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Message: [QUOTE="McHunt, post: 3156536, member: 9853"] Yes, the Polynesian factor is a big issue in Rugby League and has been for at least a decade. The Broncos is now around 50% Polynesian heritage, last time I looked at such things. I remember a talent scout telling me more than ten years ago he'd been instructed to look harder for Anglo kids because they were already worried they'd be driven out of the game by bigger faster Islanders. He said you couldn't point to any particular player and suggest he should never have been given his jersey based on his ancestry, or that you could ignore their merit, but in the bigger picture if the makeup of your game is massively skewed away from the makeup of your community, you stand the risk of losing your grassroots. Unfortunately, we're already at that point. Ideally, rather than not pick them - when they clearly deserve the opportunity - the better option would be to make room for everyone. Which is why if we're going to expand the NRL, the most logical direction would be to create Polynesian-based teams, playing most/all of their home games somewhere along the Coast between Sydney and Townsville. I think having teams that identify with one of the Islands, or region, might also address some of your concerns about the culture - which I can't speak to with authority, but it's not the first time I've heard the theory. It's definitely a pattern in Rugby, going back to the early HK 7's. Teams like Fiji would be the most entertaining, seemingly the most talented, but would end up getting whipped by boring, disciplined Australian sides. Back to the subject of indigenous players, conversely I think it's massively healthy for Australia to have positive role models and success stories from this community. Infinitely more persuasive than BLM protests. [/QUOTE]

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