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From Toowoomba to Rabaul, Tenterfield via Palmerston North and Macksville, let’s have a look at how State of Origin has accepted diversity in this great nation of ours by claiming players with origins that can be best described on par with claiming “nothing to see”, after collecting a large bulky envelope from a notorious bikie at the Sefton Hotel late on a Monday night.
Greg Inglis, the wonderful story of how Queensland snuck under the guard of the NSWRL in 2006 is our first predictable case. QRL operatives changed the Queensland border from Tweed Heads to Kundabung, just south of Kempsey, to rightfully claim the man to later be known as GI. NSW official Geoff Carr noticed the changing of the border but alas it was too late.
Well-known artist and mapping legend Raymond Barry Barnacle was called in by the ARL to officially return the border to its rightful state amid complaints from the QRL that their counterparts had conveniently shifted the NSW border north from Stanthorpe to Toowoomba in the 80s to claim Peter Sterling.
Further border changes have been made by both camps claiming areas such as Rabaul, Papua New Guinea – Adrian Lam and Neville Costigan, Palmerston North New Zealand – claiming James “Aussie” Tamou and Tenterfield NSW, claiming Billy “Queenslander” Moore! Now in Billy’s defence, he was born at Tenterfield due to the closer proximity of the hospital and has been quoted as saying “My Mum assures me I was rushed back to the Channel Country before the oxygen had time to affect my lungs.”
Truth be known NSW officials couldn’t give rats about Billy Moore, Danny Moore or Demi Moore for that matter!
The great Israel Folau, born and bred in Sydney’s South Western suburb of Minto, now playing for the NSW Waratahs was another case of pulling out the “Copperfield” card by the QRL officials. The great late NSW legend Steve ‘Sludge’ Rogers’ son Mat, born and bred in the shire, ended up a Maroon, based on his family trips to Dreamworld and Seaworld as a kid back in the late 80s, another piece of genius by the QRL.
Then we get to Tonie Carroll and Brad Thorn, New Zealand-born Queenslanders who also inspired the likes of Karmichael Hunt and Josh Papalii to turn out for Queensland. Carroll and Thorn represented New Zealand at international level in rugby league and rugby union respectively. Great dinky di Queenslanders who helped spread the ‘Queenslander’ spirit to both their national sides.
Somehow ‘Tunza’ Carroll played International football for New Zealand first, and then as a Kangaroo after the QRL altered clause 198.16b (section c27) of the International eligibility rules in 2004.
New South Wales have not been cleanskins throughout the whole “Origin” process. Jarryd Hayne was poached from Fiji, albeit he was born in Australia, but given previous rules in the Cane Toads’ favour, this means nothing. The bottom line, he too was extracted illegally by his adoptive state.
Ricky Stuart, playing great and former coach was born in Queanbeyan; however he went to school at St Edmunds College making him an ACT product. You could argue against Blues legends Bradley Clyde and David Furner also being poached from a rival state. Ken Nagas was born in Bundaberg and player his first junior footy with the Kyogle Turkeys, so he was technically a Blue blood.
Current coach Laurie Daley first donned the boots in Junee so he is clearly a Blue; however at the time he made his debut, the old QRL tactics of shifting borders had Junee as part of Victoria.
The QRL contracted members of the infamous Queensland Police Fraud Squad during the days of the late great Dick ‘Tosser’ Turner to ensure Queensland had an advantage over their bitter rivals.
What has not been lost is the NSWRL have more than dropped the ball over the last two decades and should start to look at the Queensland model of contracting experts in the art of “accidentally on purpose”, shifting goal posts on player allegiance and eligibility.
Candidates that should be targeted for the role should include Brian Waldron, Daniel Anderson, Garry Hughes and former Carlton president John Elliott. Only then will the Blues start to challenge the Maroons on a level playing field.
Sam Thaiday was born in Sydney for Christ’s sake, and played his first junior football at the age of four for the Paddington Colts Under 16’s side, such was his early growth spurt, plus the kid was born with a rare condition entering the world with a full mop of hair and a beard.
And the final insult was deporting Paul Vautin from Brisbane to Sydney NSW in the 80s!
So fellow Origin nuts, what other questionable state representatives have had you scratching your heads?
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