NRL Talking Points
The NRL season may be over but the big stories keep rolling in. Here are the talking points.
World Cup Merry-Go-Round
What an interesting week of World Cup news. The defections of Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita to Tonga has rocked the preparations of both New Zealand and Australia. The Kangaroos have drafted in Regan Campbell-Gillard, and most likely won’t suffer from Fifita’s late decision, but it is the Taumalolo move which will have the most dramatic effect on the tournament. The best forward in the world, walking out on the country he has represented, to turn out for a second tier nation. Everyone in rugby league seems comfortable with the players choosing to represent Tonga, however the timing of the announcement has a lot of people offside. Fifita continues to sully his reputation at every turn, and waiting until after the announcement of the Kangaroos squad to make his decision will do him no favours with the public. If both players were so passionate about representing the small island nation, then surely they have known for some time that this would be their decision.
The other factor which makes this all very interesting is what happens in the future. Will both players expect to walk back into the tier 1 nations’ squads in non-World Cup years? Meninga has indicated that this doesn’t spell the end of Fifita’s career in the green and gold, but you have to question the message that sends about the value of the jersey. If Taumalolo comes back into the Kiwi squad, how will his teammates feel about playing alongside him? Only time will tell, but it threatens to make a mockery of the international game.
What about the footy?
In terms of the tournament itself, we are certainly in for an exciting opening few weeks, as Tonga and Italy, as examples, will field strong teams with a healthy dose of NRL experience. The back end of the tournament stands to suffer, though, as the weakened NZ team, which will most likely still qualify for the knockout stage, will struggle against the big guns when it counts. Get on Australia to win the final by 20+, no matter who they end up playing. It’s always difficult to know what kind of form England will bring to these tournaments, especially away from home, but we can only hope they put up a good fight. Perhaps the clash of the tournament will be when the Kiwis host the Tongans in Hamilton on November 11. It could be explosive!
Cronk on the move?
Speculation continues about the future of Cooper Cronk. The latest rumour has him landing at Bondi next year, with Roosters officials apparently meeting NRL staff to discuss how to make the deal happen under the salary cap. It seems absurd that a team that finished second on the ladder, with the start-studded backline they have in place, could possibly afford the seven figure salary Cronk will be looking for. If he ends up with the Chooks, it will do nothing to quieten the crowd who maintain the Sydney side have always operated with a very loose adherence to the cap. At the back end of the season, it seemed almost certain that Cronk would retire, unable to bring himself to line up against his great mates in purple. The longer it drags on, though, the more likely it appears that he is seriously looking at playing on, and the number of clubs in the race is rapidly shrinking. This will be the most intriguing offseason player movement story for some time.
For the latest Rugby League World Cup markets, click here.
Words: Cameron Stokes
