

He's made an absolute meal of the entire situation. It's a shame she can't switch over to represent NZ.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/11/07/nrl-admits-kiwis-robbed-of-match-winning-penalty-goal-by-ref-blunder-in-frenetic-tonga-finish/

Good to see the nrl recognises their refs and bunkers poor performances in internationals as well as nrl

The optics don't look great do they?

Bulldogs charge down a kick when their players are offside, and then TMM gets hit high and late and it's play on, denying us the chance to push for the finals. NRL comes out and says they got it wrong

A few months later, blatant offside from Tonga and the refs again make an obvious error and don't see the offside, with the NRL saying they got it wrong days later.

I get that sometimes you don't get 50/50 calls, but it's pretty nuts that in both situations the normal ref has missed the infringement, and then when we ask them to check both calls the bunker refs also miss the infringements, before we end up getting an apology later in the week as those calls were missed.
4 refs, all missing the same basic errors like offside and late tackles? Yeah right

 

[Noitall]

The optics don't look great do they?

Bulldogs charge down a kick when their players are offside, and then TMM gets hit high and late and it's play on, denying us the chance to push for the finals. NRL comes out and says they got it wrong

A few months later, blatant offside from Tonga and the refs again make an obvious error and don't see the offside, with the NRL saying they got it wrong days later.

I get that sometimes you don't get 50/50 calls, but it's pretty nuts that in both situations the normal ref has missed the infringement, and then when we ask them to check both calls the bunker refs also miss the infringements, before we end up getting an apology later in the week as those calls were missed.
4 refs, all missing the same basic errors like offside and late tackles? Yeah right

Something feels off to me about how we keep being on the receiving end. Not to say things don’t go our way sometimes too, but how blatant these were that you’ve described and they missed feels as if they’re priming us, the fans to accept the poor officiating with so many saying it would have been anticlimactic if the Kiwi vs Tonga game ended how it should have. May have been anticlimactic, but it’s the rules

 

[Akkerz]

The poor officiating goes with a rigged result. There is nothing honest about professional sport. RL has just caught up with the rest of the world.

 

[Tohu’s_Knees]

With Australia going to England next year and the Pacific championship being played between NZ, Tonga and Samoa.

Why does it actually have to be a competition?
Why not add PNG or Fiji and have 4 teams and everyone plays each other. Same amount of games.
But they’re just games.

What are the All Blacks essentially doing right now? But on tour.

Imagine a triple header at Eden Park.
Kiwi ferns vs jillaroos
Tonga vs Fiji/PNG
Kiwis vs Samoa.

That would get a very healthy crowd.

 

[Inruin]

With Australia going to England next year and the Pacific championship being played between NZ, Tonga and Samoa.

Why does it actually have to be a competition?
Why not add PNG or Fiji and have 4 teams and everyone plays each other. Same amount of games.
But they’re just games.

What are the All Blacks essentially doing right now? But on tour.

Imagine a triple header at Eden Park.
Kiwi ferns vs jillaroos
Tonga vs Fiji/PNG
Kiwis vs Samoa.

That would get a very healthy crowd.

You had me right up until Eden Park

 

[WA Warrior]

With Australia going to England next year and the Pacific championship being played between NZ, Tonga and Samoa.

Why does it actually have to be a competition?
Why not add PNG or Fiji and have 4 teams and everyone plays each other. Same amount of games.
But they’re just games.

What are the All Blacks essentially doing right now? But on tour.

Imagine a triple header at Eden Park.
Kiwi ferns vs jillaroos
Tonga vs Fiji/PNG
Kiwis vs Samoa.

That would get a very healthy crowd.

Not being cheeky but we need to get passed PNG tomorrow to be guaranteed a spot next year, which we should.

 

[Tohu’s_Knees]

You had me right up until Eden Park

lol it doesn’t have to be Eden park. But NZRL (or whoever is the beneficiary of it) would want the larger venue/s.
A triple header would kinda be wasted at MSS.
Double header
Kiwis ferns vs Jillaroos
Kiwis vs Tonga
Play that at MSS

 

[Zaggo]

I would rather have a rammed to the gills Mt Smart for any kind of double header vs a 75% full Eden Park. There is just no atmosphere there.

Anyone remember the NRL double header a few years back? We drank the stadium dry before the Warriors game even started!

 

[jonesy101]

Absolutely stoked McLean is playing tomorrow. More evidence that State Of Origin means less than internationals to a number of players these days.