Hey New Zealand, stop stealing our players

The thing is those Australian born players are of New Zealand decent not Australian.

That's exactly it Australia is the biggest claiming nation going...

The difference is that most our players have kiwi connections . Parents or grandparents from NZ. With the Aussies who have taken kiwi Fijian Samoan Tongan players they have no connection other than living in Australia

The Internecine machinations between Australian and New Zealands best rugby League players certainly keeps the wolfs at bay at Twickenhams fortress. Thank God for Rugby League.

Johnno's Tier or Grouping idea is pretty good but I would change one or two things .First I would stop players swapping nations in the top group like Tonie Carrol did eg.Australia to N.Z. back to Australia(no brainer I guess).Second thing eg. Jarryd Hayne-Fiji.Since he has played for Australia a few times,if the situation came up where he was not in the Australian team/squad and Fiji had world cup qualifiers to play then he should be alowed to play for Fiji again provided Fiji are still in the second group still and if both teams are in the same tournament then he has to declare his intensions beforehand so he can't switch camp mid tournament.Also International Rugby League should have a 4 year cycle,1st year World Cup-Nth Hem,2nd Year-Great Britain Tour Down Under,2 Tests v Aus for the Ashes,2 Tests v N.Z. for Baskerville Shield,3rd year -2 Options,Rest year or 4 Nations in Sth Hem,4th year-4 Nations in Nth Hem and so on and on the second year of the next cycle both Australia and N.Z. will tour the U.K. and France for 2 tests against Great Britain(not England) and 1 test against France.

Hear hear sajjittarius - I have been saying this for years .. and my comments have essentially been ognored in all forums!! Nominate where your allegiance lies (if there is any blurry line) when you sign an NRL contract and thats that. Placing a criteria such as place of birth is ridiculous - your final paragraph is spot on!!! So glad i found someone else with common sense! :-)

"Re the other’s with dual eligibility. We’ll never know the true reasons for their decisions, but trying to oust incumbents is what make young players strive to be better I would have thought." 1. every reason they have to decide their allegiances at junior level, 2 Both external data & fan base opinions rates someone like Hoffman as QLD 3rd or 4th choice fullback suddenly NZ becomes and option. Agree form & injuries are the two biggest set backs for footballers / athletes. Young players will strive to do better but I imagine with the abundance of talented players they question themselves when they don't have vote of the selectors or confidence of a representative coach as well as the blessing of the public.

Tamou was obviously very much on NZ's radar, hence his naming in last year's training squad. Re the other's with dual eligiblity. We'll never know the true reasons for their decisions, but trying to oust incumbents is what make young players strive to be better I would have thought. Slater, as an example, could have a season-ending injury at any time or lose form, plus he's not getting any younger.

Maybe Australia should stop stealing our union players.

Morotti, Totally agree, I posted a mock criteria in recent blog by the Whiz Freemen. The problem needs to be resolve in the lower grades. In my plan i mention that any player/s who relocate here after the age of 15yrs & up, for a period of 3yrs should not be eligible for both State & Australian selections at schoolboy as well as club levels. During that period considering all players have been registered with the ARL need to be log onto a athletic data base from their country of origin. Prospects during that period should be rewarded with scholarships/traineeships scouted & funded by the country of their origin. By having a criteria at junior level that both restricts and awards a genuine representative pathway, which provides expat players to continue the relationship with their country of origin. NZRL need to find & improve the resources/revenue to fund these programmes and not leave it up to ARL. You touch on the financial gain which once again I totally agree but here's another angle,their representative future hinders on the performances of themselves and the incumbents. Every player has aspirations of playing representative football, immigrants who have an each way bet are at an advantage due their parental / birth status. Now take young Hoffman do you think his decisions is base on his parental heritage? or is it because Billy Slater has mortgage on the No 1 for as long as he wants it? or is it he wants to prove himself against the worlds best fullback? Before the media spotlight shone on James Tamao apart from his size and gradual form if it wasn't for the belief of Ricky Stuart do you think James was on everybody's else lips for instant representative selection? In that case when opportunities present themselves guys like Tamao don't think of the money rather the big stage. For a selected few the representative window closes as quick as it opens. Athletes are result driven individuals the money runs a distance second for mind playing representative football is the ultimate goal there just has to be a way to control the pathway at junior level.

The problem is stalker that where you're born can often have absolutely no impact on where you grew up and who you identify with. To use a league example Peter Sterling was born in Toowoomba, QLD but grew up in Wagga Wagga NSW. He identifies as a Blue; ironically he also supports a place of birth rule, which would have meant a Lewis/Sterling combo in Origin. Another example is Billy Moore (he of the "QUEENSLANDER" fame). A more passionate Queenslander you obviously couldn't find, yet he was born in Tenterfield, NSW as that hospital was closer being closer to his home town of Wallangarra than Stanthorpe's. Who someone identifies with is a complex mixture of heritage, birthplace, childhood and personal inspiration - suggesting one override the others will only lead to further complaints.

Nationaliam can be blurry when you're raised in a household where the parents are from a different country. Imagine Hoffman, for example, watching test matches where the family is barracking for the Kiwis and his relatives are all passionate NZers. Moreso for Maori, who have a cultural connect to NZ. Re: Webb. Didn't want to see him selected but unfortunately the best Kiwi fullback was wearing green and gold...

Will the Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers be required to say sorry to the 'stolen league generations' next? Actually, what a concept, we could have a "Sorry Round" with all new jumpers and merchandise. I better ring the leagues merchandising folks....(right after I trade mark and patent the idea)

agree with you Curious. Players should be allowed to choose, then stuck with that choice once they represent. Anything else is restraint of trade. Money getting involved is sad, but inevitable in a professional game. These guys aren't amateurs, to all the people who say they should represent the country that they think the player should represent (purely based on emotion). As someone old enough to remember the first SoO, it does mean the end of what started it. I.e. NSW could afford all the best players and Qld couldn't. That's what started SoO. We are heading in the opposite direction to what caused the imbalance. Don't see a viable solution to this. As I have previously posted an NHL team from humid subtropical Florida has 15 Canadians in it. Having watched live NHL and endured 110 min of advertising for 60 min sport (yes I did time it). I will save my passion for when ARL wants to introduce advertising breaks. I am prepared to offer all my fingers to try and shore up that dike.

"Bla bla bla" "Wyne wyne wyne", Thats all im hearing. Had a bit more research went into this report we all wouldnt be in this scenario. But i geuss its good to let off some steam sometimes. Now to the matter at hand, Players are asked to represent so its not stealing if they play on there own free will and loving the sport of rugby League (Way More Then Union) my self and growing up watching greats like Mel, and Ricky going neck and neck every Origin and/or Winfield Cup Finals these were never issues as players played the game for the love of it. 20 years pass and the game progresses as does the expectations of Critics and League lovers all over the World. Nzers are Awsome as i am 1 ( Go Kiwis lol ), but we are not Thieves and the sport is everyones to enjoys including The Players. I am The BEAST and thank you 4 Reading.

It is about money. This could be the link to fixing the problem. I brought up my CokeCola thoery the other day. You need to expand, even Coke looked to expand, Diet Coke, Rum and Coke, and whatever. What i think the ARL, NRL, (they still have not brought the game under 1 banner) should do is set aside a piece of the players money, here me out, so lets say they want 50 thousand a game, sit them down and say look, we are going to do this, show them a chart where rugby league will be played in China, (chukkle chuckle) ok maybe played in NZ with the same passion as our Origin blackbusters, but to get their we need to hold back say 10 thousand . So you get a 100% payrise which is 40 thousand a game, the other 10 goes to a new development team. Anyhow, have to go, Storm Dogs on,

I think the solution is somewhere in what yuo or i said, but i cant think to hard, its Sunday, and i am not getting paid to think. :) Its in that basket, the too hard one i built for rugby league.

Yes, like a naughty schoolboy, they started it sir. No, Australia should be the bigger player, (pardon the pun, we are), and lead by example. I dont think stealing NZers is leading by example, it is setting a bad example, No one can argue with me on that point or we would not be talking about it no. Well you see you seconfd point, i think we already have that coverwed with immigration, and residency. Even if you move to England, after 3 years your a pom if you want to be. So this is covered, we are talking about being a kiw , or playing for the juniors in that country, shifting to OZ, then want to play for Australia, or NSW QLD in this case. ? Yes can happen if you get residency or become a citizen. I think this takes 3 years, 5 years, someone would know. So the pouint you raise about it being unworkable is wrong,. If a 20 year old kiwi kid plays juniors, he cant play for at least 3 years, you just make it along the lines of residency or citizenship or whatever. To sum up, Yes its a can of worms.