Canberra prop Josh Papalii has become the latest star to commit to playing for Samoa at this year’s Rugby League World Cup, declaring it a “movement” he doesn’t want to miss out on.
Papalii, who played for Samoa at the 2017 edition before representing Australia since, joins Penrith guns Brian To’o and Jarome Luai as the biggest names to pledge they’ll represent their families’ heritage at the tournament.
The veteran front-rower said he’s already told Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga of his decision, although he’s yet to inform Samoa coach Matt Parish.
(Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
But Parish will hardly say no to the 30-year-old, who along with To’o and Luai will add to an already-impressive side that beat Cook Islands 42-12 in June’s Pacific Test.
Papalii said he felt a responsibility as a senior player to lead the way and represent his “motherland”.
“As an older player, I feel like it’s a movement I just don’t want to be missing out on,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“Just seeing the likes of a few of the Penrith boys coming out and I’ve had few text messages from other players who haven’t come out yet saying they’ve put their hand up for Samoa.
“I have put my hand up to play for Samoa. Mal Meninga knows that and I’ve had a coffee with Mal as well to speak about what I’m planning to do … but that’s a long way from here, anything can happen in the next hopefully eight weeks.”
Papalii showed pride for his heritage after Queensland’s State of Origin win, posing behind the Samoan flag with other potential representatives Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Jeremiah Nanai.
He admitted he wasn’t at his best when with the Samoa side at the 2017 World Cup and vowed to make amends for his side’s winless effort.
“I guess probably my last World Cup wasn’t the best, I sort of treated it as a little vacation and probably drank a bit too often, ate more than I should have,” he said.
“I’m looking to just play a bit of World Cup for the Motherland and represent my wife and my kids and especially my parents as well and just make Samoa proud.”
Jones baffled by NAS no charge
Warriors interim coach Stacey Jones says he was “baffled” by the NRL match review committee’s decision not to charge Nelson Asofa-Solomona for making elbow contact with Wayde Egan’s jaw.
Egan needed to leave the field after the tackle in Friday night’s match, which left him with loose teeth, but the match review committee opted not to sanction the Storm forward.
Sydney Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was handed a grade one charge for a similar offence in round 20 but match review committee manager Luke Patten said the panel found Asofa-Solomona had only made “minor contact” with Egan.
Egan was able to return to the field and will line up for the Warriors against South Sydney this weekend but Jones questioned what kind of message the NRL had sent by opting not to charge Asofa-Solomona.
“It’s not a good message,” Jones said, “It’s baffled me a little bit, like everyone else.
“We’re all about protecting our players. The game is so tough and physical. Wayde was really rattled. It could have been worse but I thought (Asofa-Solomona) could have at least been charged.”
Nelson Asofa-Solomona. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Jones said the NRL’s duty of care extended to the tackling player, as well as the ball-carrier.
Asofa-Solomona has incurred four match review committee charges this season, three for high tackles and one for making dangerous contact with a defender using his forearm. He escaped with fines on all four occasions.
Jones suggested punishing Asofa-Solomona more seriously could help deter him from similar incidents in future that may have the potential to injure.
“It’s about protecting Nelson too, in some sort of way,” he said. “He plays a physical game and the size of his body and the damage he could do to someone, it could turn out very nasty. I’m sure Nelson doesn’t want to have that on him.”
Egan’s teammate Marcelo Montoya said the NRL had set a precedent by opting not to charge Asofa-Solomona.
“If that’s the stance the NRL wants to take, then that’s the stance they’re going to take,” he said. “I think maybe he should have been charged at least. Nelson plays very physically but I’m sure he doesn’t go out there to try and hurt players.
“(But) it can be dangerous. It was something that he probably shouldn’t have done.”
Collins taking time out
Sydney Roosters prop Lindsay Collins will take a break from playing in the NRL after suffering concussions in two consecutive games.
The Queenslander suffered a head knock in State of Origin III before getting concussed in last week’s NRL win over Manly for the Roosters.
Collins hasn’t been named in the Roosters side that will face Brisbane at the SCG on Thursday.
“It will be a couple of weeks,” said Roosters coach Trent Robinson.
“It’s hard because science doesn’t know what the answer is.
“We’ve seen when we’ve given a few weeks off to guys they’ve come back better.”
Nicho Hynes celebrates. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Sharks in battle to host final
The NRL could deny Cronulla the right to host a home semi-final if the Sharks secure a top-two finish for the first time since 1999 due to the outdated facilities at PointsBet Stadium.
Finishing their season with games against bottom-eight battlers St George Illawarra, Wests Tigers, Manly, Canterbury and Newcastle, the Sharks will fancy their chances of securing a top-two finish under impressive first-year coach Craig Fitzgibbon.
The Sharks have been able to turn their home ground into a graveyard for rival sides this season.
Third-placed Cronulla have a 7-1 record at the ground and only a round-12 loss to the Sydney Roosters has prevented the Sharks from being undefeated at PointsBet.
But in previous years when Cronulla have earned a finals game at home they have had to move games to the old Sydney Football Stadium.
Broadcast, corporate and parking facilities play a factor in the NRL’s consideration of granting clubs a home finals game with the league set to inform clubs of their requirements to host finals fixtures over the next month.
“If we win a home-ground advantage, we would want to play at home,” Sharks chief executive Dino Mezzatesta told AAP after his club last hosted a home finals game at PointsBet Stadium in 2008.
“That’s our starting point and given we are a fair bit out we will continue to have dialogue with the NRL. We have had no problem selling out our games regardless of the timeslot.”
PointsBet Stadium is working at an 11,500 capacity due to renovations but NRL head of football Graham Annesley said that wouldn’t be a determining factor. Last year the NRL hosted finals games at Mackay’s 12,000-capacity BB Print Stadium.
“There’s not a specific (crowd) number because it’s a combination of not just a capacity but reserved seating,” Annesley told AAP. “The long and the short of it is that the NRL has to approve the venue.
“We haven’t reached any conclusion that we would relocate the Sharks should they qualify for a home semi-final. We need to go through the process with them and every other club.”
The Sharks’ alternative preference would likely be the newly-built Sydney Football Stadium, although if they were to face another Sydney club they would be ceding any of the advantage earned by their final ladder position.
The Sharks hope to have PointsBet Stadium back to around a 17,000 capacity by July but are one of the clubs who were expecting to receive NSW Government funding for an upgrade to their facilities.
Cronulla have an NRLW side entering the competition next year but, as things stand, will be unable to stage men’s and women’s double headers because of the infrastructure.
On the signings front, the Sharks have extended the tenure of young gun Kade Dykes, with the 20-year-old local junior re-signing until the end of the 2024 season.
With the ankle injury to Will Kennedy, Dykes has been promoted to make his NRL debut this Saturday against the Dragons, in front of a sell-out crowd on Sharks ‘Old Boys’ Day with more than 100 ex-Sharks players expected to be in attendance.
His father Adam and grandfather John also played for the Sharks making Dykes the second person in premiership history to be a third-generation player at the one club after Zac Fulton achieved the feat at Manly last week.
Adam, who was the 300th Sharks first grade player who debuted as an 18-year-old in 1995, played 183 matches in the top grade for the club, while John (No.112 on the all-time list) was a member of the team during the mid-1970s before becoming a lower-grade coach.
Martin switches to Warriors
Broncos utility Te Maire Martin’s feelgood story of the year just got better with the 26-year-old signing a three-year contract with the Warriors, starting in 2023.
The former Panthers and Cowboys star has made a remarkable return to the NRL this year after a bleed on the brain forced the Kiwi international out of the game in 2019.
“Te Maire’s comeback to the game has been outstanding and we’re delighted we’ve been able to bring him home to New Zealand,” said Warriors CEO Cameron George. “He’s another quality player who will further boost our roster for 2023. With his ability to play at fullback and in the halves he’s going to be a real asset for us.”
The Warriors have been active in the player market following the mid-season losses of prop Matt Lodge and five-eighth Kodi Nikorima with fullback Reece Walsh (Broncos) and second-rower Euan Aitken (Dolphins) signed elsewhere next year and utility Chanel Harris-Tavita taking a year off from the sport.
They have also signed Knights veteran Mitchell Barnett, Sharks playmaker Luke Metcalf, Raiders fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Eels forward Marata Niukore and Manly utility Dylan Walker while Ronald Volkman and Freddy Lussick joined mid-season from the Sydney Roosters.
Panthers assistant Andrew Webster is taking over as coach after club legend Stacey Jones finishes his interim stint at season’s end following the abrupt departure of Nathan Brown.
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Nat
Roar Guru
Really? We are going back to eric? Oh my boy, it's over. :thumbup:
ozziedude
Roar Rookie
Intersting how Luai captained nz when oz born
Nat
Roar Guru
I’m really looking forward to see how they go. NZ, Tonga and Samoa (potentially Fiji) can really shake up this WC.
matth
Roar Guru
Tier 1 or 2 relayed to infrastructure. If you make them Tier 1, such that players like Paps couldn’t represent them then they’d drop back down
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
They have to perform first. A win over the Cook Islands doesn’t make up for years of underachievement.
Birdy
Roar Rookie
The NRL should put the gf up for auction if the NSW gov doesn't honour their promise. I'm sure Melbourne would make a bid.
Birdy
Roar Rookie
Correct me if I'm wrong BD but isn't Sydney's transport system a dog's breakfast making suburban grounds a better proposition for fans.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Fair enough GH I wasn’t aware of that.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
The NRL could have made a profitable deal with Queensland to host the grand final, but did not because of promises made by the NSW government. The NSW government broke those promises, so it is entirely appropriate for the NRL to change its plans. They now have to go cap in hand to Queensland to make a deal in circumstances where Annastacia knows they have no other bidder. This is a big loss for the NRL.
Nat
Roar Guru
No they haven’t had the “right” at all, the article Cleary states that the sharks have had all of their previous home ground finals taken to the old SFS. You’ve missed the point again, it is not about capacity it is all about the facilities.
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
If you go through the Samoan side that played Cook Island mid year, and add in Papalii, the 5 origin players that have nominated to play for Samoa, it has to be questioned why they are not a Tier One international team
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Food for thought there. I think Aust and NZ should still select juniors who may nominate for other countries as adults as it's still to their benefit. Their teammates can gain confidence and knowledge from playing with them, and both teams can ultimately make more money from a more competitive international scene.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Except they haven't always had that right. Round 1 home venues never existed before Super League 1997, and stopped some time last decade.
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
And I think NSW government has spent a lot of money on centres of excellence for numerous clubs and both NRL and NSWRL- probably a combination of state ,federal and local council . Surely the non-profit organisation should be contributing to these grants . I'm sure the clubs have. Someone may correct me but I believe it's about $1.8 billion . Hopefully the same thing happens in Qld.
Nick
Roar Guru
What was incredible about Ayres was his contempt for the people. Not one person ever once believed his initial explanations about Barilaro.
Cam
Roar Rookie
I for one love to see Island heritage players representing their family and I appreciate the more even playing field this produces at international level. With a mini exodus to Samoa and Tonga and the possibility of more and more players following their lead, should Australia and the Kiwis be more judicious with who they select into their junior and senior pathways? Jerome Luai captained the Junior Kiwis side, but will play for Samoa. Josh Papalii was also selected for the Junior Kiwis, played 11 tests for Australia and will also be playing for Samoa. Jason Taumalolo will pull on a Tongan jersey in the World Cup, but has previously played 10 tests for NZ. There are also a few ex-Australian Schoolboy representatives pulling on other jerseys at the upcoming World Cup. It happens at every club in every sport, but I can say personally, that I am pretty disappointed and frustrated when a kid who I have developed over years of junior footy (investing hundreds and sometimes thousands of hours), turns around and plays for an opposition club. Hypothetical question, but could we ever see a day where Australia and NZ pass on players who are eligible for selection with opposition countries? Of course my answer is no, but it would be interesting if Tonga win the World Cup and the next one and the one after that, whether Australia and NZ might then become more selective with national squads and pathways.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Spot on BD. There is a shed load of debt to pay down and difficult times ahead. Pressuring governments into spending money on footy stadiums is poor form. I’d love Brisbane to get a GF but not on these terms. Pull your head in PVL.
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
In Melbourne only MCG and Marvel plus Geelong stadium so they've gone for the centralised approach but they do take a lot of matches to regional areas . Both major stadium have excellent transport links so not a problem. I think the NRL have gone for the suburban grounds and admittedly some grounds are substandard and are quite difficult to get to but to justify decent stadiums you need decent crowds and to me they seem to want to get more people to watch on TV which defeats the purpose of ground upgrades . The fans definitely need to be able to have decent stadiums but it doesn't happen overnight . After all the recent misfortune and pandemics weve just had the Vlandys approach is probably not the way to do it particularly when one has just been finished .
JennyFromPenny
Guest
Teams have always had the right to play game 1 at their home suburban ground. Taking this away too for the Sharks this year would be an outrage. The special 5 continue to be ineligible to host weeks 2 and 3 which is the bigger problem. Storm have continued to get away with an average of 14k home finals since day 1. In the UK they have Castleford, with said capacity 11775, ground record 25449, and Wakefield Trinity capacity 9333, ground record .... 29335 (!!)
Steve
Guest
Not really across the AFL in terms of grounds and their capacity. Are there many suburban grounds in the AFL that only hold like 10,000 or so? I think I remember a semi back in like 2007 that was Bunnies V Manly that started all this. The Bunnies had made their first semi final appearance for 20 years and hardly any of their supporters could get a ticket because in those days the capacity was like 12,000 or so. I could see their point at the time. Anything less than say 25K is not really up[ to standard. I think Brooky holds quite a few more now?