Have the ARL(C) done more harm or good the last 30 years?

[LeedsStorm]

Not at all, I agree with you re: playing SOO shouldnt mean you have to play for Australia

What I contest is that SOO is what needs to change for the Int'l game to prosper. The truth is its the ARLs attitude to SOO that needs to change, not the concept nor its eligibility rules.

Other countries need to make it more attractive for players to choose them and take away some of the ARLs "power". Weakening SOO only hurts the game and not just in Australia. Its stupid to weaken the games biggest product (dont kid yourself that its not) in the vain attempt to strengthen another. It simply wont work

How is SOO weakened by making its participants born in the state they represent? Are there not enough rep standard players born in QLD or NSW?

And really it isn't stupid to lessen focus on origin if players are going to withdraw from international games because of fatigue, which is the case this year.

 

[miguel de cervantes]

Other countries need to make it more attractive for players to choose them and take away some of the ARLs "power".

And how the hell are they realistically supposed to do this, up against a billion dollar enterprise?

It's up to the ARLC to give up or share some of that power for the greater good.

Calls for equal match payments are spot on and this would be one example and would go a long way to a more respectable competitive international scene. Most of the guys playing for Samoa (or other nations) ply their trade in the NRL and contribute to their overall revenue, but this revenue is then only paid out to Australian players playing for the Kangaroos.

 

[gyallop]

the number of Pacific Island players in Australia is measured as I understand off possible test eligibility and at last count was about 22%. This takes blokes back to grandparents.
the SOO rules were over hauled last year so basically if you arent living in NSW or Qld by the age of 12 you cant play origin so things are on the improve but then as it has been said $90k for an origin series and I think it is about $18k a test is a good incentive players to play SOO or for the big 3.
Does anyone really care if someone plays SOO and if not picked for Aust. plays for Samoa Fiji USA etc other than the NRL clubs as they dont have to release players for a non big 3 test?

 

[Evil Homer]

It's the $30k a game players get for playing tests. Up against paying your way that makes players commit to Aust.

Lets assume RFL wanted a similar game. They would be in there rights to have whatever selection rules they want.

SOO is an ARL run comp. They can pick just ranga's if they choose.

Yeah, exactly, so why make rules that hurt the international game? You keep saying about unequal match payments and yeah, that is a problem, so is the ARL demanding that players commit to Australia in order to play Origin, I'm not sure why you keep failing to acknowledge this and treating it like it's a case of one or the other, both things need to change. Allowing players to play Origin and for minnow nations would be a much easier problem to solve than finding funds to pay equal match payments, the ARL could literally announce tomorrow that players can play Origin and for minnows and that problem would be sorted. That would also go a long way to solving the match payments issue since these players would not be missing out on the Origin money and so would be much more likely to financially be able to commit to the other nations who pay less per test than Australia.

 

[deluded pom?]

Youre kidding yourself

Why should a player who may be born in NZ/Samoa/Romania but move to Australia as a 6yo, play all their RL here be denied the opportunity to play for NSW or QLD? Thats a truly moronic line of thinking

What if that same scenario happened but the player is 13?

 

[franklin2323]

Yeah, exactly, so why make rules that hurt the international game? You keep saying about unequal match payments and yeah, that is a problem, so is the ARL demanding that players commit to Australia in order to play Origin, I'm not sure why you keep failing to acknowledge this and treating it like it's a case of one or the other, both things need to change. Allowing players to play Origin and for minnow nations would be a much easier problem to solve than finding funds to pay equal match payments, the ARL could literally announce tomorrow that players can play Origin and for minnows and that problem would be sorted. That would also go a long way to solving the match payments issue since these players would not be missing out on the Origin money and so would be much more likely to financially be able to commit to the other nations who pay less per test than Australia.

In the current Australian team only 1 isn't born in Australia. Pretty much half of the squad could play for another nation. That's what cloud's the situation

 

[franklin2323]

What if that same scenario happened but the player is 13?

They now aren't eligible

 

[deluded pom?]

They now aren't eligible

But those same players may embrace Australia and it's culture, play all their RL in NSW or Queensland and you want to deny them the right to represent their state! Yet you won't entertain a born in the state rule.

 

[Evil Homer]

In the current Australian team only 1 isn't born in Australia. Pretty much half of the squad could play for another nation. That's what cloud's the situation

What does that have to do with anything I posted? Why are you so desperate to avoid admitting that the current Origin eligibility rules are needlessly hurting the sport?

 

[franklin2323]

But those same players may embrace Australia and it's culture, play all their RL in NSW or Queensland and you want to deny them the right to represent their state! Yet you won't entertain a born in the state rule.

Yet when Tamou and Uate wanted to. The outrage led to the rule change. Those players still can play internationals if they choose just for their country of birth

 

[franklin2323]

What does that have to do with anything I posted? Why are you so desperate to avoid admitting that the current Origin eligibility rules are needlessly hurting the sport?

Yes Australians playing for Australia is hurting the sport :lol:

 

[Evil Homer]

Yes Australians playing for Australia is hurting the sport :lol:

The f**k are you talking about? Do you have problems understanding and speaking English? Your umming and ahhing and continuing to try and dance around this issue is laughably pathetic.

 

[deluded pom?]

Yet when Tamou and Uate wanted to. The outrage led to the rule change. Those players still can play internationals if they choose just for their country of birth

And Uate can still play SoO if he's selected.

 

[franklin2323]

The f**k are you talking about? Do you have problems understanding and speaking English? Your umming and ahhing and continuing to try and dance around this issue is laughably pathetic.

There's no umming and ahhing. You seem to magically think every player will play for a heritage country for life if Origin was open to all. I am pointing out most of the players are playing for their country of birth will besides Papalli but his a kiwi so no guarantee Samoa gets him

 

[franklin2323]

And Uate can still play SoO if he's selected.

Because they didn't back date it but as of December 2012

 

[Evil Homer]

There's no umming and ahhing. You seem to magically think every player will play for a heritage country for life if Origin was open to all. I am pointing out most of the players are playing for their country of birth will besides Papalli but his a kiwi so no guarantee Samoa gets him

So what if it's their country of birth, what difference does that make to anything? Of course not everyone would commit to heritage nations, but the ones who want to would be free to do so without giving up the chance to play Origin and thus losing a lot of money. Players would be free to play for whoever they want without being coerced to commit to Australia by Origin, which most of the time just means them pointlessly sitting out international footy altogether. It's a really, really simple simple solution that would open up international footy for an awful lot of good players, I'm not sure what it is about this that you can't understand.

 

[franklin2323]

So what if it's their country of birth, what difference does that make to anything? Of course not everyone would commit to heritage nations, but the ones who want to would be free to do so without giving up the chance to play Origin and thus losing a lot of money. Players would be free to play for whoever they want without being coerced to commit to Australia by Origin, which most of the time just means them pointlessly sitting out international footy altogether. It's a really, really simple simple solution that would open up international footy for an awful lot of good players, I'm not sure what it is about this that you can't understand.

you do realise Origin brings in the cash that Australia pay their players from? Why would they give that to someone to just play against them later in the year? They aren't a charity. We need to get all countries playing tests and paying players

 

[Evil Homer]

you do realise Origin brings in the cash that Australia pay their players from? Why would they give that to someone to just play against them later in the year? They aren't a charity. We need to get all countries playing tests and paying players

Huh? Players are paid to play Origin, are they not? Nobody would be paid anything more or less, players would be paid to play Origin and tests just like they are now. You seem to be of the impression that because this won't instantly fix 100% of the problems that it isn't worth doing and isn't a problem in its own right. That's just f**king nonsense. Your arguments make zero sense, and if this is the attitude of most Australians then I can understand why nothing ever gets done.

 

[Joker's Wild]

What if that same scenario happened but the player is 13?

I believe the rules would make him ineligible to play for QLD/NSW. The line has to be drawn somewhere and imo early into your teen years is a fair age to expect someone to decide upon their national and state identity

 

[Joker's Wild]

How is SOO weakened by making its participants born in the state they represent? Are there not enough rep standard players born in QLD or NSW?

And really it isn't stupid to lessen focus on origin if players are going to withdraw from international games because of fatigue, which is the case this year.

By lessening the pool each state can draw from, you weaken the product. Its pretty simple. I also question if its fair to put such restrictions on the eligibility given the scenario I outlined

Its stupid to weaken the games biggest and best money spinner in any way. Its simply robbing Peter to pay Paul. SOO is important to the game not only in Australia but to the wider RL community due to the exposure it gets the code