For my own part, my admiration for Nathan Brown and Mitchell Moses has increased. Not for their skills but purely because of their participation.
Both players have had long seasons. Brown a frustrating one, playing in the NSW Cup and being ignored, but his interests are better served in Australia, trying to sort out his future. Moses has had a long season and this tournament will eat into pre-season, for a team that has attracted a lot of criticism this year, Moses too, and his best interests are in resting and getting a good pre-season in, as next year will find the Eels being bagged if they don't do well.
Instead, both have chosen to leave their families and to take part in a tournament they have zero chance of winning, presumably for no financial reward, purely because of the bond they presumably feel for their parents or grandparents' heritage. It shows them in a good light.
I've picked those out because the players of many of the other countries, like Samoa and Tonga, are genuine contenders. Brown and Moses know they are not, but they are still prepared to roll up their sleeves when they might have been best advised to stay at home.
