Vave: “Hopefully the boys don’t get poached” [1]
Monday, July 24, 2017 - 13:48. Updated on Sunday, July 30, 2017 - 17:37.
As the 2017 Rugby League World Cup approaches, apprehension builds for Pacific Island teams with the possibility of top-notch players being snatched by Australia and New Zealand.
Mate Ma’a Tonga prop Siosaia Vave recently spoken out about “poaching” in an interview with Fox News last Monday. He revealed that Andrew Fifita was snatched from the Mate Ma’a Tonga teamlist only a week before their Pacific test match against the Fiji Bati earlier this year.
“For him to get called into the Australian side late hurt us,” he told Fox News.
“He was named to play (for Tonga) and a few injuries came through (Kangaroos camp) and he got picked.”
Vave said that he doesn’t hold any grudges against Andrew Fifita or other poached colleagues because of their family commitments and financial obligations.
“He’s got a mortgage to pay, he’s got to look after his family and 30-grand is not going to go astray for him.”
“We lost a few blokes from the last World Cup. It’s part of the footy at the moment and we’re still an emerging country.”
“That’s the kind of hardship Tonga rugby league has to deal with.”
Vave said that a lot of the best Tongan rugby league superstars were likely to play for New Zealand or Australia because of the generous salaries offered by those wealthy countries.
“We’ve got a lot of pacific islander kids coming through who are happy to pick Australia over Tonga because of the pay packet.”
“If you can make 10 grand for a NZ side or Australian Test, its going to make a big difference than getting a couple of hundred during the week.”
“Blokes like Solomone Kate and David Fusitu’a are on the borderline of playing. If they’re fit I think they play for New Zealand…names like Michael Jennings are tossed up all the time. Siosiua Taukeiaho, if we get blokes like them back, I might not be playing.”
Despite the current disadvantages, Vave was positive about the future. He stated that even salaries would gravitate Tongan players to their country of origin.
“Hopefully, in the future we can get more even pay so the blokes on the borderline who are getting a lot of money from other teams like Jason Taumalolo, we can turn them away picking New Zealand and they can pick their country of origin going forward.”
“It takes one of those superstars to stand up and take a bold move and make a choice and set the benchmark and the tone for the rest of the kids coming through.”
“We just want the best for Tonga. Our country is little but we’re proud and have a big heart.”