Yes this is now unfair. Swapping countries was fine when the island heritage players changed to the kiwis as they entered their international footy prime and then back to the island teams when they reached their past by date.
I have never liked the international eligibility rules so don't put words in my mouth.
Previously, the islands benefited from this arrangement because if a player had to lock into a country, they'd simply never have them playing. Would Milford have ever played for Samoa if it meant he had to commit at an early age to never play Origin? No.
Now we've reached a point where these top players want to commit to their island over playing for the Kiwis or Australia, that's fine, commit properly from the outset, not once you've padded your bank account. We don't need those rules anymore.
Having players literally change international teams in less than a week is an embarrassment to a sport trying to grow it's international game. How many legitimate international sports does that happen in?
