Innholdsfortegnelse for 2019 - Reps Round i Big League Weekly Edition

QUEENSLAND representative Tazmin Gray believes the introduction of a new recruitment and retention rule will strengthen the NRLW this season, making the tournament more competitive. Under a new cap system, players will be ranked by a points system based on what level the player has reached. A player will have 10 points if they turned out for the Jillaroos or Kiwi Ferns, eight if they’ve played State of Origin, four if they represented the PM’s XIII and three points if they played at the National Championships. Each club will form a squad of 22 players, with the cap value of the team limited to between 120 and 160 points. “To have a points system is great because it’s going to even the teams and it gives a lot of girls…

WARRIORS You played for both New Zealand and Samoa last year What’s your preference moving forward? My preference is to play for the Kiwis because they’re a tier one team and there’s a lot more competition for spots, so it’s a bit more special if you make the team. But I’m proud to represent either side like I did last year. I enjoyed both camps in 2018. They were both awesome experiences. Going over to England was amazing, and getting a crack in that last game for the Kiwis was the icing on top. I came on when we were winning so it was pretty cruisy, which meant a bit less pressure. I reckon that’ll be very different as I get more opportunities. How did you get into rugby league…

INSTAGRAM didn’t exist the last time Josh Mansour played for Lebanon, but he doesn’t need a social media platform to reflect on the incredible memories he experienced while in camp. The Panthers winger played three Tests for the Cedars in the 2009 European Cup, scoring a try in games against Italy, Scotland and Ireland three years before he made his NRL debut. A decade later, he was set to earn a fourth cap, only for injury to rule him out of Lebanon’s clash with Fiji at Leichhardt Oval this weekend. “Lebanon is a beautiful place, the people are beautiful and it would have been such a privilege to play for them again,” he tells Big League. Getting the chance to represent his father’s country of birth was an eye-opening experience…

AFTER hours of soul searching and multiple discussions with his partner, Martin Taupau made the hardest decision of his rugby league career – to change his international allegiance to Samoa. Born in Auckland with Samoan heritage, Taupau has played 24 Tests for the Kiwis since his sole appearance for Samoa back in 2013. But after six years away, the giant enforcer will once again pull on royal blue jersey when Samoa face PNG on Saturday. “I believe in my heart this is the best decision I’ve ever made,” Taupau tells Big League. “The decision to switch allegiances was one of the hardest I’ve had to make in my career.” The Sea Eagles enforcer feels at peace about his move to play for the Pacific nation, but he insists the decision…

IT’S fair to say Tazmin Gray is a super mum. Not only is she a raising two children, she runs a business with her husband and juggles a professional rugby league career at the same time. Mother to Kyan, 1 and Velarn, 3, family will always be Gray’s No.1 priority, but it hasn’t stopped her chasing her rugby league dreams. Take last year for example; she’d given birth to her second child and within 10 weeks was back playing rugby league, representing Queensland in the inaugural Women’s State of Origin. “Returning to play State of Origin was the last thing on my mind after having a baby,” Gray tells Big League. “It was a 10-week turnaround. I played one game, then Nationals, then Origin. It wasn’t the best of labours,…

Form: The Kiwis will be counting on the form of four Melbourne Storm forwards carrying into this much-anticipated Test, along with another three from defending premiers the Sydney Roosters. The Kiwis have been dealt a blow through injury to halfback Kodi Nikorima and Kevin Proctor, along with the decision of long-serving prop Martin Taupau to turn out for Samoa. Tonga will field an imposing outfit that includes in-form forwards Jason Taumalolo, Siosiua Taukeiaho and Addin Fonua-Blake. History: Tonga went close to staging a monumental boilover the first time they met the Kiwis in a 1995 World Cup clash before going down 25-24. The next three clashes were one-sided affairs, won by the Kiwis on New Zealand soil before Tonga scored their game-changing victory at the 2017 World Cup. Their 28-22…

IT was a thrilling round of Jersey Flegg fixtures, with five games decided by two points or less. Parramatta trailed the Warriors late, before scoring three tries to steal a 32-24 win. Manly pulled off a major upset against the Dragons, thanks to a last-minute field goal, while the Thunderbolts registered their first victory of the season after Josese Waqalevu completed his hat-trick. Penrith collapsed against South Sydney after leading at half-time. In another close finish, the Bulldogs knocked off the Roosters. Cronulla survived a late scare from Canberra to remain at the top of the table, while the Knights beat the Tigers 22-6. VICTORIA THUNDERBOLTS 24 (J Waqalevu 3, M Stimson, H Finau tries; Stimson, C Aporo goals) D. NORTH SYDNEY 22 (S Sabutey 2, A Saad, L Whittaker…

AS you would imagine, I get plenty of correspondence from rugby league fans, whether it’s via email, social media or through good old pen and paper. There is always plenty of passion behind the commitment of fans to their club and state, but I find the most diehard of diehards are the people who are obsessed with international rugby league. You can see why. Even though it’s one of the pinnacles of a playing career to get picked for your country, it’s sometimes left by the wayside due to the behemoth of Origin and steadfast obsession with winning a premiership in the NRL. Also for many decades, if you weren’t part of the Kangaroos, Kiwis, or even England, you weren’t likely to have much success. What’s been great about the…

HE’S been the spiritual leader of the pack since switching allegiances from Australia to Tonga ahead of the 2017 World Cup, but Andrew Fifita will miss Saturday night’s Test against the Kiwis through suspension in a cruel blow for Mate Ma’a as they continue their push for tier-one status. Fifita was slapped with a grade two dangerous contact charge by the NRL match review committee for a crusher tackle against the Raiders last week and will miss the next three matches after losing his case at the judiciary. The Sharks prop leads the NRL with 40 offloads this season and has been a hugely influential figure throughout Tonga’s emergence as a potential international powerhouse. His absence would ordinarily spell disaster, but Tonga has the luxury of calling on stars like…

8 Chris Heighington Heighington represented Country Origin in 2008 and 2011, but a NSW call-up proved agonisingly elusive. After previously rejecting overtures from England, where Heighington’s father hailed from, the popular back-rower made himself available for its 2011 Four Nations campaign, playing three matches. Heighington returned to the England set-up for the 2017 World Cup – coming off the bench in the final defeat to the Kangaroos – before hanging up the boots at the end of last year. 7 Josh Papalii Auckland-born Papalii moved to Australia as a child and played his junior football for Logan Brothers. He represented the Junior Kiwis at the end of his 2011 NRL rookie season, but Mal Meninga convinced him to change allegiances to Queensland and Australia in 2012. Papalii starred in the…

there was only one loss, in the first Test at Wembley, in the memorable Test series most remembered for Meninga’s classic try from a Ricky Stuart intercept in the second Test at Old Trafford. Games against English club side were much-awaited events for local fans and players, with English journeymen able to boast they played against the world’s best and supporters telling tales of the day they watched Aussie legends in the flesh. That tradition is now dead. While the 1990 Great Britain side featuring Ellery Hanley, Martin Offiah, Andy Gregory, Garry Schofield, Steve Hampson, Denis Betts and Kevin Ward was undoubtedly their best, the Brits still fielded a competitive outfit four years later including Garry Connolly, Andy Farrell, Phil Clarke and Mick Cassidy. They shocked the Australians in the…

FAMILY and culture will define this weekend’s Rep Round, and it’ll have extra feeling for Fijian powerhouse Maika Sivo ahead of his Test debut against Miski’s Cedars. The 25-year-old came from obscurity to earn a spot on the Eels left wing and is now the leading tryscorer in the competition. It’s been a rapid rise for the softly-spoken winger who has drawn comparisons to countryman and former Eel Semi Radradra. Sivo never saw this coming, but is now doing everything in his power to ensure his family can make their first trip to Australia to see him play on the big stage. “I was just concentrating on playing footy for the Eels. I honestly never thought I’d get the chance to play for Fiji,” he tells Big League. “Dad called…

Form: Fiji will field several players whose NRL teams have been performing at a high level including Suliasi Vunivalu and Tui Kamikamica (Melbourne), Jayson Bukuya (Cronulla) and destructive forward Viliame Kikau, whose Penrith team has found form over the past month after winning four consecutive games. Fiji’s other regular NRL players including Marcelo Montoya (Canterbury), Maika Sivo (Parramatta) and St George Illawarra pair Mikaele Ravalawa and Korbin Sims will also be aiming to carry strong form into this clash. Lebanon’s line-up has the barest of NRL flavour, with skipper Robbie Farah leading a line-up that includes Michael Lichaa, Abbas Miski and Reece Robinson. Key NRL men missing from their 2017 World Cup squad include Mitch Moses, Adam Douehi, Alex Twal and Tim Mannah. History: This will be a history-making clash;…

Maroons winger Dane Gagai has scored 11 tries in 11 Origin matches. Tonga’s line-up includes 11 players who played in last year’s test against Australia. Lebanon have four players with NRL experience, compared with 11 for Fiji Steph Hancock will play her 15th interstate game for the Maroons. The Blues’ women have made 11 changes from the team that played last year’s interstate match, compared with six for the Maroons’ women. All 17 members of the Samoan team have NRL experience, compared with six for PNG. After losing Game One, the Blues have a 10-8 record in Game Two.…

GUN forward Viliame Kikau believes a week in camp with the Fijian squad will recharge him for the remainder of the season. The Penrith back-rower admits it’s been a draining year at the foot of the mountains – not only for him but the entire club. As well as off-field controversy during pre-season, the team endured a six-game losing streak that saw a number of changes to the side. Kikau also missed the opening three games of the season due to a knee injury and battled with illness earlier this month. Having won four-straight games, the Panthers may have turned things around on the field, but a break over the representative round followed with a bye in a fortnight will be ideal rest for the squad. “It’ll be good for…

HIS axing following the Round 11 loss to the Storm caught many fans by surprise, but Bulldogs recruit Corey Harawira-Naera concedes it was the right call after a mixed start to life in the blue and white jersey. The former Panther has been an attacking weapon in 2019 but admits his defence hasn’t been up to scratch, prompting coach Dean Pay to drop him to reserve grade. “I had a really good talk with the coach,” he told Big League. “The expectations of me coming over here were pretty high and I wasn’t living up to that. I’ll wear that, it’s something I need to work on. I need to get more involved, but my defence has also been an issue. I’ve been leaking four or five missed tackles and…

SURPRISE, surprise, I must make the admission – I am a rugby league romantic. There is so much to look forward to this representative weekend, but it’s the re-appearance of one player on the international stage that has got me so excited. Benji is back. And after almost seven years since his last Test, it may be for ‘one night only’. It’s a bit like having one of your favourite bands from years ago reform, and you get to see them in concert winding back the clock. You can have your next U2 world tour. Bono ain’t Benji Marshall in my book! But Benji is no Meatloaf at the AFL Grand Final either. At 34, he can still have a big influence on the result for the Kiwis against Tonga.…

Croker joins Croker Last Thursday’s win over the Sharks was made even more special for the Canberra faithful with skipper Jarrod Croker equalling club great Jason Croker’s try-scoring tally of 120 for the Green Machine. It won’t take long for the centre to move clear at the top of the charts, and you get the feeling he’ll eclipse it by a great deal given he’s still only 28. Taukeiaho raises the bat Siosiua Taukeiaho was the latest inductee into the Roosters’ 100-game club and was honoured with a special patch on his jersey ahead of the Bulldogs match. Anyone who plays 100 games for the club receives a bronze patch on their jersey, while 200-gamers get silver and 300-gamers get a special gold emblem. Mitchell Aubusson is on track to…

WITH her men’s cut jersey hanging low and her Australian hockey representative honours fresh in her mind, Holli Wheeler has no regrets. The 29-year-old is keen for another big year as a professional rugby league player, having represented NSW in State of Origin, her country on the international stage and the St George Illawarra Dragons in the Women’s National Rugby League in 2018 – winning the club’s first-ever Player of the Year award. It’s quite the resume for an athlete who adored the game as a youngster in a footy-mad household but wasn’t afforded the opportunity to play until three years ago. “Actually I think I played two games in Sydney in 2005. I went and played and liked it, but the travel was a bit much. I was busy,”…

Form: The New South Wales team was drawn primarily from the NSW City and Country outfits that contested the final of the National Championships earlier this month (City winning 34-4). The City team accounted for Combined Affiliated States and South East Queensland (22-18) in their preliminary matches, while Country downed Australian Defence Force and Queensland Country (20-14). The majority of Queensland’s players came from the South East Queensland team, with a handful from the Country side. History: The first women’s interstate match was played in Brisbane in 1999, where the Maroons eked out an 18-16 victory. The win sparked an unbeaten run of 17 victories that was finally brought to a halt in 2015 when the states played a 4-all draw in Townsville. The Blues have prevailed in three consecutive…

Form: It’s been a long time between successes for Toa Samoa, who have not won at international level since 2016. They’ve been completely overshadowed by the rise of Tonga, but they’ll be out to make a statement in this Test when they field one of their strongest international line-ups. Their entire squad is drawn from the NRL, a situation not even Tonga can boast, and the quality of their personnel has fans excited. Leading the charge is Martin Taupau, who ended his Test career with the Kiwis to devote his international future to Samoa. He’ll lead a quality pack that includes giant Junior Paulo and Newcastle pair Herman Ese’ese and James Gavet. They also have few creative concerns with Anthony Milford, Jarome Luai, Mason Lino and Chanel Tavita-Harris all renowned…