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Sport Nation
Bennett warns Origin "will be finished" if eligibility rules change
Sam Kosack • April 3rd, 2025 6:42 pm
Wayne Bennett has warned that State of Origin "will be finished" if eligibility rules are changed after mass discussion through the week.
Payne Haas and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui are both reportedly considering changing their international allegiance from Australia to Samoa.
Both players would be certain picks for New South Wales and Queensland respectively and would still be eligible to play State of Origin should they defect from Australia due to Samoa being a 'tier-two' nation.
International rugby league sides are organised into tiers based on their domestic competitions and finances, amongst other factors.
Tier one nations feature Australia, New Zealand, and England, while tier two nations are effectively every other country, notably including Samoa and Tonga.
Bennett fears that, should Origin not be limited to players who commit to playing for Australia, the series would be ruined.
“My thoughts are pretty strong on it. If they tamper with what makes a Queenslander and what makes a New South Wales player then Origin will be finished,” Bennett said.
“The great thing about Origin is it’s mate against mate, state against state. That’s original, and if they tamper with that then we’re going to lose it, and the fans aren’t going to buy into it as they are now.
“The issue they have to resolve is there are three or four nations that are group one nations, and three or four that are group twos.
“If they elevate some of them to group ones then you can’t have this bit of a debacle with what’s going on (where players are asking) ‘which country am I going to play for?’
“They get away with it because they’re category two countries, so I think that needs to change... If you keep losing top players then it’ll impact us (Australia), there’s no doubt about it.
“But they’re the rules right now and that’s what we’ve got to play by and no one’s breaking those.”
However, SEN 1170 Drive host Joel Caine thinks loosening Origin eligibilities could only benefit the game.
"We are heading into Multicultural Round and we do have a lot of people who may have been born in Australia but do have the very proud heritage to want to support their families," Caine said.
"I don't think you have to be eligible for Australia or make yourself available for Australia to play State of Origin.
"I think State of Origin is just a showpiece... if you have grown up in a state from say 15 or 16, not 13, then go for your life!"
