World Footy News

Inoke Ratu on paper, joined the Western Bulldogs last year when Western Bulldogs became the first AFL club to make use of the International Scholarship List, which allows clubs to effectively quarantine young international talent by signing them to $1000 per year contracts. This gives the club the opportunity to develop the player overseas (or for $20k they can look to move them to Australia). But Ratu's visa has been rejected and the Western Bulldogs are understood to be today set to appeal the decision to deny Inoke Ratu a visa to enter Australia.

Diplomatic tensions between the Australian governement and the interim Fijian goverment have seen a ban on Fijian military entering the country. While Inoke Ratu is not a member of the military, his father is and it seems that is enough for the Department of Immigration to deny the visa. Commenting on his visa rejection Ratu said "I'm a bit disappointed at the moment - everything that has been my target, my aim this year has been turned down just because of my visa application."

This snag comes as a blow with wider implications for the scholarship scheme with the Bulldogs the only club so far to have used it to take a chance on a foreign prospect. It seems that clubs other than the Bulldogs have seen little attraction in it so far and this situation is not likely to enhance how it is viewed.