QRL supports end to players switching between nations, wants Origin eligibility locked down

Queensland Rugby League boss Ben Ikin has called for the NRL to ban players from switching between tier-one and tier-two nations as the QRL locks in the venue for its 2025 Origin fan day.

Queensland Rugby League boss Ben Ikin has called for a crackdown on representative eligibility rules to prevent Origin stars switching between international teams.

Ikin’s stance came as Queensland announced their annual Westpac fan day this year will be hosted at Gympie, the hometown of a big-name Maroon at the centre of an eligibility tug of war.

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui hails from the Gympie region and the Maroons enforcer has been approached to quit Australia and represent Samoa at this year’s Pacific Championships.

Under the code’s eligibility rules, Fa’asuamaleaui can switch between Australia and Samoa, the latter a tier-two nation, while still being eligible for the Maroons regardless of his Test status.

But Ikin believes the time has come for the NRL and Rugby League International Federation to ban players from switching between tier-one and tier-two nations, giving them one choice only.

That means Fa’asuamaleaui, for example, would have been locked in to Samoa for the rest of his career after turning out for the minnow nation in 2019 before his Australia debut in 2022.

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (centre) is caught up in an international eligibility tug of war. Picture: Getty Images

“Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is from Gympie, he is a Queenslander,” Ikin said.

“But at the start of his journey, if he feels because of his heritage, he wants to play for Queensland and (Samoa), then that’s the choice you make, and once you make it, it’s done.

“I think that’s the part that needs to be tightened up.

“So if you are on your way into your first NRL contract and you qualify for NSW or Queensland, you can tick that box, but if you choose to play for Samoa or Tonga or Australia, it has to happen at the start of your NRL journey.

“And then once you choose who you play for internationally, you can’t change.”

The Australian team is under siege with Samoa not only targeting Fa’asuamaleaui, but also sounding out Broncos prop Payne Haas, who is expected to quit the Kangaroos after this year’s Origin series.

The Origin arena was once viewed as a selection audition to play for Australia, but Ikin believes players of Polynesian heritage, such as Haas and Fa’asuamaleaui, should not be blacklisted by NSW or Queensland.

Maroons fans can meet their State of Origin heroes in Gympie on June 10. Picture: Brendan Radke

“I think the two (Origin and Test qualification) are almost mutually exclusive,” he said.

“So if you are eligible for Queensland or NSW, you are eligible for Queensland or NSW.

“Where it gets a bit messy is where you could play for Australia and a tier-two nation.

“There are guys who are passionate about the Queensland Maroons and Fiji, for example. Petero Civoniceva (former Maroons and Broncos prop) is a classic example.

“He would go to war for both sides. He could be passionate about the two entities.”

Fa’asuamaleau played his junior rugby league with the Gympie Devils, whose junior members will get the chance to meet their Maroons heroes in their own backyard before Game Two this year.

Queensland visited Toowoomba last year and will stop into Gympie on June 10 as part of setting up Camp Maroon on the Sunshine Coast this year after recent campaigns at Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast.

“The Queensland rugby league team is an inspiration to so many people,” Maroons coach Billy Slater said.

“We saw what it meant to the people of Toowoomba during last year’s fan day and we would all love to see a repeat of those scenes in Gympie.

“I know we will get a lot out of it as a group, and if recent events like this are a guide, it will have a significant impact on the local community for many years to come.”

Originally published as QRL supports end to players switching between nations, wants Origin eligibility locked down