I'd love for Manu Ma'u to play for the Kiwis, I love that he plays for Tonga though.

Around this time of year, every year, there's noise around rugby league's eligibility. We all see the headlines regarding whatever player and their decision to chose between Australia and Aotearoa or a Pacific Island and Australia(/NSW and QLD). Each year, around this time I find myself trying to offer some common sense to a complex situation.

Choosing between Australia and Aotearoa, Kangaroos and Kiwis, would appear to be the biggest trouble in the eligibility dramas. You know someone born in Aotearoa, who grew up in Aotearoa and now lives in Australia, we all know someone if not many people like that as Australia simply provides more opportunities, especially for Maori/Pacific Island families who dominate rugby league in Aotearoa.

This has increased dramatically over the past 10 years and the number of young players who are eligible to represent either nation continues to rise. In all honesty though, this is merely trivial compared to the issues surrounding eligibility and the Pacific nations.

The Kiwis lost James Tamou and Jesse Bromwich came through.

The Kangaroos/Queensland couldn't quite catch Jason Taumalolo, never mind that because Josh Papalii rightfully chose to represent his state and country.

The Kangaroos/Queensland might lose young Cowboys phenom Kalyn Ponga to the Kiwis, they've got Jayden Nikorima though.

Point being that if a player chooses to rep either Australia/Aotearoa, the other country will be okay without them as there's a long line of youngsters waiting for that opportunity. As long as a bloke like Tamou can deal with his decision to represent Australia, then all power to him and good luck, tu meke bro.

All the funk lies in the Pacific Islands and their quest to fight for equality with the Kiwis, Kangaroos and England. Let's not pretend that this is simple or clear cut as many players and people in either trans-Tasman nation of Tongan/Samoan/Fijian heritage are born in Australia or Aotearoa, which immediately puts them in contention to represent either nation. This is only increasing and there are very few NRL players right now who were born in a Pacific Island - Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is one. The way things are these days, you'll find that most players' parents moved to Aotearoa for example and these players grew up in Aotearoa.

This means that there are many players who tick all the boxes to be eligible for both Samoa and Aotearoa for example. With zero research done, I'd suggest that there's a fair chunk of the NRL who are eligible for two countries simply because they are 'Pacific Islanders'.

I can't speak with any certainty here as I'm not privy to how much money players make when they play for the Kiwis/Kangaroos and Samoa etc. We do know that Tamou for example, will earn more money than his Kiwis counterparts as he gets a healthy State Of Origin cash stack along with his Kangaroos cash, compared to a kiwi who just earns money from playing for the Kiwis. I think it's safe to then assume that players would earn less playing for Samoa, Tonga or Fiji than they would playing for Australia or Aotearoa.

We all like to talk the talk about not playing for money, representing your nation and what not but it's really not that simple. If I was genuinely eligible for Samoa and Aotearoa, knew that playing for the Kiwis would help me provide for my family that little bit more and then throw in the fact that I had grown up in Aotearoa, grown up watching Kiwis/All Blacks legends, that's not an easy decision. Just ask Taumalolo, Papalii, Sam Moa, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Manu Vatuvei, Sio Siua Taukeiaho and any other Pacific Islander who has recently represented Australia/Aotearoa.

What makes me uncomfortable as a kiwi and as a rugby league fan who wants our Pacific Island neighbours to fully embrace rugby league (over union) is that the Pacific Islands get the left-overs from Australia/Aotearoa. We see this a lot with players who don't make a Kangaroos/Kiwis squad, are then picked to play for their Pacific Island, under the premise that we want the Pacific Islands to be at their strongest.

I don't see how treating the Pacific Islands as being second-tier to the Kangaroos and Kiwis is making them better, it actually smells yucky.

I want to see Samoa, Tonga and Fiji going toe-to-toe with the big nations, competing and beating them with squads of players who have been together for a number of seasons, building and growing together as a team. Given the talent that the Pacific Islands have in the NRL, imagine if the same group of players got together for a few internationals each year and then competed at a World Cup. As a kiwi, that scares me, it would be awesome though.
Step one would be to make State Of Origin a separate entity. If you qualify to play for Queensland or New South Wales, then you can either chose to represent Australia or your Pacific Island.

Other than that, this is an issue that is best left up to the individual.

If a player wants to inspire his people and represent his Pacific Island then we as fans should celebrate that player.

Then again, we shouldn't look negatively upon a Pacific Islander who choses to play for the Kangaroos/Kiwis. We don't know their priorities, their situation, their family circumstances, hence it's best left up to the individual and that their decision is respected.

I have a vision where rugby league is the most popular sport amongst the Pacific Islands, a vision that I reckon is shared by Tonga's new assistant coach Andrew Johns. My concern is that by placing Kangaroos/Kiwis selection on a pedastool, we aren't truly embracing what the Pacific Islands have to offer.