Same old bonkers fantasy looney tunes

have done a great job selling Pasifika players a vision where they will train and play across the Tasman without the pressure and expectation of extended families and church tithes.

The Warriors are up against 15 other talent-hungry NRL clubs, nine Australasian Super Rugby franchises and a e bunch of NPC academies, but they simply have to sharpen their recruitment and development departments.

Just how much interest in this more mundane facet of ownership will the former and current NFL players who are apparently backing this bid have?

The NFL does not have to worry about this. The colleges develop the players and the franchises draft them. It is an entirely reactive system.

Here, the Warriors have to be allin from the grassroots up to reestablish themselves as a viable destination for the best local players.

That’s not to say they can’t do it, and Fale’s vision for Pasifika ownership is a noble one (the imbalance between Pacific Island athletes versus Pacific Island coaches/administrators and owners is appalling).

But Fale needs to do more work outlining a genuine strategy and spend less time (read, no time) selling an American fantasy.

There is one other point worth considering about Fale’s ownership credentials.

The NRL has done a considerable amount of work rehabilitating its image in the community after a series of tawdry scandals.

In 2014, it launched a Diversity and Inclusion policy aimed at eliminating homophobia from the game and last year took the bold step of endorsing same-sex marriage in Australia.

In 2013, Fale, a Republican member of the Hawaiian House of representatives, was a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage in that state.

His personal opinion might not be an indicator of what the club’s attitude to Auckland’s thriving and influential LGBT community might be under his stewardship, but it would be worth the NRL doing their due diligence.