Official International Football

[bort]

An interesting little concept I like the idea of someone proposed on reddit - a retroactively implemented lineal International title (winner is the title holder, titled passes to any team that beats them). Would see both the men's and women's titles up for grabs this weekend with NZ defending both against Australia.

See the post for a much more in depth breakdown, but I think it a cool idea pretty easy to implement. Puts a little more on the line in some internationals for very low effort by anyone.

(not sure why the link looks like **** - it did have a reddit preview when I first added it)

https://www.reddit.com/r/nrl/comments/1g8zzqk

 

[CrazyMatt]

An interesting little concept I like the idea of someone proposed on reddit - a retroactively implemented lineal International title (winner is the title holder, titled passes to any team that beats them). Would see both the men's and women's titles up for grabs this weekend with NZ defending both against Australia.

See the post for a much more in depth breakdown, but I think it a cool idea pretty easy to implement. Puts a little more on the line in some internationals for very low effort by anyone.

(not sure why the link looks like **** - it did have a reddit preview when I first added it)

https://www.reddit.com/r/nrl/comments/1g8zzqk

Sounds a lot like a boxing or UFC title. Turn it into a giant title belt too, **** it (joking).

 

[Gumby]

Feel sorry for the Kiwis. This squad is just terrible due to them having nobody to really pick. Reckon the aussies are going to give them an absolute bath this weekend.

 

[bort]

A small nation, but still pretty cool

World first: Cooks captains to create sporting history

Brad and Kiana Takairangi are set to create sporting history when they captain the Cook Islands Aitu and Moana in Saturday’s Pacific Championships double-header against Fiji.

www.nrl.com

World first: Cooks captains to create sporting history​

Brad and Kiana Takairangi are set to create sporting history when they captain the Cook Islands Aitu and Moana in Saturday’s Pacific Championships double-header against Fiji at Suva’s HFC Stadium.

In a world first, the pair are believed to be the only brother and sister in any sporting code to be appointed as captain of their nation’s men’s and women’s teams at the same time.

(more in article)

 

[bort]

Sounds a lot like a boxing or UFC title. Turn it into a giant title belt too, **** it (joking).

Captain runs out in it, winning captain gets presented it to hold aloft after game
Yeah that'd work

 

[Gards]

Captain runs out in it, winning captain gets presented it to hold aloft after game
Yeah that'd work

And all the **** talking at the press conferences and weigh ins - oh wait that's actually a really embarrassing part of UFC (and Boxing)

Be more fun if it were like WWE and just done for lols

 

[djhabib]

Feel sorry for the Kiwis. This squad is just terrible due to them having nobody to really pick. Reckon the aussies are going to give them an absolute bath this weekend.

Phoenix Crossland lol maybe I should have pursued a league career if that guy can make an international team

 

[Sharky Pete]

 

[andrew's_sharks]

This is actually pretty good. Their is more than enough quality in the pacific islands and it would be great for them to be taken more seriously and not play for Australia. Tonga, Samoa and Fiji have more than enough talent to be competitive in the world cup on a regular basis.

 

[Gumby]

Would love to see a full strength Australian team take on a rest of the world side.

 

[bort]

This is actually pretty good. Their is more than enough quality in the pacific islands and it would be great for them to be taken more seriously and not play for Australia. Tonga, Samoa and Fiji have more than enough talent to be competitive in the world cup on a regular basis.

Sure you can make good sides, especially if you go ‘not available but who cares naming him anyway’ (like Manu)
It’s all hypothetical but he kind of talks like it’s the way it should be, and it’s not.

Who is he to decide some of these guys should play for a pacific island part of their heritage and not somewhere like Australia.

And also he’s like ‘I can’t even find a place for Ronaldo Mulitalo’ - you don’t need to find a place for him, he plays for NZ. He’s not just going to sit out because he didn’t make a smaller nations team.

 

[bort]

Would love to see a full strength Australian team take on a rest of the world side.

We should definitely lose that though
Who would be in each side?

 

[Gards]

This is actually pretty good. Their is more than enough quality in the pacific islands and it would be great for them to be taken more seriously and not play for Australia. Tonga, Samoa and Fiji have more than enough talent to be competitive in the world cup on a regular basis.

Australia pays the most to it's players though I think, might be a factor to an extent with certain players.

 

[bort]

Australia pays the most to it's players though I think, might be a factor to an extent with certain players.

But also someone like Val Holmes was born in Townsville. Why can't he identify as Australian (as well as Cook Islander from his mum and Kiwi from his dad) and choose to represent the country he has lived his whole life in*

The only thing we don't want people doing is playing for the Aus jersey because it pays the most even though they don't want to

*brief sabbatical to the US aside

 

[andrew's_sharks]

But also someone like Val Holmes was born in Townsville. Why can't he identify as Australian (as well as Cook Islander from his mum and Kiwi from his dad) and choose to represent the country he has lived his whole life in*

The only thing we don't want people doing is playing for the Aus jersey because it pays the most even though they don't want to

*brief sabbatical to the US aside

For sure there are some players like Val who would and should play for Australia, but there is also a lot of guys over the years who have played for Australia despite being born elsewhere.

 

[apezza]

I had no problem in how it used to be (I think).

If you don't get picked for Australia or NZ, you can be picked for a Pacific team that the have a heritage with.

At anytime, a player can declare sole allegiance to that nation, at which time they can no longer get picked for the Aussies, NZ etc.

 

[bort]

For sure there are some players like Val who would and should play for Australia, but there is also a lot of guys over the years who have played for Australia despite being born elsewhere.

And presumably some did play for Aus there because it was the more prestigious jersey with the biggest $ attached but some born elsewhere may very well have still wanted to play for Aus

Ronnie wasn't born in QLD but wanted to play for them, he may have chosen Aus or he may have chosen Qld and Samoa. And who is to say without that choice he isn't just as proud to represent NZ. A lot of guys with mixed heritage who may have different degrees of passion for different jerseys and that may even be different at different stages of their lives.

(I expect you agree with all that, it's not intended as a hot take, just adding it to the convo)

I had no problem in how it used to be (I think).

If you don't get picked for Australia or NZ, you can be picked for a Pacific team that the have a heritage with.

At anytime, a player can declare sole allegiance to that nation, at which time they can no longer get picked for the Aussies, NZ etc.

It's not a bad fit to have guys who don't make the big dog teams be able to rep the smaller nations instead. It does restrict them stopping being the smaller nations though, when they are (were) always second choice.

The one thing I think you want to avoid is just frequent chopping and changing - you don't want a dude in one jersey one year, then another the next, then swapping back.

I think it probably makes sense to open up SOO for anyone eligible and not randomly restrict people also playing for England or NZ. What's the difference between someone playing for NSW and then Samoa which is okay vs say QLD and then NZ.

 

[Sir Chadley]

3 Sharks in this upcoming international Australia versus New Zealand for the women’s game. We’ve got Brooke Anderson, Tiana Penitani and Annessa Biddle.

Anderson at hooker and Biddle in the second row are playing out of their normal positions but I reckon they’ll go okay still.

 

[Sir Chadley]

In the first 15 minutes all three sharks have dropped the ball.

 

[bort]

Was that Price in NZ coach box?
Good reward for him given we had to deny him Blues assistant job (because Hannay was already with Qld)