Indigenous test mooted
Johnathan Thurston and Benji Marshall have been touted as potential superstar opponents in a proposed test match between an Australian Indigenous side and the New Zealand Maori during this year’s representative weekend.
The contest is the brainchild of First Nation Goannas coach Laurie Daley and New Zealand Maori mentor Mark Horo, whose respective sides clash at Redfern Oval on Saturday as part of the Festival of Indigenous Rugby League.
The proposal is for all State of Origin players not playing in the stand-alone interstate clash on Sunday, June 24 to be available for the Australian Indigenous side, while the Maori team could be picked from all eligible Kiwi players not chosen for that Friday’s test against England.
That would give Daley an opportunity to select the likes of Thurston, Ash Taylor, Latrell Mitchell, Bevan French, James Roberts, Alex Johnston, Tyrone Peachey and other stars on the cusp of representative selection to be involved in the historic contest.
The Maori side would also be a strong one, potentially featuring the likes of Kenny Bromwich, James Fisherharris, Corey Harawira-naera and Marshall in contest that could be staged alongside the scheduled Pacific test matches involving Tonga against Samoa and Papua New Guinea and Lebanon that weekend.
The initiative is all the more timely given Fiji, who were Wests Tigers fans can mark down February 24 as the date Benji Marshall plays his first game for the club in 1631 days.
Marshall, the biggest-name player in the merged club’s 18-year-history, hasn’t played for the Tigers since leaving for the Blues at the end of the 2013 season.
His on-field return for the Tigers will come a day before his 33rd birthday in their final NRL trial against Cronulla in Campbelltown.
Coach Ivan Cleary is aiming to ensure his new-look Tigers spend plenty of time together in their two pre-season trials.
A strong squad will be taken to Cairns for their February 17 trial against North Queensland, but Marshall will remain in Sydney alongside wife Zoe ahead of the expected birth of their first child.
poised to be also involved in a third game on the Saturday night, have vowed to boycott all international matches because they remain unpaid for their services during the Rugby League World Cup.
The match could also offset the absence of the All Stars match, taken off the 2018 schedule due to a crammed pre-season that included the RLWC.
Daley, the long-time Indigenous All Stars coach, believes the concept is a winner and urged clubs and officials to get behind it.
Cleary then plans to roll out the Tigers’ top 17 for the majority of their last trial against the Sharks, just two weeks out from the season-opener.
‘‘Benji won’t be playing in Cairns ... the plan at this stage [is for Campbelltown],’’ Cleary said.
‘‘We’re looking like the first game in Cairns against the Cowboys there are a few guys who won’t be playing in that game.
‘‘Anyone who can and it’s not really a risk in their preparation will play. I’m not about putting people in cotton wool but I’m not going to risk them either.’’
Marshall’s influence off the field has already been pronounced during the preseason as he has been able to lend a helping hand to the club’s younger brigade, including halfback Luke Brooks, given his experience.
‘‘It would be terrific and would add to that representative weekend,’’ Daley told Stuff.
‘‘If they don’t get picked for the test matches and the Origin side, there’s an opportunity to get the rest of the best and play a game against each other.
‘‘It would add to that weekend and there is a real opportunity there.
‘‘It would mean something. The [Indigenous] All Stars play the International All Stars at the start of the year but for the International All Stars, it doesn’t mean a great deal.
‘‘You play the Maori it would mean something. With our boys, there would be a rivalry.
‘‘An idea can start from somewhere and you never know how big it can get.’’
While clubs will baulk at releasing their stars over injury concerns, Daley said there was less risk playing them in June than in the pre-season because they were already match fit.
‘‘It’s at the start of the year that they are most susceptible to injuries,’’ Daley explained. ‘‘You wouldn’t be picking the Origin boys but the ones who miss out.
‘‘You could have guys like Ash Taylor, Alex Johnston, Latrell Mitchell if he’s not in Origin, all of those types of players.’’
Horo, a former Parramatta and Kiwis representative, is also championing the cause.
‘‘There’s an opportunity on the international calendar for a third game that weekend,’’ Horo said.
‘‘Myself and Laurie want pathways for emerging players. If you have that game then you can get guys like Johnathan Thurston and Benji Marshall involved. Imagine those two playing that game.
‘‘This game is a beautiful concept, it’s great for our emerging players and there’s an opportunity to do it this year.
‘‘We are the youngest nation on the planet, they are the oldest. It would be a huge celebration for both cultures to be able to play some footy and for it to really mean something.
‘‘It’s almost similar to Origin – it may not be the Kiwis or Australia, but it’s pretty bloody close.’’