Konrad Hurrell

[hutch]

I disagree with most on this issue. I don't think it damages the game at all for players to have 2 nations, I also think it's just a reality for a lot of people that they do have two nations, and it's almost bigotry to tell them they don't.

In an ideal world I think it would be great if players could play anzac tests for nz or australia, play origin for wherever they have ties, and then when world cup rolls around they're free to represent their struggling ancestral nation. THIS would be best for the game. The anzac tests have the best vs the best, origin has the best vs the best, and then the world cup is as evened out as possible. All good things.

While I disagree that this is the best for the game, my main issue here is that hurrell is not even a New Zealander. He had only lived there for a couple of years to finish his schooling and was picked up by the warriors. Here we have an actual Tongan with no links to any other country not wanting to play for his country because they aren't good enough.

 

[RedVee]

Yes, and it was a football scholarship rather than a family migration with him coming through the NZ schooling and Rugby or Rugby League pathways.

But in the end it is his decision under the current rules. Similar to Nathan Fein (just one example) becoming a NZ player via residency after moving there for football purposes as an adult.

 

[Joker's Wild]

Cricket. Soccer has done it before. Tennis, Olympic sports all though have a standing down period before you can change

Rugby Union too

Patricio Noriega played for both Argentina and Australia

 

[Evil Homer]

NZ should decline to pick him since he isn't from there and AFAIK has no real links to the country. NZ have plenty of their own talent, they don't need Hurrell.

 

[hutch]

Just like Australia shouldn't have picked uate and England shouldn't have picked faasavalu. Ain't gonna happen though! (Or more that it IS gonna happen!

 

[roughyedspud]

fa'asavalu was fair game...he'd played all his rugby league in england and never played league for samoa..too compare him to uate is ridiculous..

 

[roughyedspud]

the big 3 do have a responsibility though not to go after and select players who have already made their choice and played for another nation....like uate,brough and now hurrell..etc

 

[Tone83]

While I disagree that this is the best for the game, my main issue here is that hurrell is not even a New Zealander. He had only lived there for a couple of years to finish his schooling and was picked up by the warriors. Here we have an actual Tongan with no links to any other country not wanting to play for his country because they aren't good enough.

Fair point. I didn't know the details of Hurrel specifically, but a lot of players have legitimate claims to more than one nation. It's just the reality of the world these days, and it's also possible for someone to have legitimate claims to qld or nsw while still having legitimate claims to some other country. The game needs to catch up to the modern world where someone isn't less of an australian or less of a qlder because they were born somewhere else, and to then begrudge this person to represent their struggling birth nation at the world cup is just petty, and damaging to the game.

 

[hutch]

fa'asavalu was fair game...he'd played all his rugby league in england and never played league for samoa..too compare him to uate is ridiculous..

It's not ridiculous at all. Uate had never played rugby league in any country but Australia where he emigratdd to. He played for Fiji and then switched to aus for origin and the money.
Faasavalu played rugby union for Samoa and then moved to England on a sporting contract. After 4 years he was picked for gb. They are not the same in detail but they are equally ridiculous.

 

[roughyedspud]

fasavalu did'nt swap countries illegally....thats why its ridiculous mate

 

[Masoe_eats_babies]

Uate lived in Aus since he was what, 16?

Fa'asavalu was a Samoan rugby player who represented Samoa internationally before being stolen by rugby league

How hte held is Fa'asavalu playing for England more legitimate than Uate playing for Australia?

 

[roughyedspud]

cos uate played league for fiji first...then the ARL/NSWRL broke their own "rlif laws" to get him to play origin...



not a single rule was broken when fasavalu played for GB & england...


keep trying to compare the two all you want....but they don't.....damn i thought we cleared this up 6 years ago???




and "stolen by RL" wtf you on about?

 

[Glen from the Mount]

Same Same