South Sydney youngster Luke Keary will meet with NRL Head Of Football Todd Greenberg in an effort to break the brand new State Of Origin eligibility rules and play for Queensland.
Keary, who under the new rules qualifies only to play for New South Wales, is being supported by the Queensland Rugby League.
There is little to no chance of the NRL allowing Keary to play for Queensland. The current State Of Origin eligibility rules are already very relaxed. They even allow players born outside of Australia to play State Of Origin football.
If the NRL starts to undermine it’s brand new set of eligibility rules there will be no turning back. It will turn into a free for all with both New South Wales and Queensland recruiting players who have no connection to either state and the State Of Origin series will turn into a glorified all stars match.
I sympathize with Keary. He was born in Queensland and he obviously wants to play for the state Of his birth. Personally I think that is what the rule should be. You play for the state you were born in. If you were not born in New South Wales or Queensland…you don’t play State Of Origin football at all.
The ridiculous situation we have right now, that was caused by both states, see’s born and bred New South Welshmen and Queenslanders missing out on jerseys they deserve as both states recruit players players that were born overseas.
If Queensland really wants Keary to play for them, they should apply for the rules to be changed. They should push for the “You play for the state you were born in” to be applied.
The Maroons go on and on about Queensland pride. They talk about what it means to be a Queenslander. They should prove it! Push for the series to only allow players to play for the state they were born in and have a series that is about you state of ORIGIN.
Rugby League administrators in Australia have been terrible when it comes to enforcing eligibility rules. They have never looked at what is best for the game and put those interests first. It has always come down to what individuals have wanted for their own personal gain.
The ARL finally drew a line in the sand with the current eligibility rules. While they don’t go anywhere near as far as they should, they are at least a guideline that can be applied quite easily and that can not be worked around.
Because of that, I think Luke Keary is going to find he gets no where in his meeting with Todd Greenberg.
