"Fixing the eligibility minefield" - Daniel Anderson

[Afro Zac]

Long story short, Daniel Anderson was in talked wiht Nigel Vangana has have come together with this solution to the eligibilty problem:

TWO TIER ELIGIBILITY
Tier 1 - Australia, New Zealand and England
Tier 2 - All others (eg Samoa, Tonga, France, PNG, Russia, Lebanon, USA, etc)
Guidelines:
• Once you play for a Tier 1 nation, you cannot move to another Tier 1 nation ever (no sideways movement).
• Once you have played for a Tier 2 nation, you cannot play for another Tier 2 nation ever (no sideways movement)
• In any calendar year, if a player is not named in a Tier 1 team, then he is eligible to drop down and play for a Tier 2 team. (You can move up/down between your Tier 1/Tier 2 nation that you have represented).
I understand it’s not easy for clubs to swallow that players may be injured playing for developing nations, but they are insured. This weekend, there are no NRL fixtures. It is a standalone rep weekend for the Kangaroos and Kiwis as well as City and Country. What’s wrong with staging games like Samoa v Tonga in Brisbane, Fiji v Cook Islands in Suva and Italy v Lebanon at Parramatta?
Why can’t we stage an international festival this weekend?
Has anyone asked someone like Feleti Mateo, Anthony Minichiello or Frank Pritchard if they are not selected for Australia (or City/NSW) or New Zealand if they would like to play for Tonga, Italy or Samoa, without reprisals?

I reckon this is a great idea, only problem is the raised injury risk and rate?

http://www.nrl.com/grandstanding-fi...nefield/tabid/10874/newsid/66973/default.aspx

 

[Novocastrian90]

Decent idea, but would have to be modified to include State of Origin. Something like, Given you have to be registered for Australia to be eligible for SOO, that if you either play for or put your hand up for selection of a tier 2 team you cannot play Origin the following year. Otherwise ever ******* and his dog will register with Australia even though they have no hope of playing for them simply so they are able to play Origin and their home country.



I don't get what every seconds person obsession is with having so many international games particular ones not featuring Australia.

Who really cares about Tonga vs Samoa of Italy vs Lebanon in Australia.

 

[jamesgould]

I think it's silly to allow a player to have a secondary international side ... devalues the lesser international sides ... the solution is more games for those teams, and against the major nations.

Who really cares about Tonga vs Samoa of Italy vs Lebanon in Australia.

Totally pointless to play them in Aus ... they need to be played at home for those sides - but that's more an end-of-season thing. If this rep weekend is to continue then they could have an Indigenous Australian side playing a combined Pacific side, that would be a good and popular spectacle.

---------- Post added at 07:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:32 PM ----------

And Novo90 - that already happens with players wanting to play for Aus purely for Origin - I think Costigan, Hunt, Uate and Tamou have all admitted they're just playing/played for Aus because of Origin.

 

[Novocastrian90]

I think it's silly to allow a player to have a secondary international side ... devalues the lesser international sides ... the solution is more games for those teams, and against the major nations.

That then means either having the top sides playing more game, meaning more strain on the top players, or it means the top teams get less games against each other every year.

Totally pointless to play them in Aus ... they need to be played at home for those sides - but that's more an end-of-season thing. If this rep weekend is to continue then they could have an Indigenous Australian side playing a combined Pacific side, that would be a good and popular spectacle.

Concepts seems boarder line racist.

---------- Post added at 07:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:32 PM ----------

And Novo90 - that already happens with players wanting to play for Aus purely for Origin - I think Costigan, Hunt, Uate and Tamou have all admitted they're just playing/played for Aus because of Origin.

I know, your never going to stop the people, for example a kiwi switching sides to Australia to play SOO. Unless of course you made a policy where by you selected your country at 16/17/18 when your first recruited and then cannot change it ever, or at least for 10 years. My solution is simply an amendment to stop people playing for a tier 2 team and SOO in that scenario above. For instance, Hayne is registered with Australia but not chosen in 2012, if he decides to play for Fiji in 2012 then he cant play for the Blues in 2013.

 

[jamesgould]

That then means either having the top sides playing more game, meaning more strain on the top players, or it means the top teams get less games against each other every year.

If they included a fifth side in the four nations then it would be one more test each year ... they could ditch the end of season test they had in Newcastle last season and replace it with this instead. So no extra games at all.

Concepts seems boarder line racist.

What are you on about? Pacific origin players vs Australian Indigenous players ... of course it's a race-based team, it is based on your origin! I fail to see the racism though, as nobody is being discriminated against because of their race.

I know, your never going to stop the people, for example a kiwi switching sides to Australia to play SOO. Unless of course you made a policy where by you selected your country at 16/17/18 when your first recruited and then cannot change it ever, or at least for 10 years. My solution is simply an amendment to stop people playing for a tier 2 team and SOO in that scenario above. For instance, Hayne is registered with Australia but not chosen in 2012, if he decides to play for Fiji in 2012 then he cant play for the Blues in 2013.

Well that's the ideal solution, I guess! Why complicate it?