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Just when my blood pressure was drifting down to sustainable levels, I woke this morning to find Cowboys forward James Tamou declaring his intent to play State of Origin for New South Wales.
This is not going to be a long, dawdling article laying out the differing views on this issue.
It’s very simple: you play for the country in which you were born.
I know in the past there have been supposedly mitigating circumstances, such as the selection of Papua New Guinea-born Adrian Lam in the Queensland side to ensure a competitive Origin series for the ARL during the Super League war.
Since that time, however, we’ve had the absurdity of players like Karmichael Hunt, who lived in New Zealand until he was 13, playing for Queensland. Tony Williams was selected for the Kiwis before declaring his desire to play for New South Wales and Australia.
The administrators of the game should have a vested interest in keeping all representative football as vital and competitive as it can be. The integrity of State of Origin must be maintained.
This series has never been like the moribund American All-Star games which is made up of obscenely-paid players who show up every year because their contracts demand it, to ‘compete’ in contrived matches between teams lacking any true identity.
The NRL and NZRL should implement rules that prevent Kiwi players from playing in big games like State of Origin simply because they wish to. League has enough challenges staying relevant on the international stage without having players-for-hire switching teams on a whim.
If there aren’t enough representative fixtures for players of a particular nation, then the people running the game must create them, from tournaments featuring players from Pacific Island or Oceania regions to North Island versus South Island contests.
Will these games have the resonance, passion and skill of Origin? Of course not. But let’s remember: State of Origin is supposed to involve players coming from their state of, uh… origin. Tests should be no different.
The NRL, ARLC and other prominent bodies must take care not to grab the low-hanging fruit of convenience in these matters, a problem currently facing the game in relation to where teams will play their fixtures.
The long view must be taken to grow the game, and that means abandoning questions of where players played their junior football as a means of deciding qualification for Origin.
Players should be playing for the countries of their birth – if that country happens not to be Australia, State of Origin should be out of the question.
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