how ridiculous is international rugby league?

[Blue_boost]

Watching the rep round last weekend

Anthony Milford plays for Samoa but will probably play for QLD

Josh McGuire plays for Samoa but will play for QLD

Chris McQueen plays for England who has played for QLD

I would assume anyone who plays for QLD is eligible to play for Australia

It seems like if you don't make the Australian side its open slather to play for other countries.

May as well call it the Australia B's side.

Or half the New Zealand players who end up playing for Samoa when they don't make the side.

Just ridiculous. I say you pick a country and that's that. Just because you don't make the national team doesn't mean you get to play for some other country.

 

[BELMORE]

There are rules in place to allow players to play for second tier sides. i like it... strengthens the smaller teams.

 

[CroydonDog]

The rules do seem a bit all over the place...

For example Curtis Rona was ineligible for SOO as he grew up in WA but Milford can play for a state and a completrly different country.

My personal view is that SOO and International criteria should be separate, and SOO should actually broaden its qualification rules... but the current rules seem all over the place.

 

[CroydonDog]

Also if players eligible to play SOO were told they had to choose between a shot at Origin and playing for, say, Fiji, they would all chose origin... which would make it eve more lopsided.

 

[BELMORE]

The rules are pretty clear you just need to read them. they were updated in the past 12 months.

 

[Shanked]

it's fine

 

[Wahesh]

International Rugby League has always been a farce.

International Rugby League will always been a farce.

/end.

 

[Moedogg]

It is kinda bullshit but its the only realistic way to grow the game. Union does it too....Craig Gower played for Italy, Wing played for Japan.

 

[CroydonDog]

It is kinda bullshit but its the only realistic way to grow the game. Union does it too....Craig Gower played for Italy, Wing played for Japan.

Maybe, but craig wing wouldn't then come back to play for nsw in the same season... (and he also plays fomesticallt in Japan).

The iffy ones i think the op complained about is being about to play SOO (representing a state in Australis) but at an international level pl1ayinh for another country altogether.

 

[Malla]

Origin is the one thing that effects the international game.

 

[Nasheed]

origin isa bit of a cancer like that.

The game cant grow because if you have a bunch of melbourne or perth kids in the system, then that demeans and defeats and undermines the origin concept.

 

[Oatley Dog]

Watching the rep round last weekend

Anthony Milford plays for Samoa but will probably play for QLD

Josh McGuire plays for Samoa but will play for QLD

Chris McQueen plays for England who has played for QLD

I would assume anyone who plays for QLD is eligible to play for Australia

It seems like if you don't make the Australian side its open slather to play for other countries.

May as well call it the Australia B's side.

Or half the New Zealand players who end up playing for Samoa when they don't make the side.

Just ridiculous. I say you pick a country and that's that. Just because you don't make the national team doesn't mean you get to play for some other country.

If you want to take a narrow view of things then it is a reasonable view, but if we want the game to grow and to make international football a genuine reality then we have to have some forward thinking in place. The Aussies and the Kiwis pick their international sides first. If a player misses out on selection and there is another international being played that they have direct familial links with then they are allowed to play for that side. In the case of McQueen he is never a chance to rep Australia and so permanently signing over his allegiances is fine. He can't play for Aust now he has played for a first tier nation. Doing this strengthens the quality of the 2nd tier countries and makes the game a better spectacle. It also gives the lesser players a chance to learn a bit about top class footy from the NRL players. For mine that is all positive. The Origin qualifications specifically relate to the state you come from (in a footy sense) and now days are quite tight. The thing is if you are say a Taumololo you have declared for the Kiwis so you can never play origin or for Aust as the Kiwis are tier 1.

 

[CroydonDog]

If you want to take a narrow view of things then it is a reasonable view, but if we want the game to grow and to make international football a genuine reality then we have to have some forward thinking in place. The Aussies and the Kiwis pick their international sides first. If a player misses out on selection and there is another international being played that they have direct familial links with then they are allowed to play for that side. In the case of McQueen he is never a chance to rep Australia and so permanently signing over his allegiances is fine. He can't play for Aust now he has played for a first tier nation. Doing this strengthens the quality of the 2nd tier countries and makes the game a better spectacle. It also gives the lesser players a chance to learn a bit about top class footy from the NRL players. For mine that is all positive. The Origin qualifications specifically relate to the state you come from (in a footy sense) and now days are quite tight. The thing is if you are say a Taumololo you have declared for the Kiwis so you can never play origin or for Aust as the Kiwis are tier 1.

So England is now tier 2 side. Poor bastards.

 

[Oatley Dog]

So England is now tier 2 side. Poor bastards.

Got me. I noticed that I had the order out and couldn't be bothered editing it....

 

[jasonsmith1994]

the only good international is england vs australia in england with english commentary

 

[blueyedsamurai]

I wish they'd go back to how it was in 80s and early 90s. Kangaroo tours and matches against Great Britain (only way England can be competitive against Australia).

 

[belmore_utd]

Keep Calm and Cultural Diversity

 

[Oatley Dog]

I wish they'd go back to how it was in 80s and early 90s. Kangaroo tours and matches against Great Britain (only way England can be competitive against Australia).

Just not practical these days. 6 - 10 weeks away at the end of the season pushes their downtime back to Dec/Jan and then they start playing again in Feb. Their bodies can't recover and most of them have off season surgery to correct problems which means that the elite players wouldn't be available until round 5 or 6. League was still half baked amateur in the 80s/90s. They'll struggle at the end of the year with the World Cup coming. Watch how many are unavailable either for that or early in the season due to injury.

 

[blueyedsamurai]

Just not practical these days. 6 - 10 weeks away at the end of the season pushes their downtime back to Dec/Jan and then they start playing again in Feb. Their bodies can't recover and most of them have off season surgery to correct problems which means that the elite players wouldn't be available until round 5 or 6. League was still half baked amateur in the 80s/90s. They'll struggle at the end of the year with the World Cup coming. Watch how many are unavailable either for that or early in the season due to injury.

They would probably have to go the super rugby route and drop the number of games a season (super has 17 rounds a year). If they dumped the 9s (or at least had only holden and nsw cup players playing) and world club challenge you'd have a lot more room to move at the end of the year.

 

[steeliz]

The players who get to represent their homes don't think it is bullshit thats why they make themselves available. Good enough for me.

I quite enjoyed all the games to be honest.