Fien romance ends in date with Kiwis

[Esoj]

whoopty doo. so go play for the wanderers or the barbarians.

it is a globalised word (obviously) and you will probaly find that the 'genuine' kiwis will follow the time honoured tradition of coming home when called to represent their country.

fein is not a legitimate selection, far from it, he's an australian.

his grandmother would say otherwise.

 

[JJ]

some of those supporting Fien may have been particularly vitriolidc about Hunt...

All BS for mine, international league is a laughing stock, and NZ league even moreso while we act like a s**t arount any Australian with a smidgen of Kiwi ancestry, or any Australian with nowhere near enough talent to wearthe green and gold, but happens to have spent a week in Auckland and wants to upgrade his contract because he's an 'international'

I know it's not the only spot where it happens, but it disappoints me

 

[the rebel]

To be honest rugby league eligibility rules are a bit of a shambles at the moment. If the kiwis are allowed to get fein to play, who cares, rules are rules. The kiwi team is in desperate need of a hooker , and i believe he will be a crucial part of the tri nations campaign. He has New zealand heritage, in my eyes, hes every bit a new zealander.

 

[Iafeta]

whoopty doo. so go play for the wanderers or the barbarians.

it is a globalised word (obviously) and you will probaly find that the 'genuine' kiwis will follow the time honoured tradition of coming home when called to represent their country.

fein is not a legitimate selection, far from it, he's an australian.

What's your criteria?

Born in New Zealand? Have to have lived on a dairy farm? What? Have to be a p!ssweak five eighth with no passing game or kicking game but scored 4 tries against soft opposition? What?

I mean seriously mate. You make a lot of criticisms, but how about you go up to Nathan Fien, Tony Martin and Brent Webb and ask them their reasons why. The days of going for a country purely on birth are over. Modern trends suggest thats totally unrealistic and a deplorable philosophy.

My wife is Australian born and bred, her parents are from Poland and the Ukraine. Let me tell you something - she has a deep tie to both those countries. Everytime the Soccer World Cup rolls around we support those two nations. By your logic, I should be reprimanding her. We don't know how a person thinks emotionally, or what drives them. As long as it's not greed for money, greed to play for the superior nation to make yourself look good, or those sorts of things, and you are tied by evidenced criteria which Fien, Martin and Webb have been, and most importantly, you want that black jersey, you want to sing the national anthem with pride, you adopt this country as your own, your heart cries for the country - then who the f**k are we to criticise?

JJ, totally take your point - I was one who bagged out Karmichael moreso on the basis that he supports the ABs which in my mind is a little strange. But now, we have to move on. He's made his decision, and if the reasons are legitimate life goes on. I question the legitimacy on that basis alone, but if the reasons surround his education in Brisbane and a feeling of pride in the area and what it's done for him then we have to accept it. I didn't at the time which wreaks of self hypocrisy on my part.

 

[da mad maori]

How many were happy with the selection of Tony Carrol for the Kiwi's. I was.Then he turned his back on us. He then became an arsehole. That is why I am always for P.O.B.

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

We've known for a very long time international league has got some strange rules about who plays where/and why. Obviusly it doesn't stick and seems to change for certain players regardless of who they are. I once said that what you see in a person isn't what they are on the outside but its WHO they are on the inside. Hunt was bred and born in NZ. But he left at a young age to another country and spent the rest of his years growing up (firstly lets get this straight I didn't support or like the idea he buggered off and played for australia and soo) in Australia. It doesn't make him an Aussie by birth; but makes him an Aussie through many other means. All his friends are Aussies as are his team mates. And more than ever he feel every bit of Aussie. Even thou a part of his family (whoever it is) are NZ. Just because they are and he doesn't consider himself one doesn't mean he doesn't know where his history and heritate lies (if he infact knows that) but he just doesn't have any strong ties with NZ so how can he feel about NZ if he doesn't know much about it?

Fien's case is very different. As he says his grandmother is/was a kiwi. And whether he's ever know that up until this point I don't know but I presume he knows since he moved over end of 2004. Both his kids are now; his daughter obvously by birth (not from her parents but granted being born in the country) and his son Brodie who is probably just as Australian as his dad but has had his early years right now in NZ.
Anyone who claims players like Fien are making decision just to benefit themselves...those people who say this need to take a good look at themselves. Sport has evolved. It has evolved from the old glory days of bleeding for your country. Perhaps to live by that is a good thing I don't know; but I believe that if you are strongly behind something and believe in it you stand up for it.

Telling and assuming players are excluded because 'they are aussies' and don't understand what a real kiwi is, is just bad showing on all accounts.

I know there are concerns over the aussies running over the kiwis but I don't believe that would happen. Like any team you pick the best players suited for the team regardless of what they look like, where their background is from.

So now it's just a matter of whether people will still support the kiwis just because an aussie might be inside or that people are so blinded sighted about everything being' true blue' that they can't see that the guy just happens to be good enough for the team.

 

[Esoj]

great post there. agree 100%

 

[LeagueNut]

There's just one question for me:

Let's presume (just for fun) that Player X is about to make the choice of where to play his international footy - for Australia (his country of birth) or N.Z (where he has signed a professional contract and lived for the past three years).

Let's also presume that Player X is a dead-cert for either of those international teams. The selectors have made that very clear.

Which team would Player X choose?????

The perception out there is that these Aussie/Kiwi types are taking the "easy way out" is very valid IMO. Unless we can prove that theory wrong, these players will always be seen as pinching the spot of a "genuine" Kiwi player.

 

[ozbash]

My wife is Australian born and bred,

imo she could/should never rep nz.
you are nz born and bred- you should/could rep nz.

your kids should be eligible to rep either country but only 1 .

the eligibility rule is a farce, feins granny could have been born here whilst on a sailing ship that pulled up into the wanganui creek to escape a storm.

nathan fein, brent webb and tony martin are australians and should never, ever wear the jersey of our country. its immoral.

just out of interest, to see where you stand,, the feka family are going on holiday to eg, poland.
mum has her aussie passport, you have your kiwi one.
what passport do your kids use ?

 

[fiamacho]

Webb has not said that he will turn his back on the Kiwis, so this is a non-issue. If Webby does not play for the Kiwis it would be more due to hs E.S.L Club not releasing him.

As for Fein good on him, I would love to see him in a Black Jresey, with Webb at Fullback.

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

There's just one question for me:

Let's presume (just for fun) that Player X is about to make the choice of where to play his international footy - for Australia (his country of birth) or N.Z (where he has signed a professional contract and lived for the past three years).

Let's also presume that Player X is a dead-cert for either of those international teams. The selectors have made that very clear.

Which team would Player X choose?????

The perception out there is that these Aussie/Kiwi types are taking the "easy way out" is very valid IMO. Unless we can prove that theory wrong, these players will always be seen as pinching the spot of a "genuine" Kiwi player.

That's because there are people who are just too wound up about 'bleeding for your country' as I said before.

Player X would make HIS own decision about who he feels and wants to play for and NO MATTER WHO HE CHOOSES we don't get a say in that, bar crying our eyes out over spilt milk.

 

[JJ]

I like LeagueNut's point

There's no doubt in my mind, that if either of Webb or Fien were good enough for the AUst team, that's who they'd choose to play for...

 

[ozbash]

That's because there are people who are just too wound up about 'bleeding for your country' as I said before.

Player X would make HIS own decision about who he feels and wants to play for and NO MATTER WHO HE CHOOSES we don't get a say in that, bar crying our eyes out over spilt milk.

rubbish, there are criteria that should be met regarding the eligibility rules.

if you are born in australia- you play for australia. simple .

jj is dead right, webby and fein are taking the seconed option which in turn, cheapens/devalues the kiwi jersey. and in my very humble opinion that is not on.

 

[da mad maori]

Not many agree with you Oz cause you make sense.
Option two, is always there when you dont make the cut in Option one.

There should be a banner made,

Come to NZ Ozzie league players. You're not good enough to make it at club level in your country, but you can get a test jumper playing for the Warriors.

 

[dazza]

we already have a prety good hooker, imho, in dave faiumu.

lance can back up if needed.

cheers dazza

 

[Iafeta]

My wife is Australian born and bred,

imo she could/should never rep nz.
you are nz born and bred- you should/could rep nz.

your kids should be eligible to rep either country but only 1 .

the eligibility rule is a farce, feins granny could have been born here whilst on a sailing ship that pulled up into the wanganui creek to escape a storm.

nathan fein, brent webb and tony martin are australians and should never, ever wear the jersey of our country. its immoral.

just out of interest, to see where you stand,, the feka family are going on holiday to eg, poland.
mum has her aussie passport, you have your kiwi one.
what passport do your kids use ?

So should she also not support New Zealand sides? Not love the country, as I do? Who are we to judge her emotions on a country. I'm not brave enough to do that!!

I don't have kids - but if they did, if you're referring to what nationality they would be with me being a Kiwi, the more I see it, the more it's up to them. If they take my Kiwi influence, fine, if they accept what Australia has given them, fine. People change, its a very diverse and transglobalised world - yep, even Feka himself is considering taking up Australian citizenship in support of what this country has done for me.

DMM, the POB is a difficult one isn't it. Referring to if I had kids, should they only be allowed to represent Australia? What if like the Cayless boys they're brought up in a strong New Zealand influenced family with strong Kiwi support, and so they only learn to love their kiwi heritage. Should they be denied? My wife is damn proud of her Polish and Ukranian ancestory, I'd not stand in her way if she wanted to support one of those nations; yet she wasn't born there, but her bloodline suggests she should have significant pride in her ancestory.

 

[Iafeta]

rubbish, there are criteria that should be met regarding the eligibility rules.

if you are born in australia- you play for australia. simple .

jj is dead right, webby and fein are taking the seconed option which in turn, cheapens/devalues the kiwi jersey. and in my very humble opinion that is not on.

How do you know that for sure?

Nathan Fien wasn't too far off Origin this year alone. Infact, he was bracketted with Rhys Wesser in term's of whom the next call up to Origin III was. I'd suggest he's got every chance with a few injuries of getting back into Origin.

That's extremely presumptious. Infact, outrageously so.

What if I was born in Australia, and moved to New Zealand at three months old? And learn everything the New Zealand way. Should I only be eligible for Australia? Fair dinkum mate, your ideologies and outdated philosophies have more holes in them than the Titanic itself.

 

[Mattlore]

First of all; I think that if Fien wants to play for us, Great, Welcome aboard.

Second; Its not the fact that these "aussies" are choosing to play for us that devalues/cheapens the jersey. If anything the more people aspiring to play in it the more value it gains. What cheapens the jersey is the fact that they can just walk straight in. And thats not there fault thats just a result of the awesome depth they have in Australia and the fault of the weak-in-most-places depth we have here in New Zealand. So don't get angry at Martin, Webb or Fien...get angry at the lack of depth we face as a small country or at the New Zealand Rugby League or something. And then try and find a way to change that.

All I'm saying is your anger is directed at the wrong place.

Although if any of them ever do a Carroll "oh wait I'm an aussie now" It all changes

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

Considering there's a couple of people here who haven't actually lived outside of the box they don't realise the value that goes on around them as they are too busy being wrapped up in their own idealogies of what is right. Of course it's only right because they want it and can only see it that way. It is very, very sad to see there are fans (in any sport but especially in rgby league) who think this way. They ruin the culture and understanding between other fans about what is honest.

However these people are entitled to their own opinions and opinions should be respected on all four corners.

Thou it must be said; those people continue to fight a losing battle. If they have such a problem with the eligibility rules; then go a start up a campaign at NZRL's head office and get yer point across. Sitting here whinging your head off every few weeks or every time an Aussie rugby league player has something to say about NZ. At least these players are living in modentiy. Something a couple of people here don't know how to do.

Yell and scream at me all you want it's pure fact and truth. Take it or leave it. (I'm sure you'd leave it) After all; it's just fun to come along and read the same old argument again...and again...and again. :crazy:

 

[byrne_rovelli_fan82]

If Ozbash and DMM's sentiments are right then you might as well do this:

Tell Webby he's an idiot
Tell Webster's hes an idiot
Tell the Cayless boys they have dodgy aussie accents which are not allowed to sing the national athem
Or even tell Marshall, he's really an qld coz he spent years and year up there and we don't need him..

Where is the real logic in that. If everyone is so agaisnt Aussies in this side ok fine but then you might as well rule all the number of kiwi eligiable players who play in Australia coz you are too damn paraniod they'd one day turn their back on the kiwis. So whose does that rule out? That would also rule some of the other best kiwi players currently because they live in Australia.
They way some of you are making this out is like you are sayiing 'only exclusive kiwis' are can play for the Kiwis. Real nice job guys. Real nice :roll: