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50% of the NRL is made up of Indigenous players from Australia and the Pacific Islands. by Tony Currie On a weekend devoted to representative rugby league, the NRL or more specifically the Australian Rugby League Commission has shown their commitment to fostering Polynesian rugby league. The Tonga v Samoa test match last Saturday night highlighted the quality of player from the South Pacific. Recent figures show that 35% of the playing roster in the NRL is of Polynesian decent. Add our mob into the mix and we find that almost 50% of the NRL is made up of Indigenous players from Australia and the Pacific Islands. This is a statistic not to be sneezed at and I am sure the ARLC has noted the importance as evidenced by the promotion of the Tonga v Samoa Test. I believe it is time to promote and foster a return to the Pacific Cup competition enabling the ARLC and therefore the NRL to build on this massive player contribution. The Pacific Cup has been happening sporadically over the years and is coordinated by the Rugby League International Federation. It is about time we end the hit and miss nature of what has been occurring and produce regular meaningful competition which gives the grassroots players of these countries pathways of development and reward for effort. Last October the Arthur Beetson Foundation managed to organise the Queensland Murri Mens’ tour to Hawaii. It was a fantastic cultural exchange with the native Hawaiian people and I know for certain our Indigenous boys got more out of the experience other than a game of
Benji Marshall, co-captain of the NRL All Stars and Johnathan Thurston, captain of the Indigenous All Stars after the All Stars game played at Skilled Stadium on the Gold Coast in 2012. Image: Rhonda Hagan
football. The Queenslanders played the Hawaiian Chiefs in a game where they were always going to win. But, I saw many factors to convince me that the Hawaiians like the Pacific Islanders have the potential to play in the NRL. At
this stage they are locked into the American Rugby League and from what I can see are getting little support in promoting the game in their islands If anyone knows the history of the Hawaiian Islands they Page 1
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would know that their indigenous population suffer from identical conditions faced by our mob in Australia. Education is a serious issue with many native Hawaiians struggling to achieve the necessary levels required to obtain gainful employment. Their physiques and athletic ability are imposing and you would think they were ready made for NFL – Gridiron. The NFL pathway is centred on college football. To progress through the system potential recruits have to be successful in their college education. This system severely limits the Hawaiian players in their aspirations to play professionally. The Rugby League pathway is a little different. Although there is great emphasis on getting educated it is not the predominate factor in attaining an NRL career. Rugby League is truly a working man’s
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game where if you have the ability, dedication and determination, Clubs will accept you and work on your deficiencies both on and off the field. This is the main reason why Native Hawaiians can be drawn to our sport. They should be included in the Pacific Cup tournament as should a Queensland Murri and New South Wales Koori Mens Team. This would, pardon the pun; add much colour to the tournament. The inevitable benefits would be pathways for our second tier Indigenous players and the creation of structured development programs for junior Indigenous players. We could constantly take 2 squads of 25 players and staff every year knowing along the way we are creating future NRL stars but also giving our great coaches
the opportunity to move forward in their chosen paths. The Arthur Beetson State Murri Carnival and the NSW Koori Knockout present as the perfect selection process for both of these teams. The events are played in September to early October giving the right time frame for a Mid-October Pacific Cup. Just imagine the exciting football to be played if Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, The Cook Islands, New Zealand Maori, Hawaiian Chiefs, QLD Murri and NSW Koori were given the chance to show their wares. Please someone tell me this is not good for Rugby League. All it takes now is the power brokers to show some grit and get regular Pacific rugby league occurring so that the minnow nations can grow and show their potential on the world stage.