Right now, rugby league is in a place it has never been before. Indeed, the 2017 Rugby League World Cup has sent the game into uncharted waters.
What we are seeing from Tongan fans through out Australia, New Zealand and the island nation itself is completely and utterly unprecedented in our game.
For the first time in history, rugby league has caused a bona fide cultural tidal wave – and this is only the beginning.
The level of pride and passion Mate Ma’a were able to evoke among Tongan people, and not just Tongan footy fans, was something that must be captured, bottled, replicated and redistributed to every other rugby league playing Pacific Island nation. It can be done.
While some may argue that Tonga were only as good as they were because of a few notable ‘defections’, it’s impossible to overlook the impact the thousands of screaming, flag waving fans had on the men in red through out the tournament.
Seeing a member of one of the worlds biggest pop groups sing the Tongan national anthem in front of a roaring crowd and in the presence of the King himself, was one of the most iconic moment in the game’s history. Andrew Fifita and Jason Taumalolo alone didn’t create this.
This was about a country and its people fully embracing its rugby league team. Aside from Papua New Guinea, no other nation has ever done this.
It’s now over to Fiji and Samoa to do the same.
Sure, Samoa were close to horrendous in the World Cup, but on paper their side wasn’t too dissimilar to that of their fierce rivals in red. More games, better internal administration and a greater connection with fans can bring out the best in Toa Samoa.
(NRLPhotos/Dave Acree)
To do this, the NRL needs to seriously consider blacking out a period in the middle of the season.
Let’s say two weeks after Round 6 or 7. During this period, two double headers are played on consecutive weekends – one in Australia and one in New Zealand. The four teams involved are Tonga, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
All four nations are able to pick a 23-man squad and all will go into camp immediately after the conclusion of the preceding NRL round.
Through out each week of the period, community and cultural engagement will be critical. We want to see as many fans on the streets as possible.
While player payments may be an issue if compared to what the Kangaroos and Kiwis earn, I can’t see there being any problems in finding corporate sponsors to support the event. The NRL and RLIF will also need to chip in.
Finally, and just as importantly, clubs must also give the green light for all eligible players to be available.
If all goes to plan, we may see State Of Origin finally rivalled as the game’s great centrepiece.
For all of this to be feasible though, the NRL season may have to be shortened. From a commercial perspective this may sting, but if we can two rapturous crowds across two countries, and two weeks of well promoted footy enriched with cultural engagement, I can’t see there being a significant impact on the game’s bottom line.
For all that’s good about the sport itself, rugby league is a completely different ball game when pride, passion and culture come to play.
Let’s build on what Tonga have done and take our game to the next level.
Edward
Guest
It's amazing how people used to laugh at football having opponents like Fiji, Syria, Iran etc now crave to have opponents like Tonga, PNG, Fiji.
Ken
Guest
A completely separate argument Sammy but I reckon that the NSW & QLD teams (even in those dismal years) play to a higher standard than any international team, including Australia. It would be an upset for any other country to even make a major final if NSW and QLD were separate nations.
Cedric
Guest
dead right there; take the nines in NZ the Warriors turn up with a B side get bundled out 2nd year in a row and kiwis are blamed for not attending or leaving after the loss. Also gotta say does the author not like the PI Cup to be played in the pacific island nations prior to SOO kick off times. Oz is not a pacific island and NZ and the others are, also league in NZ is not the major sport by a country mile, so the NZRL struggles financially all the time. Also gotta say it is awesome how the Island nations get behind their team, but people should know the Tongans who showed so much support are not just league fans, they support any Tongan team. When the rugby World Cup in 2011 was held in NZ and I think maybe Oz the Tongan fans were even more so OTT. When there side arrived at Auckland airport it was mayhem, I recall the airport and road leading there were a sea of red. Also when that team had a training run it was mayhem. So it's good to remember it's just not about Tongan league. But having said that about Tonga, the time is now ripe to promote these nations sides and then turn those nations into league countries with their PI Cup and deliver the financial help that comes with it.
Sydneysider
Guest
"In this case, will the NRL act in the best interests of the NRL or will it act in the best interest of the sport overall, in a global context?" That's exactly what I've been saying all along. The NRL act in the best interests of themselves.
Felix
Guest
They said the same thing about Fiji after last World Cup. How people will have a lasting connection with a team of heritage players will be the test. Would you play for ireland or England or wherever your grandparents came from? What about the growth in Lebanon where the post WW1 immigration will eventually peter out. These pages condemn RU because the islands have small popns but now you are getting excited about teams made up of players who have probably never been to the island they represent. How would feel if the Aussie soccer team made the WC and was made up of expat English players with Aussie grandparents..
Sammy
Guest
Actually if NSW and Queensland were defined as Countries then the SOO could be integrated with International Rugby League and wouldn't hinder the growth of the international game. Firstly there would also be minimal arguments about players representing their heritage nation, since we are used to NSW and Queensland being defined in terms of "Origin" rather than residency. In theory we would have two slightly weaker Australian teams participating in the International arena - which might help to level the playing field and provide more uncertainty. I'm sure England, Tonga, New Zealand and Fiji could have beaten some of the dismal NSW teams over the past 10 years. Plus the Australian teams that were beaten by New Zealand around 2008-2010 had plenty of Queenslanders, which demonstrates that Queensland's dominance at SOO may not have eventuated in tournaments involving more teams and different formats.
Ken
Guest
Well, sort of. Tonga was incredibly entertaining in this competition. The way they played, their cultural displays, the energy of their fans, they were an outsized presence and really added to the comp. May it continue. Let's not gloss over the facts though. I'm currently sitting in my office in the Hills District in Sydney - there's about 50% more population here than in all of Tonga, each person being many times more wealthy. Tonga is smaller than a single local government area in Sydney, one that isn't considered big enough to even have an NRL team. As much as we Australians consider ourselves tiny minnows in the big world (and are compared to the biggest players on the world stage), we actually throw a reasonable shadow in this corner of the globe. NZ + Fiji + Tonga + Samoa combined has a lower population than NSW and far less wealth. Define NSW and QLD as countries and they would still be the biggest RL nations in the region.
RandyM
Guest
The NRL will act in the best interest of the News ltd, *cough* I mean NRL
Geoff Parkes
Expert
Thanks Jack What should happen and what can happen are two entirely different things. What can happen is determined by who controls the sport and - most importantly - who owns the players. It's not a problem or matter peculiar to rugby league, it applies to all sports. Witness the power struggle in rugby union between the national unions and the English and French clubs. Did the USPGA think about how golf in Australia might fare when they expanded the US Tour to 50 weeks of the year? Did Bernie Ecclestone care about the sport of motor racing? In this case, will the NRL act in the best interests of the NRL or will it act in the best interest of the sport overall, in a global context? Nobody needs to spend too long figuring that one out.
woodart
Guest
for league to progress the game MUST move beyond a sydney based club competition. the nrl harms the game more than it helps. whenever I hear the tired old "SOO is the pinnacle of the game" my first reaction is, cant you aim higher....for any sport that seriously wants to grow, international competition is the pinnacle.
Not so super
Guest
Written with either a total disregard or total ignorance of economics, geography and demographics
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
When you read articles like yours you can almost become depressed at just how many opportunities have been wasted by the people in power. Imagine a tri-nations between England, New Zealand and Tonga. Or Ireland, Lebanon and PNG. Rugby league rarely ever invests in the stories its tournaments creates. The code has the unfortunately insular habit of missing the boat almost everytime it docks.