‘We’ll lose the fans’: Wayne Bennett’s simple solution to State of Origin eligibility debate

Rugby league’s powerbrokers are reportedly looking at changing State of Origin eligibility, but Wayne Bennett says one thing must happen for it to work.

South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett has weighed in on proposed changes to State of Origin eligibility while also calling for calm as English recruit Lewis Dodd prepares to make his first start at halfback after a rough first year in Australia.

Dodd was signed for three years on a lucrative deal but has played just four games off the bench this season despite the Rabbitohs going through a horror injury run in 2025.

He’ll finally start in the No.7 jersey against the Sharks with Jamie Humphreys in concussion protocols, with Bennett refusing to make any comments about Dodd’s future before he sees how he performs.

Lewis Dodd finally gets the chance to show what he’s got at halfback.

“We’re all going to be a lot smarter after tomorrow night, so let’s wait until tomorrow night and answer some questions then,” he said, with suggestions the club could try to move him on at the end of the year.

“He’s been good since he’s been here. He’s trained well, is well-mannered and has been highly respectful of the other players and his teammates. Nothing has changed for him.

“It could be a big month for him.”

While Bennett didn’t want to comment on Dodd’s future, he was strong on Origin eligibility rules after it emerged that the Australian Rugby League Commission was considering making changes to stop players from having to choose between the Blues or Maroons and international sides England and New Zealand.

As it stands, Origin stars like Stephen Crichton, Payne Haas and Jarome Luai can represent the Blues and then play for Samoa at the end of the year because of their tier 2 status.

Isaiya Katoa is eligible for the Blues because he chose to play for Tonga over New Zealand. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

That loophole isn’t available to guys like Victor Radley, who chose England over NSW, while there have been plenty of Kiwis who have been blocked from representing their state, while others have chosen to represent Tonga or Samoa so they can also play Origin.

Bennett, who was in the mix to coach Australia in this year’s Ashes series, has no issue with guys playing both formats but wants players to pick a country and stick with that choice for the rest of their careers.

“I don’t believe they’re going to play with the rules of Origin itself, and that’s really important because the minute the fans realise it’s not the genuine Queensland v NSW that it is, then we’ll lose the fans,” Bennett warned.

“That’s the great thing about it, the rivalry is real and it’s not false, so we need to maintain that.

“The off side of that is players leaving that arena to then go and play for Tonga, Samoa, England, whatever.

“I’m happy for them to do that, but they can’t do it as they’re doing at the moment where you play for Tonga because they’re second tier. If you play for England, it’s first tier, so you can’t swap nations.

“My point with it is that Origin eligibility won’t change, and after that if you want to play for England and you qualify for England, then you do that.

“I’m happy for that because it makes the international game stronger, but I just don’t want to see them playing for England and then coming back to play for Tonga because they’re a second-tier nation.

“It’s served its purpose and it’s time to move on from that situation.”

Benji Marshall says he never grew up wanting to play State of Origin. Picture: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

Fans would have loved to have seen Kiwis legend Benji Marshall play Origin, but he still wouldn’t have been eligible even under the proposed changes given he moved to Australia after his 13th birthday.

Regardless, he said he was never jealous given he’s proud of his heritage.

“I always found it to be an Australian thing,” the Wests Tigers coach said.

“I just thought it was respectful to what it was that players from Australia played in that.

“We were always fans growing up in New Zealand. There was NSW and Queensland, but there was no wanting to play for them. I always wanted to play for New Zealand.”

Originally published as ‘We’ll lose the fans’: Wayne Bennett’s simple solution to State of Origin eligibility debate