The curtains have officially been drawn on the 2024 rugby league calendar following a four-game Pacific Championship finale on Sunday afternoon.
Australia took out the Men’s and Women’s series in resounding fashion but as the international game grows, we’re seeing the gap quickly narrow between Tier One and Two nations.
It won’t be long before Papua New Guinea claims a big scalp while Samoa, Tonga and Fiji are just a few pieces away from consistently troubling the best in the business.
For now though, the footy fatigue is real at this point of the year as all players and staff enjoy a well deserved rest.
Media nuffies and footy nerds like me, however, are still scraping together any rugby league content we can get our hands on.
With that in mind, here’s my key takeaways from the 2024 Pacific Championships
Australia
It’s a credit to Mal Meninga and the Kangaroos that Australia clinched the Pac Champs in such compelling fashion.
For each dual-international who declines the green and gold for the colours of another nation, the gap between Australia and the rest of the field closes.
Throw in the myriad of elite players made unavailable this series due to injury, suspension or the fatigue of an exhausting season in clubland, and the Kangaroos 2024 Pacific Cup win is even more impressive.
Tom Dearden appears to have taken the next step in his career, spearheading the Kangaroos attack to consistently orchestrate scoring chances down both sides of the field.
We didn’t see the best of this new-look, running spine against the monstrous packs of New Zealand and Tonga, but the playmaking IQ and individual brilliance shared between Dearden, Mitch Moses and Harry Grant ensured Australia iced enough of the half chances they created.
They stood the test this time around, but how Australia’s ‘small forward’ model fairs against the increasingly stacked forwards packs of the Pacific & Melanesian nations is something to watch, moving forward.
New Zealand
There are silver linings for new Kiwi’s Coach Stacey Jones despite an overall disappointing series for New Zealand.
The absence of a ridiculously long list of guaranteed starters made things difficult for the Kiwis before a ball was even kicked, but the opportunities those injuries created will pay dividends for the next decade or more.
All of a sudden, boom rookie Keano Kini now has a veritable mortgage on the black-and-white #1 jumper at just 20 years of age, Will Warbrick looks every bit an international star on the left wing while Naufahu Whyte, Griffin Neame, Isaiah Papali’i & Leo Thompson are all genuine options in this Kiwis pack when the next rep window rolls around.
Most of New Zealand’s issues from this series are very quickly and easily addressed with the return of some currently unavailable stars.
Their attack looks completely different with Jeremy Marshall-King and/or Brandon Smith at dummy-half, Briton Nikora’s line running is a point of difference on the edges and the ballplaying of Dylan Brown and Jahrome Hughes promises to get more out of Matt Timoko, Kini and Warbrick on the edges.
Tonga
The emergence of Isaiya Katoa, Lehi Hopoate and Soni Luke at the same time cannot be understated for the rugby league mad nation of Tonga.
They’ve always been well served with powerful forwards and dynamic outside backs, but having a genuine NRL calibre combination in the spine can be the difference in Tonga’s international rankings over the next 5-10 years.
Katoa still has his doubters but he’s exhibiting all the trademark signs of a 10+ year NRL halfback.
His ability to read a game and manipulate a defensive line will only improve with experience, and he has a perfect fullback foil in Lehi Hopoate to combine with on the edges.
For a kid listed at 82 kilos, Hopoate’s physicality and productivity is already impressive but that subtle double pump to put Sione Katoa over against the Kangaroos suggests there’s more to young Lehi’s game than we’ve yet seen.
The international game is a target growth area for the NRL right now and Tonga are perfectly placed to capitalise on it.
Papua New Guinea
Their series didn’t end the way Jason Demetriou would’ve wanted but like Tonga (see above), Papua New Guinea’s trajectory is another vote of confidence for the growing international game.
Even as recently as last year, the Kumuls didn’t have the cattle to overcome the absence of key players like Edwin Ipape, Justin Olam, Alex Johnston or Xavier Coates.
Fast-forward to the 2024 Pacific Bowl however, and this relatively disrupted PNG squad would at the very least be competitive at NRL level.
Lachlan Lam, Nene Macdonald and Kyle Laybutt are an experienced trio in the spine but it’s the emergence of squad players like Rodrick Tai, Judah Rimbu, Sylvester Namo and Koso Bandi who have made the difference, this time around.
It sounds a bit rich after Sunday’s heavy defeat to New Zealand, but on current trajectory this PNG Kumuls outfit will beat a Tier One nation sooner rather than later.
Cook Islands
With Pacific expansion at the forefront of the NRL’s plans right now, how that targeted growth affects the likes of Cook Islands and Fiji (see below) will be an interesting watch.
The likes of Brad Takairangi, Esan Marsters, Zane Tetevano and Alex Glenn have been wonderful servants for the Kuki’s over the past decade or so but it’s unlikely we’ll see all of them in a green jersey again. They will leave a sizable hole in this Cook Island’s squad and we are yet to see who will be ready to replace them.
There is some promising talent coming through the NSW and QLD Cups – Esom Ioka and Delahia Wigmore are names worth remembering – but admittedly there’s still a gap between Cook Islands and their Pacific rivals right now.
Fiji
Papua New Guinea somewhat bucked the trend this series of Tier Two nations typically struggling to replace injured top line talent.
Usually selecting from a much smaller pool of players, missing one or two key names can make a huge difference for a side like the Fiji Bati in a limited game series.
Considering this, Api Koroisau and Jahream Bula would have made an enormous difference to this Bati squad.
They performed well in yardage against the Cook Islands and PNG but struggled to consistently convert field position into points in both losses.
The lack of a genuine playmaker in all five key spine positions left Fiji looking rudderless and lost every time they worked into good-ball, but the half chances they wasted throughout this series suggests that things could’ve read very differently with the addition of two NRL calibre playmakers in their attack.
The next time the Bati suit up for an international fixture, I’m expecting a much improved performance – particularly in attack.
Written by Oscar Pannifex | RLWAPPAREL.COM