International Administrators Are Once Again Killing The Games Credibility

Sep 08, 2010 League Freak International Rugby League News 0

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Some people tell me that I see things in black and white terms. This is a flaw apparently. You see, I don’t understand that in this day and age, you have to be flexible. I think thats a load of horse shit quite honestly.

I’ve always been someone that thinks that this game should be run by what is right, not what is easy or what serves someones self interests of an agenda. This stance tends to see me at complete odds with the people who run the international game, who just see things in terms of what works well for them, as individuals.

Take for instance the eligibility rules. You’d think it would be pretty easy to put together rules that keep the integrity of the game intact and, ya know, stick by those rules….

Akuila Uate is not an Australian. He is not any more an Australia as I am a Fijian. Yet for some reason the Australian Rugby League has named Uate as one of the wingers for the Prime Ministers XIII who will play against PNG before the Four Nations tournament kicks off.

Now, Australia is hardly short of Rugby League talent. Just thinking of those who are already regulars in the Australian Rugby League rep scene, you have Darius Boyd, Brent Tate, Josh and Brett Morris, Jamal Idris, Michael Gordon….and thats not even counting the young players who are on the verge of rep honors!

So with that in mind, why the fuck has the Australian Rugby League taken it upon itself to chase after this bloke and break the eligibility rules to make sure he now will forever be able to be selected by the only country who doesn’t need to draft in players from elsewhere?

Tony Williams was born in Sydney, Australia. You may know him as the massive SOB who plays on the wing for the Manly Sea Eagles. He’s a handy player who has improved beyond his raw athletic ability over the course of the 2010 season.

Now, he was born in Sydney, and he played for Tonga during the 2008 World Cup. Now, he has been named in an extended New Zealand Four Nations squad.

How does that work out? Then you throw in England selecting Willie Manu in a train on squad, actively chasing Chris Heighington, who is as Australian as I am, and then encouraging decent players to turn their back on playing for Wales, Scotland and Ireland so they are eligible for England, and you have the three most powerful Rugby League nations completely screwing things up.

As a life long Rugby League fan, I have zero interest in watching all star type teams running around representing logos. I only have interest in watching real representative sides, its kinda what makes Test matches interesting. Seeing a bunch of actual people from Australia playing against people that are actually from New Zealand or England.

People don’t want to turn up to see a Fijian wearing an ARL logo on his chest taking on a Tongan, born in Sydney, with a NZRL logo on his! I have no faith what so ever in the people running Rugby League. Especially those involved in running the International game. Every single decision they make runs against the greater good of what is needed to grow the international game.

From the “jobs for the boys” attitude that see’s completely inept and unqualified people being handed jobs they have no ability to fulfill, to breaking eligibility rules when there is just no need what so ever to do so, even down to holding international meetings in Singapore, that hot bed of Rugby League, and coming away from those meetings with nothing at all resolved.

The international game is run on complete and utter stupidity.

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• Akuila Uate, Australia, Eligibility Rules, England, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, RLIF, Tonga, Tony Williams, Willie Manu

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