Origin legends' anger over Kiwi Sonny Bill
By James Phelps | March 22, 2008 12:00am
Wishin' and hopin' ... Should Kiwi Sonny Bill Williams ever wear this jumper?
SONNY Bill Williams' public admission he wants to play State of Origin yesterday sparked an angry reaction from passionate former stars on both sides of the border.
Kiwi born-and-bred Williams this week made an impassioned plea for officials to consider letting him play for NSW, who he has already represented at junior level.
And yesterday he was joined by rising Eels star Krisnan Inu who, despite making his Test debut for New Zealand last year, declared he too wants to play for the Blues.
But former NSW hardman Mark Geyer led an angry backlash against the Kiwis - demanding that they find passion in their own jersey and stop dreaming of playing Origin.
"I have an issue with a Kiwi playing Origin," Geyer said.
"It cheapens the jersey if anyone can have a crack at it. If you want to play for the Kiwis, well, do it. But you can't play Origin and that's just the way the cookie crumbles.
"It's been that way since 1980 and it's not going to change. Don't fix it if it's not broke."
Geyer questioned whether a kid who grew up in Auckland could ever understand the concept of Origin football, an arena where average footballers, driven by state pride, turn into giant-killers.
"I watched my first game in 1980," Geyer said. "I was allowed to stay up late for the first time. I never even dreamed I would get to put the Blue jersey on.
"I thought 'how good is this game'. When I put that jersey on in 1989, I thought 'Yep, this is good'. It was a dream come true because you live it from a kid. I don't think a Kiwi could ever understand that. He is born with his own culture inside him and he should embrace it."
Warriors captain and Queensland prop Steve Price said the "eligibility" issue had been raging in New Zealand since former Dragons prop Craig Smith played for the Maroons after representing New Zealand.
"There is a lot of talk over here in New Zealand," Price said. "Especially around Test time when guys with Polynesian heritage like Antony Kafusi or Karmichael Hunt make themselves available for Australia.
"You are going to have to put in better rules to stop it."
But even Price said State of Origin should never be changed.
"I am very passionate about Origin," Price said. "Kiwi guys shouldn't be allowed to come and play just because they want a taste of Origin. It would just ruin it."
Speaking on Thursday night, Williams argued he should not be denied the chance to play on rugby league's biggest stage because he is a Kiwi.
"The one thing that's always burned inside of me, deep down, is not being able to play State of Origin," Williams said. "I don't see why we can't play. I played NSW under-17s and under-19s."
Williams said New Zealand rugby league was being decimated because Kiwis were pledging their allegiance to Australia simply because they didn't want to be ruled out of State of Origin. That claim was backed by Inu, who said he had thought about turning his back on New Zealand.
"I would love to play for NSW," Inu said. "It was a very tough decision when I picked New Zealand knowing I would miss out."
Former New Zealand selector Daryl Halligan said rugby league was the loser when some of the best players were ruled out of Origin.
"I would like to see the New Zealand players in," Halligan said. "Would it diminish Origin? It would add to it in a way. The old fan might not look at it that way but the new fan would."
I was however asking you the question, maybe re read my post.
