Moana Pasifika v Western Force - POSTPONED

[Rebel man]

They have more than twenty four affected players and staff, under what circumstances would you have liked them to field a team and keep the integrity of the comp and the western force in tact?

Eagles have been in the same boat. Look at the North Melbourne game that they almost won. They had 5/6 ring ins

 

[Rebel man]

Yep, but safety still has to play a part, and bringing up players from below can be risky. Player safety must come into play, and I have no doubt Force are not doing this lightly.
Though I understand your frustration, sometimes playing game isn't the most important thing.

If it’s not safe to bring players up from the level below nobody would play pro rugby

 

[Dan54]

No he just feels a bit pissed that they there wasn't the curtesy of saying "hey we could have problem coming up", as he says he know the problem as MP (Moana Pasifika) had to pull out of games, but he said he felt it was important that even before the numbers were that high he should let other team know that there could be problem coming up, you know so everyone is not too surprised etc.
Probably not a big one and the difference in respect to opposition I suppose.
And of course all these 24 players etc could of tested positive on same day

 

[Dan54]

If it’s not safe to bring players up from the level below nobody would play pro rugby

Yep mate, but we all know that players especially forwards need time together to play, whether we like it or not rugby is quite a complicated gamd, and incredibly team structured, why almost never do players from outside ever get a start without at least a couple of weeks together.

 

[Braveheart81]

Eagles have been in the same boat. Look at the North Melbourne game that they almost won. They had 5/6 ring ins

Super Rugby has postponed games all season due to COVID. Why would they stop doing that now if they still consider it possible to reschedule?

 

[PhilClinton]

Interesting that the only teams forced to post-pone games this season are where their governments have imposed longer periods of restriction etc. only for players to get inevitably whacked by the virus mid-season.

I think the Reds, Tahs and Rebels had a fair chunk of their players miss some preseason instead...

 

[Dan54]

Interesting that the only teams forced to post-pone games this season are where their governments have imposed longer periods of restriction etc. only for players to get inevitably whacked by the virus mid-season.

I think the Reds, Tahs and Rebels had a fair chunk of their players miss some preseason instead...

Yep, it's just been when the main lot of Omicron has hit. Most Aus teams went through their problems pre season, and Kiwi teams and WF are copping it now when it's running it's course.

 

[Rebel man]

Super Rugby has postponed games all season due to COVID. Why would they stop doing that now if they still consider it possible to reschedule?

But they shouldn’t have. MP (Moana Pasifika) have had 4 games now compromised, it undermines the integrity of the comp

 

[Braveheart81]

But they shouldn’t have. MP (Moana Pasifika) (Moana Pasifika) have had 4 games now compromised, it undermines the integrity of the comp

Sure, but you can't really change tac now.

 

[Rebel man]

Sure, but you can't really change tac now.

Look that’s fair but it shows how poorly organised the comp is

 

[Derpus]

Look that’s fair but it shows how poorly organised the comp is

Weird bone to pick. We barely have depth for five 23s let alone 5 back up teams.

It might be safe for one or two players to slip in from club but an entire team of amateurs verse professionals? No way such a game would be allowed to go ahead.

Edit: maybe if we had a third div...

 

[Rebel man]

Weird bone to pick. We barely have depth for five 23s let alone 5 back up teams.

It might be safe for one or two players to slip in from club but an entire team of amateurs verse professionals? No way such a game would be allowed to go ahead.

Edit: maybe if we had a third div...

Other comps have managed it. The fact Super Rugby hasn’t been able to shows a lack of planning. There would be plenty of blokes playing club footy desperate for a shot.

Also forcing a club into mid week games also puts players at a higher risk of injury

 

[Derpus]

Other comps have managed it. The fact Super Rugby hasn’t been able to shows a lack of planning. There would be plenty of blokes playing club footy desperate for a shot.

Also forcing a club into mid week games also puts players at a higher risk of injury

No, it doesn't. It has nothing to do with planning.

No one's letting a club side run out. Move on.

 

[Braveheart81]

AFL has COVID top up players who are professionals or semi professionals and for most clubs are part of their reserves. West Coast had to draw on some of their players from it in round 2.

Big Bash both postponed games and used a pool of top up players available to all teams. It was a bit farcical having a player appear for several teams in the comp in a single season (within a matter or days or weeks). Likewise, cricket is probably the sport best suited to parachuting a player in because it is far more of an individual sport.

I don't think it is a lack of planning to postpone games when required. That has been the plan all along and so far it has all worked fine.

 

[Rebel man]

No, it doesn't. It has nothing to do with planning.

No one's letting a club side run out. Move on.

It does have to do with planning

Other comps adequately planned for this circumstance.

They either had to have rest weeks so they could catch up on missed fixtures or top up players as mid week games is the worst possible answer

 

[Rebel man]

AFL has COVID top up players who are professionals or semi professionals and for most clubs are part of their reserves. West Coast had to draw on some of their players from it in round 2.

Big Bash both postponed games and used a pool of top up players available to all teams. It was a bit farcical having a player appear for several teams in the comp in a single season (within a matter or days or weeks). Likewise, cricket is probably the sport best suited to parachuting a player in because it is far more of an individual sport.

I don't think it is a lack of planning to postpone games when required. That has been the plan all along and so far it has all worked fine.

Semi professional is a stretch. You get paid better in local footy than you do in the state leagues so all those blokes are full time workers or some are studying. No different to club players

 

[Braveheart81]

Semi professional is a stretch. You get paid better in local footy than you do in the state leagues so all those blokes are full time workers or some are studying. No different to club players

An AFL matchday squad is the same size as an rugby team but they have a list size of about 40 full time professionals (max 44). So they've already got a larger squad to pick from than a Super Rugby team.

3 of the 4 players brought in by West Coast from their COVID list had played more than 10 AFL games previously.

I think it's a very different situation in terms of available players to make a competitive game.

 

[Rebel man]

An AFL matchday squad is the same size as an rugby team but they have a list size of about 40 full time professionals (max 44). So they've already got a larger squad to pick from than a Super Rugby team.

3 of the 4 players brought in by West Coast from their COVID list had played more than 10 AFL games previously.

I think it's a very different situation in terms of available players to make a competitive game.

Look I get the landscape is different as every discarded player has to stay here and play as opposed to chasing money overseas.

Doesn’t change the fact that the situation has been badly mismanaged. Moana Pacifica weren’t notified until after landing in Melbourne that there would be no game. It’s just not acceptable. I agree with their coach that it shows them a lack of respect

 

[Braveheart81]

Doesn’t change the fact that the situation has been badly mismanaged. Moana Pacifica weren’t notified until after landing in Melbourne that there would be no game. It’s just not acceptable. I agree with their coach that it shows them a lack of respect

Absolutely. Surely that could have been avoided. That's a different issue though.

It seems very unlikely that it wasn't possible that either Moana could have been told not to get on the flight because the game was up in the air and they should wait or if that was the only flight they could they might be flying for nothing.

 

[Tazzmania]

Look I get the landscape is different as every discarded player has to stay here and play as opposed to chasing money overseas.

Doesn’t change the fact that the situation has been badly mismanaged. Moana Pacifica weren’t notified until after landing in Melbourne that there would be no game. It’s just not acceptable. I agree with their coach that it shows them a lack of respect

With all due respect the Western Force now has substantial NZ rugby connections and if there was an opportunity for a warning I am sure it would have been done. (For all we know it may have been done with the media creating click bait.)

For those of you that are not aware Tony Lewis the current CEO was the previous CEO of Tasman Marko. Chris Goodman heads up the Force academy previously headed up the Crusaders Academy. Paul Tito ex Taranaki coach and most important Mark Ozich was the head coach last year of Hawkes Bay, who have a number of players in the Moana Pasifika team.....