[url=http://sportal.co.nz/league-news-display/islanders-tipped-for-success-100502Australian Rugby League boss and international board member Geoff Carr is convinced a Pacific Island nation will gatecrash the game's established order and take out a World Cup inside a decade.[/url



Thoughts?

Not going to happen imo, not inside 10 years.

The best players will still choose to represent Australia

Unless Carr knows something we don't... RLIF to implement strict eligibility rules?

Interesting



[i"If you go through the NRL you could come up with more than two teams for each of those nations (Samoa and Tonga)."



"In the Toyota Cup the representation by Pacific Islanders is well over 40 percent

[/i



Is the Toyota cup the Aussie's U20's competition? Imagine the uproar if super league academys were filled with foreign players!



This is great for the international game though.

Not really. They usually try to play SoO and if they do opt to play for their PI of heritage it's only until NSW knock on their door and promise them some magic beans to play for them. Plus they'd have to commit to Australia to play SoO. As for a PI winning the WC inside ten years, there's more chance of the Tories getting consecutive election victories in the same timeframe.

Like others have said, not if the players keep switching allegiance to Oz.

Akuila Uate being the most recent example I can think of.

Fijian born, represented Fiji before, has now applied to switch allegiance and represent Australia.

Hes a great player and if the Island teams cant keep hold of these guys then they have no

chance. The chance to play Origin swings a lot of players towards Oz as well.

Change the ridiculous SOO rules, give the PI more meaningful and profitable games and the best players may opt for PI teams instead of Oz or NZ. Then we will see real competition and a PI team at least able to compete.

Still not convinced re- the Origin rules need changing. It is a possibility...



The key is your second point - more meaningful and profitable games. Going to a 4 year WC cycle - only about 60 years late - is a main plank of this.

Origin is about where you made your RL debut after 16 in Australia (although its going to be interesting when Perth and Melbourne start producing home grown players through the ranks). It should not be about your heritage or what country you decide to play for at representative honours level.



If SOO was a fair dinkum trial for a Kangaroos spot then fair enough but it is not and hasn't been for many years, if ever.



I see no problem with Uate playing for Fiji and NSW.

I could live with that despite the proposer.

I think State of ORIGIN should be just that... the State you ORIGINATED from



The clue is in the name.





If you are born in NSW you represent NSW.



If you are born in Qld then you represent Qld.





That should be the end of the argument.





If you are born in Vic, WA or any other states... you don't play Origin footy for NSW or Qld.







simple.

[url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/10/10/22/RUGBYL_Samoa.htmlTen Super League players will be involved in Sunday's international between Samoa and Tonga in Sydney.[/url