Jamaican national rugby league coach Romeo Monteith has responded to a jibe at his team and other nations ahead of the Rugby League World Cup.
Former player, and current player manager, as well as host of Fox Sports show NRL 360 Braith Anasta became embroiled in a social media stoush earlier in the week with Sydney Roosters' life member Alan Katzmann.
Katzmann took exception originally to the fact the NRL 360 panellists Anasta, Paul Kent, Phil Rothfield and James Hooper were laughing about some of the teams at the World Cup, before also promoting their own exclusive coverage of all 61 games at the tournament.
I hope @FOXNRL bosses are proud of their NRL360 panelists laughing about a number of competing nations at this years rugby league world cup, whilst within the same program talking up their exclusive coverage of the competition. Just disgraceful; cheap shots for the peanut gallery pic.twitter.com/O2zFkFP7Gv
— Alan Katzmann (@Katzo60) September 12, 2022
"Do you reckon Jamaica are a chance, or?" Anasta asked co-host Paul Kent at one point before laughing.
Anasta took to a now-deleted Instagram story to respond to Katzmann.
So, those of us that support the growth of rugby league internationally, and take umbrage at league 'experts' ridiculing a number of participating nations at this years World Cup, for cheap laughs, are 'dereks'. I prefer not to denigrate the World Cup, or its participants, Braith pic.twitter.com/fnwtc4msjJ
— Alan Katzmann (@Katzo60) September 13, 2022
"Loosen up Alan," Anasta wrote.
"I don't have Twitter but this Derek deserves an uppercut.
"Alan I'll see you at the Australia vs Jamaica World Cup final."
Australia taking on Jamaica in the final is an impossibility because of the fact the teams are in Group B and C, with those teams to face off in the quarter-final and semi-final if they manage to make it that far in the tournament.
Coach Monteith told Zero Tackle that TV pundits will always move to humour to impress their audience.
โEverything is irie. I suppose some TV pundits, especially in sports, will always look for humour in order to tickle their audience," Monteith told Zero Tackle.
"Some say no publicity is bad publicity, the fact that two former NRL players on TV mention Jamaica rugby league, in whatever context and whatever their intentions, means a couple thousand more rugby league fans from Australian, New Zealand and the pacific islands, now know the Jamaica Reggae Warriors are the World Cup."
Monteith then challenged Anasta and the other panellists on the show to wear a Jamaican jersey.
"Those two could wear our Reggae Warriors replica jerseys on a future show and let their fans know they support international rugby league, that might help allay some of the criticism theyโve gotten," he said.
Monteith said Jamaica have earned their place at the World Cup, despite the fact the Island nation doesn't have one field available to them within their own borders.
"Iโm sure they are good lads who love rugby league, just as we do," he said.
At the end of the day, we have earned our place at the World Cup, exposed thousands of Jamaicans to the sport on the island and tapped in to our expatriate family in the UK and other places, we aim to do our best with the limited resources we have.
"There is still not one rugby field in Jamaica, but we are in the World Cup and will rugby shoulders with great NRL and Super League players repping Kiwi, Lebanon and Ireland, that shows the resilience and ambition we have. โ
Jamaica will make their World Cup debut from Group C, playing against New Zealand, Lebanon and Ireland. The top two teams from each group move to the quarter-finals.
