International Pacific Championship

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PhilsySH35 said:
Agree, in my fifties when diagnosed with a weak heart (type 2 diabetes related issues) on top of that had a stroke, pretty much mucked me up, took 2 months off work, went back to work, but then had to resign due to cognitive difficulties, now given everything away, poor missus has to look after my dumbass - bedridden at the moment, last 3 years taken toll, miss been able to work or do anything physical, listened to Goran and Blairy saying sky sport production team should have alerted Tongan coaching staff and shown them footage of the collusion, medical staff surely would have stood him down, footage looked pretty sickening - gotta feel for the young fella, hopefully he'll make a full recovery and live a normal life, I think my stroke caused by too many head knocks playing league in my younger days, worry about him when he gets into his 50s & 60s, kia kaha! Eliesa.
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Thanks for sharing your story bro, true Warrior.

We will perhaps know the truth soon enough with the Storm threatening legal action over and above the NRL investigation.

As for whether TV crews report stuff to the medicos, I am deeply sceptical that the incident was not witnessed by a trainer, certainly no one can claim they never saw him lying on the ground surely?

Hopefully the Storms law suit if it goes ahead does not sink the Tongan Rugby league organization, you would expect the NRL would be the default bail out option in that scenario.

Tongan rugby league do not have the funds to pay out the Storm. The Tongan team is worth money to the NRL....and so it goes that the Storm are by default suing the NRL....which is not necessarily a bad thing.
 
Tookey 2.0 said:
I know Ponga spoke about his māori culture recently, but has he stated he's interested in playing for the Kiwis at all?

I love what Kini does, but if Ponga put his hand up I'd love to see what he could do behind such a dominant pack like the Kiwis.

I think a forward pack like we have with Brown, Hughes and Ponga would have so much direction and play making options.

Now that RW is going beast mode for Aus and Qld I wonder if that makes Ponga any more likely for us?
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View: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQdWV6rjQxa/

Surely talking about Kiwis or Warriors here?
 
This pacific series has been nothing short of fantastic.
To all the Samoan and Tongan fans out there who attended the games in person - take a bow. You have shown what it’s like to be passionate, how to create a magical atmosphere supporting your teams that makes you want to attend live games.
The panning camera shots of the flags in the stands and singing and cheering have made the spectacle on the pitch magical by what you make it off the pitch.
To the superstars who chose to represent their respective country through of birth, family ties or otherwise, you have immediately legitimised international rugby league. Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita forged the path choosing to bypass NZ and Australia to play for Tonga and as a result the groundswell of interest and the influence on others to choose this path will always be immense. You have all set the stage for next years World Cup in Australia and PNG.
On the back of Australia touring the UK as well,
I hope the game can nail down an international window and build on this momentum because on the back of a great NRL season, it has been nothing short of entertaining - both on and off the pitch!
 
Falcon said:
This pacific series has been nothing short of fantastic.
To all the Samoan and Tongan fans out there who attended the games in person - take a bow. You have shown what it’s like to be passionate, how to create a magical atmosphere supporting your teams that makes you want to attend live games.
The panning camera shots of the flags in the stands and singing and cheering have made the spectacle on the pitch magical by what you make it off the pitch.
To the superstars who chose to represent their respective country through of birth, family ties or otherwise, you have immediately legitimised international rugby league. Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita forged the path choosing to bypass NZ and Australia to play for Tonga and as a result the groundswell of interest and the influence on others to choose this path will always be immense. You have all set the stage for next years World Cup in Australia and PNG.
On the back of Australia touring the UK as well,
I hope the game can nail down an international window and build on this momentum because on the back of a great NRL season, it has been nothing short of entertaining - both on and off the pitch!
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must say, apart from the disappointment on missing out on such awesome players to Hamoa and Tonga you gotta say our Island whanau sure know how to support their teams, its like when we play the Roos the games are quite intense, time we played Tonga few years ago in Hamy world cup, the Kiwis got booed in nz??? their fans blow me away, bad enough the players are so freaking athletic and huge (think AFB) then add onto that their fans are so crazy, the atmosphere must be amazing, dam! wish I could go to a live game, reckon it'll be like going to a Wahz game at Mt Smart. they've made a believer of me, problem I had was, the enemy has always been the Roos, then the boys didn't want to play for us, that caused conflict for me, now they are the enemy??? bit like if māori team play the Kiwi's my first love is the Kiwi's but my heritage calls me to support māori team, funny thing is my biological dad is half Samoan (brought up my mum side māori)nd my grand son's dad is Tongan. sigh, looks I'll have to change my ahuatanga, my prejudice and bias with this beautiful wonderful game of ours, one positive we can all agree we love the Wahz!!! - change is good, Oz is not the enemy???
 
PhilsySH35 said:
must say, apart from the disappointment on missing out on such awesome players to Hamoa and Tonga you gotta say our Island whanau sure know how to support their teams, its like when we play the Roos the games are quite intense, time we played Tonga few years ago in Hamy world cup, the Kiwis got booed in nz??? their fans blow me away, bad enough the players are so freaking athletic and huge (think AFB) then add onto that their fans are so crazy, the atmosphere must be amazing, dam! wish I could go to a live game, reckon it'll be like going to a Wahz game at Mt Smart. they've made a believer of me, problem I had was, the enemy has always been the Roos, then the boys didn't want to play for us, that caused conflict for me, now they are the enemy??? bit like if māori team play the Kiwi's my first love is the Kiwi's but my heritage calls me to support māori team, funny thing is my biological dad is half Samoan (brought up my mum side māori)nd my grand son's dad is Tongan. sigh, looks I'll have to change my ahuatanga, my prejudice and bias with this beautiful wonderful game of ours, one positive we can all agree we love the Wahz!!! - change is good, Oz is not the enemy???
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It's like the Apocalypto movie, we beat each other for pacific supremacy until the Aussies come to slay us 🤣
 
VB89 said:
Samoa had us in the first half because they matched our physicality, but couldn't keep it up all game. Soon as Clark and Whyte came on I jumped on TAB to start putting money on us to score. The 6 man Kiwi rotation is just too much for anyone.

The commentators "uh oh" laugh of that camera shot of JFH and Tapine on the sideline checking in in the second half kinda said it all.

This has to be one of if not, the most aggressive/dominant forward pack rotations of any team within the last 15-20 years surely... Maybe I cant say that until they play Aussie.
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From where I sat, it felt like New Zealand were in real trouble in that game going into the second half.

Looking back, had a couple of moments gone Samoa's way, I could see them winning that game, in the same fashion they almost beat that much vaunted Kiwis pack in game one.

They lost by two points. No matter how great our forward pack looks, Samoa lost to them by two points.

That should be sounding alarm bells around the league world (not this last blow out).

The way Samoa ended Tonga was the exact game management style they could have beaten this Kiwis team with, had they focused (admittedly an hour and a half sitting in the sheds for a lightening storm aided in that process but that just further underscores what I am saying about maturity and focus/all things that come from experience).

I think that is the concern for NZ, Samoa will continue to develop, as they mature as a system they will find ways to balance their over reliance on big units for the more mobile eighty minute tackling back rowers they are missing.

Find some apex defenders and it is a different contest, one that that won't see Samoa deflate and fold under relentless possessions by the opposition.

Samoa could have done with Papalii, Leota, Whyte on their rotation - even Clark. And that will come in the long term, long term Samoa may well truly be the first pick for New Zealand eligible Samoan stars in the next decade.

I thought it was a shame the game blew out. It was an incredible first half, best half of footy all year and deserved eighty minutes of tension and a climax.

It took the Kiwis years to change their amateurish playing style to the Australian brand they play now, Samoa and Tonga look to be chasing that same model (and why wouldn't they, it is how they train in the NRL weekly-Australian Rugby league is not foreign to them).

Even if the Kiwis have the mega pack, any team can be beaten on the day by line speed, discipline, and game management. Samoa are showing a rapid curve in that direction.

Samoa and Tonga just need more games.
 
www.smh.com.au

Pacific champs New Zealand want a crack at Kangaroos – every year

Fresh off their victory in the Pacific Championships, the Kiwi league boss wants to know why his country doesn’t play Australia more often.
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au

Behind a paywall but Kiwis making it known they want a shot at Aussie every year. Only reason I could see now for nrl not to put everything into internationals would be that they know other nations have caught up to Australia
 
Noitall said:
www.smh.com.au

Pacific champs New Zealand want a crack at Kangaroos – every year

Fresh off their victory in the Pacific Championships, the Kiwi league boss wants to know why his country doesn’t play Australia more often.
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au

Behind a paywall but Kiwis making it known they want a shot at Aussie every year. Only reason I could see now for nrl not to put everything into internationals would be that they know other nations have caught up to Australia
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Bear in mind NRL won’t want to jeopardise Origin
Original being its jewel in the crown
But we know internationals are a better product
Maybe in time NRL will change
But….
 
Noitall said:
Behind a paywall but Kiwis making it known they want a shot at Aussie every year. Only reason I could see now for nrl not to put everything into internationals would be that they know other nations have caught up to Australia
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I'd love a 4 nations type deal with us, Australia, Tonga and Samoa every year. 3 games each, and then a final.

Samoa and Tonga have more than enough for the next few years to be competitive and one will make the finals occasionally, but after about 5 years or so I think they'd be as competitive as us moving forward.

I really think that with the resurgence of Tonga and Samoa, Australia would be really worried if the international rules were amended so players couldn't pick Origin and one of Tonga/Samoa
 
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