Eels winger Radradra wants to play for Australia
What is it about eligibility rules that fascinates a certain section of rugby league supporters so much?
When the Sydney Morning Herald broke the story about Parramatta's Semi Radradra wanting to play for Australia, I was deluged on Twitter.
Caught in the middle: Semi Radradra.
Caught in the middle: Semi Radradra. Photo: Getty Images
Perhaps eligibility rules are interesting because they represent how rugby league sees itself. They encapsulate the world view of officials in contrast to those of the game's supporters.
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The first thing I'd like to say is that, as an individual, Semi Radradra has the right to put himself forward for any team he is properly entitled to represent.
In the new edition of Rugby League World magazine, colleague Gavin Willacy points out the Fiji Bati have played just twice since the 2013 World Cup semi-finals. Australia don't play too often either but they do pay much better - $20,000 a game.
He is not eligible for NSW because he did not live there before he was 13. From here on, the situation is very much about how the NRL and the Australian team sees themselves.
And the first problem is that they see themselves as indivisible. It's conceivable that some of the money the NRL derives from New Zealand broadcast rights is contributing to the wages of the new Australian coach, Mal Meninga.
How is this justifiable?
Brent Webb may have played for New Zealand and Rangi Chase for England but does Australia seriously need the residency rule to pick a national team?
On one hand Origin players are being banned from representing the so called "islands" but on the other "islanders" are supposedly about to be picked by Australia. It's the embodiment of having cake and eating it too.
Put another way … you cannot play Origin unless you commit to Australia but we'll let you play for Australia if you are not eligible for Origin.
Rules are rules but then there's policy and these policies on the part of Australia are abusive and about as far from statesmanlike as you can ever imagine.
Rugby league has a great opportunity to funnel talent back to developing countries at Test level and steal the march on other sports where economic migration has a decisive effect on the international balance of power. We can be the Robin Hood of international sport.
Australia should never use the residency rule to pick a player because Australia is the game's most powerful country and has an unfair economic advantage over everyone else.
Origin players should be permitted to represent other tier two countries for whom the properly qualify without changing their country of election.
Playing Origin should not tie you to Australia. Australia does not need the help of the $30,000-a-man to hoard talent.
The NRL should pay at least one $20,000 match fee per year to each player who represents another country – as they did for the Kiwis in last year's Anzac Test.
How do we have a Collective Bargaining Agreement that covers Australasians but not Fijians, Italians, Papuans and Lebanese? How is that worded?
Finally the Australian team should be run by an independent High Performance Unit and not the NRL. The NRL's role should be to fund the team but also keep it in line to protect the interests of the game worldwide, to which it has a moral responsibility as the peak club competition.
At the moment I am reminded of a 40-year-old friend a few Christmases back, bowling at 100 miles an hour at a six year old during a game of backyard cricket when I think of Australia's efforts to "make international rugby league great again".
Premier League is not there for the benefit of the England soccer team, The NBA is not there for the benefit of the US basketball team. The NRL should have the same independence given it contains players of all nationalities.
ARLC chairman John Grant should not read out the Australian team. The directors should not get around in green and gold scarves.
That's my world view. What's yours?
Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...onal-sport-20160225-gn35a8.html#ixzz419jEbCaW
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