The Obstruction Rule

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The Weekend Wrap: 15/7/18

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The Panthers may finally be nearing some injury relief, with star players James Maloney, Nathan Cleary, Tyrone Peachey and Josh Mansour all expected back next week.

The Sharks are expected to meet with the NRL’s best winger Valentine Holmes this week about a potential $3.2 million dollar, four-year contract extension.

Knights centre Sione Mata’utia will require scans on Monday after he suffered a possible fractured eye socket during his side’s win over the Eels.

Having already lost centre Josh Morris to the Sharks next year, the Bulldogs could also see his brother Brett walk out the door, with the latter linked to a return to the Dragons.

The immediate playing future of Raiders centre Jarrod Croker is in doubt, due a dislocated knee suffered during his side’s win over the Cowboys.

The Raiders released a statement critical of the NRL’s “perplexing” decision to extend the suspension of fullback Jack Wighton from six weeks to ten.

With their season now effectively over, Cowboys coach Paul Green has hinted at the possibility of blooding young players as they look toward the future.

The Broncos’ forward depth could be tested next week, with second-rower Jaydn Su’a and prop Joe Ofahengaue both failing to finish their loss to the Warriors due to ankle injuries.

Tigers edge forward Chris Lawrence could be facing another stint on the sidelines, after he failed to finish his sides win due to a hamstring injury.

The new Western Sydney Stadium is expected to open on Easter Monday next year, with a clash between the Eels and Tigers.

NSW players have dominated the Kangaroos merit team, with 12 of the champion Blues named in the squad.

Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has thrown his support behind a push for Australia to play a Test against Tonga at the end of the NRL season.

 

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Meninga suggests change to Test payments to benefit Tier 2 nations

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For a start, we hate the term ‘Tier 2 nation’ in the first place (could Australia, New Zealand and England be any more condescending?) but given the tier structure’s entanglement in international eligibility, we don’t really have a choice. One day, however, we hope that won’t be the case.

And that day may come that little bit sooner, if Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has anything to do with it. According to SMH, Meninga has suggested a radical change to Test payments, in order to encourage players to stick with the so-called ‘Tier 2 nations’.

Specifically, Meninga has put forward the idea that Australia – and, necessarily, New Zealand and England – give up their rich match payments, and have them placed into a pool, where they’d then be awarded to participants based on results.

Should New Zealand and England agree, this would be a giant step in the right direction, as it would give a team like Tonga, for example, the opportunity to not only match, but potentially out-earn a ‘Tier 1’ team like New Zealand, if they were to beat them – as they did at last year’s Rugby League World Cup.

We love the idea, but would argue it actually doesn’t go far enough. Making the payments performance-related isn’t a huge risk for the Kangaroos, who have relatively little decent competition as it is. Given their half-century long dominance, Australia would no doubt be understandably confident of winning the money back.

In a perfect world, the NRL would fund equal Test payments for all the Southern Hemisphere teams, at whatever number the game can afford. As the only major professional competition in the region, the NRL inevitably pillages the Pacific Islands of their best talent, and as a result has a moral obligation to fund those nations, as the de facto guardian for the sport in the Southern Hemisphere (likewise the RFL in the Northern Hemisphere).

The fact that the NRL hasn’t done so already is disappointing, and when they’ve then turned the pay disparity into an opportunity to poach home-grown Pacific talent like Semi Radradra and Akuila Uate on ‘residency’ grounds, it’s down-right offensive (think about it for a moment; quite literally every single top-flight Pacific Island player will inevitably become Australian or New Zealander on residency, by virtue of the fact that they’re the only two places in the region that you can play professional rugby league).

You could (and we do) argue that the ‘Tier 1’ nations shouldn’t be picking dual-eligible players in the first place, in order to encourage competitive balance; but we understand that that’s likely a bridge too far (at least at the moment).

In the meantime, addressing the pay disparity will go a long way to correcting the problem, by removing the financial sacrifices players have to make in opting for their country of heritage.

Meninga’s suggestion isn’t perfect, but it’s a huge leap forward.

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The Weekend Wrap: 16/7/17

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Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson will have scans on Monday to confirm his season-ending ACL rupture.

Raiders forward Josh Papalii faces three weeks on the sidelines if he chooses to fight a shoulder charge ban from the Raiders’ win over the Dragons.

Dragons prop Russell Packer will be in some doubt for Round 20, after injuring his hip against the Raiders.

Bulldogs winger Brett Morris has retired from representative football following the Blues’ Origin series loss, effective immediately.

Queensland great Mal Meninga has backed Laurie Daley to stay on as New South Wales coach next year.

Tigers coach Ivan Cleary has said that hooker Jacob Liddle is “unlikely to be back this year“, after the hooker dislocated his shoulder in his side’s loss to the Sea Eagles.

The New Zealand Herald has suggested that an Origin match could be played in Auckland by 2020.

Despite requiring end-of-season shoulder surgery, Broncos five-eighth Anthony Milford has declared that he hopes to participate in the Rugby League World Cup.

The Storm have passed the 20,000 member mark for the first time in the club’s history.

Australian selectors have named a “Kangaroos merit team“, based on form throughout the Origin series.

Blues legend Andrew Johns has said that while he wouldn’t pursue the Blues’ head coaching job, he’s endorsed Brad Fittler has the heir apparent, and said he’d be open to joining the Blues staff as an assistant.

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Meninga says Keary should wear maroon

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There’s nothing unusual about a Queenslander claiming that someone or other should be playing for the Maroons – regardless of where they’re actually from – but on this particular occasion, they’ve got a point.

Australian coach and Queensland legend Mal Meninga claims that Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary should be eligible for Queensland. Ordinarily we’d be opposed to the Queenslanders claiming everyone for the Maroons, except for one, tiny, detail – Keary was born in Ipswich.

“I agree with the criteria… but the problem with this case in particular, is that there was no appeals process,” Meninga said. “I think there should at least be an independent appeals process if he’s born in Queensland, he wants to play for Queensland, his parents want him to play for Queensland”.

The State of Origin eligibility laws were changed in 2012 as a result of New South Wales selecting New Zealand-born James Tamou to play for the Blues. The rules have done their job over the past five years, keeping blow-in sporting mercenaries like Semi Radradra out of Australia’s most tribal sporting event. It’s clear from this case however, that the rules have over-reached.

While the rules are effective at keeping people out who have no business playing Origin in the first place, they’re obviously flawed in determining which state a player should be eligible for, in the event he’s eligible for both. In such cases, it surely wouldn’t be that hard to simply ask the player involved which state he personally identifies with.

It wouldn’t stop the states bickering over players (nothing ever will), but it would stop proud Queenslanders – his recent comments notwithstanding – from being forced to wear the sky blue of New South Wales. Which is exactly why State of Origin was started in the first place.

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Meninga calls for return of Kangaroo tours

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The Four Nations might be on the way out, but Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga hopes that it’s not the end of extended end-of-season international competitions. In fact, he hopes it’s just the beginning.

According to an AAP report, Meninga – speaking ahead of the mid-year Test against New Zealand – called for a return of Kangaroo tours, complete with mid-week games and all.

“I think it is important for the game… that we are not only playing occasional Test matches but committing to extended tours where we are able to play mid-week games against club and lower level international teams”, Meninga said.

Meninga’s is a refreshing voice, wanting to re-prioritise international rugby league as the pinnacle of the sport. We doubt whether the idea will be immediately embraced – Great Britain hoped to complete a full tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2015, only to see it get canned and replaced with a shorter New Zealand visit to England – but the fact that league figures with as much sway as Meninga are starting to talk up the international game is a step in the right direction.

Meninga played 46 Tests for Australia, and went on a record 4 Kangaroo tours as a player, including two as captain.

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