Internationals Mate Ma'a Tonga

[bruce]

Taumalolo may retire from Test footy if Tonga dispute isn't resolved

Taumalolo may retire from Test footy if Tonga dispute isn't resolved

Jason Taumalolo has threatened to retire from international football if a dispute between Tonga players and the national board can't be resolved

www.nrl.com

Good job. Close the door on the way out.

Its called taking a stand for what is right.

In Tonga that has been "might" for thousands of years, what has changed?

 

[wizards rage]

So who are the crooks? ATM it's a he said she said but have a read of this article..

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/prog...and-power-play-allegations-in-mate-ma-a-tonga

Hopoate - "The other board - I don't know what they did in Tonga but they were good because they let us run our own race, even though we still had to ask them to use money. But they let us do what we wanted because we knew how to run a team”

It appears the team ran itself including organising its own funding and acting like it’s own independent entity. The governance needs cleaning up but the BOARD as the official representative of Tonga should have control.

The players are wanting to run their own ‘barbarians’ style club and use the Tongan country as their vehicle and are now throwing their toys out of the cot when they have been pulled up on it.

 

[bruce]

The players are wanting to run their own ‘barbarians’ style club and use the Tongan country as their vehicle and are now throwing their toys out of the cot when they have been pulled up on it.

So that means they are just hiding behind the Tonga label, at the expense of Tongan fans, or else the current board are as bent as anything and they want no part of it.

One question I would ask is where were these current board members a couple of years ago when there was no money floating around.

Just asking like.

 

[wizards rage]

So that means they are just hiding behind the Tonga label, at the expense of Tongan fans, or else the current board are as bent as anything and they want no part of it.

One question I would ask is where were these current board members a couple of years ago when there was no money floating around.

Just asking like.

I think even with any extra funding there would still be very little money floating around - players end up gobbling it all up. Most countries boards are broke

 

[Mr. Muller]

So that means they are just hiding behind the Tonga label, at the expense of Tongan fans, or else the current board are as bent as anything and they want no part of it.

One question I would ask is where were these current board members a couple of years ago when there was no money floating around.

Just asking like.

Running business which ended up bankrupt.

 

[brightman]

Running business which ended up bankrupt.

Plenty of successful wealthy people have been bankrupted, they learn from their experience and come back better. So where is the rest of all the sponsors money that the previous coach had stashed in an australian bank account, apparently there is no receipts for expenditure and no new rugby league balls for the kids in Nuku'alofa..

The TNRL board are charged with the administration of the code in their country yet it's NZ and Aust born professional sportsman looking after themselves and claiming Tier 1 status like an employee demanding a pay rise from his boss..

Fafita's an egg, Woolf and Hopoate are crooks and Taumalolo has no idea. Tongan supporters are the losers and GO THE KIWIS BRO!!

 

[Mr. Muller]

Plenty of successful wealthy people have been bankrupted, they learn from their experience and come back better. So where is the rest of all the sponsors money that the previous coach had stashed in an australian bank account, apparently there is no receipts for expenditure and no new rugby league balls for the kids in Nuku'alofa..

The TNRL board are charged with the administration of the code in their country yet it's NZ and Aust born professional sportsman looking after themselves and claiming Tier 1 status like an employee demanding a pay rise from his boss..

Fafita's an egg, Woolf and Hopoate are crooks and Taumalolo has no idea. Tongan supporters are the losers and GO THE KIWIS BRO!!

Yeah nah, I’d rather they stay right away and ‘come back better’ on other ventures. Especially William Edwards who is a relative of mine, his father Clive Edwards has always had his name attached to dodgy dealings in Tonga and as soon as i saw William named in the new board i knew it was a let’s get in family and friends to run this board, so fucked up are those two goofs.

If the Kiwis had the same problem you’d expect someone to speak up and force change, in this case it’s the players who come from professional club environments to seeing this crap, they are more professional then anyone on this board and the old one. So if Hoppa and Woolf are proved to be crooks, you have seen nothing yet when it comes to uncle William

 

[bruce]

Clive Edwards has always had his name attached to dodgy dealings in Tonga

Not just Tonga if I recall. Back in the day I had Tongan mates who hated the guy. If I recall he was a prominent member of the National Party as well. Is he still alive?

 

[Mr. Muller]

Not just Tonga if I recall. Back in the day I had Tongan mates who hated the guy. If I recall he was a prominent member of the National Party as well. Is he still alive?

I believe so, still floating about in Tonga somewhere. Your tongan mates were the good ones lol.

 

[Tonbridge (Swanley)]

I don't understand the players stand at all. If they love Tonga and are proud of Tonga they will play for Tonga even if their favourite coach gets fired unjustly.
Can you imagine any all blacks refusing to play anymore because Hansen got shafted?
Ross Taylor and Kane would play on if Gary Stead got unfairly dismissed. They might complain. But I couldn't see them refusing to represent their country any more.
They either have pride in Tonga or they don't. Seems like they were only slimly attached to Tonga relative to how an All Black or a Black Cap would be attached to representing NZ. I also don't think from a league perspective with the Kiwis that the real leaders of the team such as Shaun Johnson, JWH, Bromwich would refuse to play anymore if Maguire got shafted. Or even if the NZRL was skimming sponsor money. They would still play.
As I pointed out two years ago on this forum, JWH has values. Shaun Johnson has values. And so do most of our elite Kiwi players. Those players love their country and want to serve it by playing for their nation. They recongnise what an honour it is to represent New Zealand and they play their hearts out for us.
Even fucking little Kodi Nikorima gets pumped to play for New Zealand. He wouldn't create a stand off with the NZ Rugby league board. Neither would JWH.

I don't like the cut of the jib of these tongan guys. They are not welcome back to the New Zealand team for two reasons. They chose Tonga over us two years ago which was noted. Now they are showing a lack of loyalty to Tonga which shows a lack of values. That is strike two.

I tend to agree but will mention two words.....Gary Kemble...

 

[Tonbridge (Swanley)]

Manu Samoa rugby union had similar problems, even stealing from players personal belongings.

I don't think the Navy was ever a league outfit, they supplied guys to North Shore Union. Devonport was a genuine working class suburb, which also extended to the state housing area at Belmont and Bayswater. The dockyards was a massive employer as well. The classic Devonport resident now is probably an English immigrant or downtown suit who leave the car at home and catch the ferry to Auckland. I don't know what happened to the old North Shore Albions clubrooms, just disappeared.

Are you sure? I could be wrong, but in the 80's and 90's I'm sure Mt Albert had some teams that used to play on the naval base and it was great as the cost of booze was really cheap...mind you, that might have and Army base instead, memory getting hazy as the older I get...

 

[Bangbros 2023]

I tend to agree but will mention two words.....Gary Kemble...

GARY CRAYFISH KEMBLE!

 

[bruce]

Are you sure? I could be wrong, but in the 80's and 90's I'm sure Mt Albert had some teams that used to play on the naval base and it was great as the cost of booze was really cheap...mind you, that might have and Army base instead, memory getting hazy as the older I get...

I wasn't around in the 80s. The Navy base is completely dry now anyway, and had been for years apparently, back in the day it was awash with Bundaberg rum. If I recall the Albions didn't last much longer than the end of the 70s.

 

[mt.wellington]

Well ain't that transparency, good to know which side of the line you'll be on when the gavel falls..

You only hear the news. I've been getting first hand accounts from the horses mouths. I'll believe those that made MMT a new force. You can believe the crooks.

Anyway, back to being a team of useless also rans and the joke that is International league will be worse off for it...

 

[brightman]

You only hear the news. I've been getting first hand accounts from the horses mouths. I'll believe those that made MMT a new force. You can believe the crooks.

Anyway, back to being a team of useless also rans and the joke that is International league will be worse off for it...

To be fair I only read one article and that was around a week after the news broke, however it was easy for me to make the assumption on hearing the news break that it had to do with funding spent and unaccounted for. So if the horse has spoken to you and not accounted for the spending through official channels they only have themselves to blame when the RLIF withhold Tier 2 funding..

Are these the same horses that demanded Tier 1 status. Really, time to cook the horses..

ps btw the NZRL and ARL have had their fair share of troubles similar to these BUT we still put in and develop our kids for your country to poach so I'm pleased the TNRL are having.. growing pains, ha!!

 

[bruce]

To be fair I only read one article and that was around a week after the news broke, however it was easy for me to make the assumption on hearing the news break that it had to do with funding spent and unaccounted for. So if the horse has spoken to you and not accounted for the spending through official channels they only have themselves to blame when the RLIF withhold Tier 2 funding..

Are these the same horses that demanded Tier 1 status. Really, time to cook the horses..

ps btw the NZRL and ARL have had their fair share of troubles similar to these BUT we still put in and develop our kids for your country to poach so I'm pleased the TNRL are having.. growing pains, ha!!

I would never wish harm on anybody trying to grow the game in Tonga. However it is a union country, and league is a new thing. If they have to use Australian Aborigines as Tongan players they are on the wrong track, and that is sad for Tongan fans here, but if they like they can get out in their droves and support the Kiwis. Why not?...otherwise I couldn't give a shite.

 

[DallyM]

 

[Fearmuss]

Way to show solidarity with the other players haha.

Shows how much integrity the current board have to chuck someone who hasn't played league in years (and his brother) into the team.

Now all the righteous keyboard warriors are going to turn the Oceania Cup into even a worse circus brigading Folau...

 

[Worried2Death]

Haha just when you thought this clusterfuck couldn't get any worse someone decides it's the perfect time to introduce the most despised and controversial player in two codes, you couldn't make this shit up. They might as well get Matty Cecchin to ref all the Tonga games now, that'll sell some seats.
Izzy should tell them he's playing and then switch to the Kiwis on the night of the game, that'll fuck em.

 

[Mr. Muller]

I would never wish harm on anybody trying to grow the game in Tonga. However it is a union country, and league is a new thing. If they have to use Australian Aborigines as Tongan players they are on the wrong track, and that is sad for Tongan fans here, but if they like they can get out in their droves and support the Kiwis. Why not?...otherwise I couldn't give a shite.

Australian aborigines with tongan heritage Andrew FIFITA lol the name Fifita I swear goes back to Tonga somehow? Lol Tongan supporters of the kiwis are still here and that’s coz of our love for the legends who’ve played in the black and white jersey and our hate for Aussies and poms lol.

This new Folau thing though, just keeps getting better lol