nathan fien brent webb, residency rule is a joke

[JJ]

If she's his great grandmother he should be stood down immediately, rules are rules.

been listening to Radio Sport again - that's very clearly what Sel Bennett has said, it's Fien's great grandmother - and the NZRL have decided without consultation that 'grandparent', as it is plural :roll: should be generalised as far back as they like...

He's an embarrassing old merkin, and quite frankly we should lose the points... This is pretty bad IMO

 

[douglasallen91]

yep with you their take the points off and selywn bennett bye bye.

only question is how long ago did they know it was great grandmother not grandmother.

 

[JJ]

from what they're saying on radio sport, they knew all along, just decided to be cagey and use the term 'gtand mother' in a wider sense...

seems like, in reality, they knew it was against the rules and they've deliberately mislead everyone and bank on the fact that once it became punlic knowledge little would be done... be interesting to see what happens...

COlin Love was a bit cagey when asked if they would be challenging things = but stressed that the rules should be enforced. In most sports you lose points (at a minimum) for playing someone that's inelligible.

Bennett and anyone else involved should be sacked - the sad thing is that with Graham Henry's antics in Wales, NZers will get a reputation for this sh*t

 

[Kiwishark]

NZRL's Fien selection is flawed
10/30/2006 11:56 AM
Sports lawyer Wally Bain says NZRL's selection of Nathan Fien on his great grandparent's birth place is contra to the rules


New Zealand Rugby League officials appear to have blatantly twisted the International Rugby League Federation's constitution by selecting Australian-born Nathan Fien in the Kiwis test team.


NZRL Chairman Sel Bennett says Fien has been selected on the back of his Wanganui-born Great Grandmother. The rules say a players' parents or grandparents' birth country make him eligible for a side. Bennett has interpreted that as including Great Grandparents.


Having looked over the constitution, Sports Lawyer Wally Bain says legally that simply does not work. Bain says parents and grand parents are specific terms - any other relatives have been left out so do not count for eligibility.


Wally Bain says what the NZRL has done is nonsense.


Australian Rugby League Chief Executive Geoff Carr agrees. Carr says from where he sits it appears Fien should not be playing for the Kiwis. He says under the rules, a player can qualify by heritage or residency and Fien does not appear to have done either.

http://www.radiosport.co.nz/SportsNews/spleg/Detail.aspx?id=106530

 

[JJ]

nonsense is a kind word for it IMO

 

[douglasallen91]

COlin Love was a bit cagey when asked if they would be challenging things = but stressed that the rules should be enforced. In most sports you lose points (at a minimum) for playing someone that's inelligible.

i wonder if the kiwis had beaten aussies in melbourne if he would have been more forthrite.

 

[JoeD]

This is not good. We should be stripped of our points and more importantly Sel Bennet shoud get the bullet. The guy is a complete idiot and an embarrassment. If this costs us a chance to defend the Tri-Nations he should go and the board should follow him.

 

[ozbash]

This is not good. We should be stripped of our points and more importantly Sel Bennet shoud get the bullet. The guy is a complete idiot and an embarrassment. If this costs us a chance to defend the Tri-Nations he should go and the board should follow him.

totally agree, bennet should go.

 

[Skinner]

totally agree, bennet should go.

Won't happen though. Under the (completely flawed) NZRL constitution,
the District Leagues put him there, and there he stays until they vote
someone else on in two years.

Lesson # 2378, don't have an old publican heading up your national body:x

 

[nadera78]

Jesus Christ! How many more times will our administrators go out of their way to make our wonderful game a complete laughing stock? If this is all true then points must be docked and heads need to roll from the very top of the NZRL. And if Brian McLennan knew about it then he must resign at the end of the tournament as well.

And while their at it they can look at the Samoan team in the recent RLWC Qualifiers that quite clearly broke the rules on eligiblity by having no 'domestic' players in their squad.

 

[Ianc]

How many more times will our administrators go out of their way to make our wonderful game a complete laughing stock? If this is all true then points must be docked and heads need to roll from the very top of the NZRL.

Totally agree. If the rugby league community does nothing about this then everyone is discredited not just NZRL. Fein's selection was bad enough when it was thought to be his grandmother, this just makes it worse.

 

[aussies1st]

Lol shocking. What next, great great great great great great grandfather?

 

[screeny]

That is a complete disgrace and I feel as though NZRL have raped the int'l game. I feel dirty now.

I always defend the NZRL in their battle for equal rights but they have flagrantly cheated now and have shown they care little about the int'l game as a whole.

Bennett and the NZRL should be censured and the RLIF should use this incident to POLICE THE ELIGIBILITY RULES WITH THE UTMOST FORCE from now on!!!!!!

What a pathetic joke.

 

[Sanchez]

what can happen now?
stop him playing?
deduct points?

 

[ali]

Both.

Stop him playing and take the points off them for the win over GB. Cheating cannot be accepted, especially around eligability rules which will need to be tight enough not to be slaughtered by the media come world cup time in 2008.

 

[Sanchez]

just the two points or more penalty points aswell

 

[God-King Dean]

They have to come up with these cheaps excuses to get players. We all know they are a crap team... & they relize it too.

I'd also like to say Fien is a traitor to his country... we all know he's only playing for NZ cuz he could never make it for Australia.