- Messages
- 69,825
Will Moses be in game 1
Lomax a given ?
Game1: 28th May BRISBANE - Suncorp Stadium
Game2: 18th June PERTH - Optus Stadium
Game3: 9th July SYDNEY - Accor Stadium
Bit of talk about eligibility moving forward
Payne Haas looks like defecting to Samoa (said he will make a decision later in the year) but still will be eligible for Origin, cause Samoa is classified tier 2 League nation
Should Tonga and Samoa to be upgraded to tier 1??
ALL Tier 1 players eligible for origin ?? so guys like (form pending of course) Dylan Brown
Fanua Blake, Victor Radley could be eligible? Basically where they played their junior footy
Or leave it as it is ??
Uncle Wayne has his say
Wayne Bennett fears “Origin will be finished” if eligibility rules are changed which could water down the game’s greatest rivalry.
It comes on the back of news this week that Blues prop Payne Haas is considering playing for Samoa at the end of the year, instead of representing Australia in the historic Ashes series which has been revived.
FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.
Maroons star Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is also weighing up whether to switch allegiance from the Kangaroos to Samoa, with the beaten World Cup finalists set to field an incredible squad in the Pacific Championships.
State of Origin eligibility has been debated for years, with players able to represent either NSW or Queensland and then play for a tier two nation like Tonga or Samoa, even if they’ve already represented Australia or New Zealand.
It then gets more complicated with guys like Victor Radley who have represented England – a tier one nation – now ineligible to play for NSW.
While Kalyn Ponga could be forced to choose between Queensland and the Kiwis after last year’s back and forth with the Kangaroos.
Wayne Bennett says he has fears for the future of State of Origin. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Bennett has coached Queensland and at the international level, with Origin looking a lot different than it did 20 years ago with the incredible rise of Pacific stars in both teams.
But he fears the game’s greatest rivalry could be ruined if rules are changed and players are able to “flip flop” every few months, with the waters to be muddied further if Tonga and Samoa are elevated to tier one status.
“My thoughts are pretty strong on it. If they tamper with what makes a Queenslander and what makes a New South Wales player then Origin will be finished,” he said.
“The great thing about Origin is it’s mate against mate, state against state. That’s original, and if they tamper with that then we’re going to lose it and the fans aren’t going to buy into it as they are now.
“The issue they have to resolve is there are three or four nations that are group one nations, and three or four that are group twos.
“If they elevate some of them to group ones then you can’t have this bit of a debacle with what’s going on (where players are asking) ‘which country am I going to play for?’
“They get away with it because they’re category two countries, so I think that needs to change.
“If you keep losing top players then it’ll impact us (Australia), there’s no doubt about it.
“But they’re the rules right now and that’s what we’ve got to play by and no one’s breaking those.”
Lomax a given ?
Game1: 28th May BRISBANE - Suncorp Stadium
Game2: 18th June PERTH - Optus Stadium
Game3: 9th July SYDNEY - Accor Stadium
Bit of talk about eligibility moving forward
Payne Haas looks like defecting to Samoa (said he will make a decision later in the year) but still will be eligible for Origin, cause Samoa is classified tier 2 League nation
Should Tonga and Samoa to be upgraded to tier 1??
ALL Tier 1 players eligible for origin ?? so guys like (form pending of course) Dylan Brown
Fanua Blake, Victor Radley could be eligible? Basically where they played their junior footyOr leave it as it is ??
Uncle Wayne has his say
Wayne Bennett fears “Origin will be finished” if eligibility rules are changed which could water down the game’s greatest rivalry.
It comes on the back of news this week that Blues prop Payne Haas is considering playing for Samoa at the end of the year, instead of representing Australia in the historic Ashes series which has been revived.
FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.
Maroons star Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is also weighing up whether to switch allegiance from the Kangaroos to Samoa, with the beaten World Cup finalists set to field an incredible squad in the Pacific Championships.
State of Origin eligibility has been debated for years, with players able to represent either NSW or Queensland and then play for a tier two nation like Tonga or Samoa, even if they’ve already represented Australia or New Zealand.
It then gets more complicated with guys like Victor Radley who have represented England – a tier one nation – now ineligible to play for NSW.
While Kalyn Ponga could be forced to choose between Queensland and the Kiwis after last year’s back and forth with the Kangaroos.
Wayne Bennett says he has fears for the future of State of Origin. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Bennett has coached Queensland and at the international level, with Origin looking a lot different than it did 20 years ago with the incredible rise of Pacific stars in both teams.
But he fears the game’s greatest rivalry could be ruined if rules are changed and players are able to “flip flop” every few months, with the waters to be muddied further if Tonga and Samoa are elevated to tier one status.
“My thoughts are pretty strong on it. If they tamper with what makes a Queenslander and what makes a New South Wales player then Origin will be finished,” he said.
“The great thing about Origin is it’s mate against mate, state against state. That’s original, and if they tamper with that then we’re going to lose it and the fans aren’t going to buy into it as they are now.
“The issue they have to resolve is there are three or four nations that are group one nations, and three or four that are group twos.
“If they elevate some of them to group ones then you can’t have this bit of a debacle with what’s going on (where players are asking) ‘which country am I going to play for?’
“They get away with it because they’re category two countries, so I think that needs to change.
“If you keep losing top players then it’ll impact us (Australia), there’s no doubt about it.
“But they’re the rules right now and that’s what we’ve got to play by and no one’s breaking those.”
