nathan fien brent webb, residency rule is a joke

[MKEB...]

The NZ national is simply picking players because they play for the Warriors.

Who's next, Grant Rovelli to take over from Stacey Jones, Tony Martin in the centres?

The Aussies with Kiwi heritage in the Australian team all moved to Australia at an early age, and have done all their schooling and played all their junior RL in Australia.

They consider themselves to be Australian.

Well, good to see that you dont want the aussie team to have a challenge.
Your good thinking would have Rugby League resigned to the scrapheap of history..

 

[douglasallen91]

Hunt is a queenslander. I have no problem with more Queenslanders playing SOO football. Hunt moved to Australia at a young age. That is fine with me. Makes his decision the final decision.

even though he called himself kiwi on the news yesterday.

would you have a problem with benji marshall if we didn't poach him (in a QRL officals words)

 

[Mr Saab]

If Tonnie Carroll considers himself Australian then why the hell did he play for NZ? That's just nonsense.

And actually El Masri played for Lebanon in 2000, then Australia a couple of years later and then Lebanon again a few weeks after that. Absolute nonsense.

Whatever way you want to argue it, it's fundamentaly wrong that a player can turn out for 2 countries.

You are very very ill informed.
Tonie Carroll played for QLD in 1998/9/2000.
The world cup happened in 2000 and the ARL needed NRL players not chosen in the OZ squad to represent other nations. Hence why players like TC, Luke Ricketson, Kevin Campion, Lote Tuqiri, and Willie Mason amongst others were allowed to play for other nations. The ARL at the time said that these players would not have their future chances to play for OZ affected if they played for these other nations.
Blame the ARL, not the players.

 

[Azkatro]

i feel exactly the same way about cutie. makes me sick reading his name in the team.

Racist.

 

[LeagueXIII]

Every major sport in the world uses the grandparents rule. Why do RL fans blow up about it so much?

Because the other sports don't get pounded for it by the media. The media focus on this and create negative perception of international league eg. 2000 world cup. It will happen in 2008 also.

Why can't we have rock solid rules? An international junior structure should be set up and players made to choose at say 18, if they are eligible for two countries, and then they have to stick and be made to stick, as FIFA does. Also players who play in SOO should be allowed to play for their home country eg. Adrian Lam.
The current "administration" of the ARL has shown a complete lack of respect for the history of international rugby league.

 

[LESStar58]

In terms of having a better career and playing rep football if Fein and Webb want to make themselves avaialble for NZ thru residency/parentage rule or whaetver then good luck to em. Same thing with Jake Webster. Melbourne born, Brisbane raised by Kiwi father. Jonathan Thurston was in a similar position a while ago IIRC as his mother is from NZ but he chose to play Origin and is now the Australian halfback....

Look, I don't think anyone is going to complain when Australian born players with Irish or Welsh or Scottish ancestry make themselves available for the home nations in WC 2008. If international RL is going to really prosper every country needs top calibre representation.

I think the whole thing is blown outta proportion.

 

[meltiger]

If international RL is going to really prosper every country needs top calibre representation.

No. It is a pretence to create the impression these countries are competitive.

The only way these sorts of countries will improve is by starting at the grassroots level, not by filling them fulll of Australian's.


This whole NZ/Aus thign is very meh, both teams are competitive, it's not really that much of a disaster if one chooses what people percieve is the wrong side. Who really cares. I mean Hunt's playing for Australia, so NZ still puts a quality FB on the park. Fien is playing for NZ? Who cares, he wouldn't get picked in the Australian team anyway.


But allowing Lebanon to compete full of people born in Punchbowl and Lakemba is ridiculous.

 

[nadera78]

You are very very ill informed.
Tonie Carroll played for QLD in 1998/9/2000.
The world cup happened in 2000 and the ARL needed NRL players not chosen in the OZ squad to represent other nations. Hence why players like TC, Luke Ricketson, Kevin Campion, Lote Tuqiri, and Willie Mason amongst others were allowed to play for other nations. The ARL at the time said that these players would not have their future chances to play for OZ affected if they played for these other nations.
Blame the ARL, not the players.

Actually, I'm very well informed, certainly more so than the average aussie RL fan who seems to think RL begins and ends with the NRL and Origin!

Just because the ARL said that doesn't mean players had to rush out and join another country. They still had to choose to do it, and Tonie carroll chose to play for NZ,ergo he must have felt at least some loyalty to them. Technically I could play for Ireland, not that I'm likely to of course, bt I wouldn't because I'm not Irish. These players didn't just go for a laugh did they?

And whatever the reasoning behind it, it's quite patently a load of bollocks to allow someone to represent two countries.

 

[Mr Saab]

Not everyone is a Shane Webkce and makes a stand.
TC, Ricketson, Hasem, Lote, Willie, Campion...they were all allowed to play fo another country and all of them bar Campion, went on to play for Australia post the 2000 world cup.
The entire 2000 world cup was a laugh, so who knows...but dont blame the players, blame the ARL for allowing it.
Rugby league is not on its pat malone either.
Kostya Tszyu is Russian but proudly represents Australia
Vic Darchiniyan is Armenian but proudly represents Australia.

Get over it.

 

[nadera78]

I don't have a problem with players representing other nations. Not in the slightest. I support the use of the grandparent rule.

My only issue is with guys representing multiple countries. No other sport in the world allows that to happen (boxing is a little different as, in the pro game, they aren't really representing a nation) so why do we create this difficulty for ourselves? One nation for life.

 

[salivor]

The problem I have with Fien is that he's already played for Queensland therefore has previously made himself available for Australia, I think it was said at the time as well that he was on standby for Queensland for this year's series. Now suddenly half a year later this true blue fair dinkum Aussie wants to involk the Grandparent rule and play for NZ? If Fien was still playing in North Queensland or anywhere near close to representing Australia he wouldn't give a toss about his slight bit of New Zealand heritage.

We continue to make a mockery of our jersey but then want to get up and arms about Hunt playing for Australia which results in him being stretchered off the field, a bit hypocritical. I'd rather we get lapped by 50 than have to resort to putting Australians in the black and white.

 

[Murphdogg1]

Maybe if Aussie clubs didnt 'rule out' half our players we wouldnt have to resort to Aussies..........

 

[salivor]

Don't get me started on Australian clubs shafting us.

 

[Mal Meninga]

Isn't Jarryd Hayne born/eligible to play for the Kiwis?

 

[ozbash]

The problem I have with Fien is that he's already played for Queensland therefore has previously made himself available for Australia, I think it was said at the time as well that he was on standby for Queensland for this year's series. Now suddenly half a year later this true blue fair dinkum Aussie wants to involk the Grandparent rule and play for NZ? If Fien was still playing in North Queensland or anywhere near close to representing Australia he wouldn't give a toss about his slight bit of New Zealand heritage.

We continue to make a mockery of our jersey but then want to get up and arms about Hunt playing for Australia which results in him being stretchered off the field, a bit hypocritical. I'd rather we get lapped by 50 than have to resort to putting Australians in the black and white.

to be fair, you cant blame the players totally. webby and fein didnt have a snowballs chance in hell of making the roos so the kiwis was the next best thing. looks good on the resume, international player, command a good price.

the respective national boards should get together and sort this out once and for all. should be country of birth or nothing.

 

[screeny]

No. It is a pretence to create the impression these countries are competitive.

The only way these sorts of countries will improve is by starting at the grassroots level, not by filling them fulll of Australian's.


This whole NZ/Aus thign is very meh, both teams are competitive, it's not really that much of a disaster if one chooses what people percieve is the wrong side. Who really cares. I mean Hunt's playing for Australia, so NZ still puts a quality FB on the park. Fien is playing for NZ? Who cares, he wouldn't get picked in the Australian team anyway.


But allowing Lebanon to compete full of people born in Punchbowl and Lakemba is ridiculous.

Agree with your first point, but not your last. Lebanon could get away with fielding a Fifa team full of players born in Brazil (7 million lebanese in Brazil apparently), and a basketball team with players born in USA or naturalised pros (as was the case at the recent b'ball World Championships) so why not in RL?

If the rule is GP rule, then countries should use the rule.

it's up to the game's authorities to make sure your first point is enforced - that nations that do exploit the GP rule, like Lebanon, have domestic development to underpin the GP-dominated national team.

 

[Y2Eel]

The real joke is the fact that Nathan Hindmarsh wasn't suspended for that extremely ugly high tackle.

Then again, it's par for the course for that overrated thug.

As for Fien, I've got no real problem with it - the grandparent rule is used in many sports around the world. Webb - as TH said it's the same as Hunt. If Hunt is eligible for Australia (and how, I have no idea) then Webb is eligible for New Zealand.

What did he do to you dude did he hit on your (or man dunno how you swing) woman or something lol


Every chance you get lol

 

[Y2Eel]

Isn't Jarryd Hayne born/eligible to play for the Kiwis?

nope his dad is part NZ or something but he's lived here his whole life..

 

[Auckland4ever]

So long as players can only represent one country, RL is in line with numerous other sports re: eligibility. How many of them suffer the same identity crisis our game seems to over this issue time & time again?

 

[meltiger]

Agree with your first point, but not your last. Lebanon could get away with fielding a Fifa team full of players born in Brazil (7 million lebanese in Brazil apparently), and a basketball team with players born in USA or naturalised pros (as was the case at the recent b'ball World Championships) so why not in RL?

If the rule is GP rule, then countries should use the rule.

it's up to the game's authorities to make sure your first point is enforced - that nations that do exploit the GP rule, like Lebanon, have domestic development to underpin the GP-dominated national team.

For me it's one and the same though mate, if there is no realistic competition at home, then it really is just an exercise in pretence.


If countries were able to field at least one player who has played a competitive game of football in a home league- I wouldn't have a problem with the grandparent rule - Hence why I am not overly phased about the goings on between Australia and NZ

I just think it gives the authorities an excuse to not spend as much money as possible developing the game.


& yes, I think the NZ'ers who have been playing for Wales in RU is a joke too.