Because at 18 you can play academy and U20's for that country, 23 you are making 1st grade plus at 18 you are young and impetus where as by 23 if you are breaking into 1st grade you hopefully are a bit more mature and can make a decision based on where you see your future being in terms of the country you live in and the nationality you want to represent.

Only criteria I would add is you must be a citizen and hold a passport for the country you are representing.

Won't that just give Australia more time to cherry pick the best non-Australians they want i.e. after they've seen them play first grade for 2-3 years those that make it are courted by Australia there and then? Besides if you're old enough to get married, have sex, bring up a family and vote you are old enough to choose your international team. All this later swapping and changing is not done for the good of the game, it's done to satisfy egos, gloryhunting, increase chances of winning and make money i.e. greed, and I'm not sure we should be prioritising that. It's a way of trying to create a better spectacle for Origin (or Australia) at the expense of the game's infrastructure. I think we should try and have a bit more integrity than that (some may say I'm about to contradict that in the next para).

I don't have an issue with residency rules if you haven't been selected before to represent another country at any level prior. That should be a given because you can become a citizen of said country. If you have prior selection for a country (Up to U18s) I can see a case for changing being allowed but if you have played above U18s I don't think changing should be allowed (although I understand the case for supporting emerging nations and I would back an initiative that facilitated that). Going from NZ to Australia, England to Australia, Australia to England etc though is unacceptable.

Reality is then that kids at 18 will just sign for Australia as they won't put that SOO pay cheque potential at risk. At least this way the other countries get a chance to bring them into their fold and convince them to remain with them.

ALso Australia is somewhat unique in that many of these kids actually move over when they are young kids at 14 or 15 to futher their RL career chances. You would decimate NZ imo if you made a kid choose at 18 and made him stick with it.

ps why is it ok to play for PNG/Fiji/Samoa etc one year and Australia the next? That in many ways is even more farcical than a kid born in NZ but RL groomed in Australia representing Australia.

ps Feliti Mateo is the latest to jump ship with him abandoning his Tonga representation in the hope of playing for NSW.

The thing that seems to be forgotten by the aussie media and therefore aussies on rl forums is that a lot of kiwis come over here at that age having been talent scounted by NRL clubs whilst in NZ. A lot of kids are put up and trained by NRL clubs and it's then made to seem like the kids came over and tried their luck. Which is another myth.

Good lad is our Sam! www.foxsports.com.au/league/i-wo ... 6375638797

Good lad is our Sam! www.foxsports.com.au/league/i-wo ... 6375638797

Sounds like a man of integrity. Aussies and "new" aussies take note.

I love the way the brain washed aussie mind could not comprehend that he wouldn't play Origin.

Saw him yesterday at North Sydney Oval. He was there with Luke to watch George smash it up for the Bears.

Strong rumour around that Ben Te'o will be selected for Queensland Origin. Te'o was born in Auckland, was in the Kiwi train-on squad and played in the World Cup for Samoa. But now he's s Queenslander.

Some promising news, hopefully it gets changed asap www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl ... 6406373079

Some promising news, hopefully it gets changed asap www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl ... 6406373079

So I read the northern hemisphere countries rejected the same kiwi proposals from ARLC last year.

England must have said a big fat NO.

Changing the rules won't help Mcnamara get any more Aus/NZ with dubious English ties, or for that matter the French getting overseas Catalan players! All seems very insular.

Burgess? That waste of money would have to string two club games together before he could play Origin anyway.

rlA dark day when Kiwis choose maroon or blue over black - Benji Marshallrl

It is interesting to see a proud race of polynesian peoples and who hold massive respect to their ancestors and their Whakapapa, that they are giving it up so quickly for an aussie dollar.

As Marshall intimates, it's not as though Australia don't have a lack of depth in their talent pool.

I get the feeling NSW and QLD are trying to push a few through quickly in case NZ SOO is a success.