Kiwis Deserve Best Of Origin And Test Worlds: Nz Chief

Sun Herald

Sunday September 12, 2004

By GREG PRICHARD

NEW Zealand Rugby League executive chairman Selwyn Pearson says Sonny Bill Williams and other Kiwis must be allowed to play State of Origin for NSW or Queensland as well as represent their country in Tests or the international game will die.

Pearson says the move is necessary to stop NRL clubs and player managers in Australia from encouraging young New Zealand-bred talent to think twice about playing for the Kiwis and chase Origin and potentially Australian jumpers instead.

He argues that if up-and-coming New Zealand players knew they could play Origin for either NSW or Queensland as well as Tests for the Kiwis they would be much more likely to commit themselves to New Zealand at international level.

Pearson used Karmichael Hunt as an example of players who could play for New Zealand but who, Pearson thought, were being lost to that country because playing Origin was more appealing.

Hunt, 17, was born in New Zealand, but his family eventually moved to Brisbane. The Kiwis asked him to represent New Zealand, but he declined. He is set to make his debut for Queensland next season and could represent Australia in the tri-nations series as soon as next month. "The situation with Karmichael Hunt is an awful one for New Zealand," Pearson told The Sun-Herald. "How many players do they want to stockpile over there? I believe that if Karmichael thought he could play Origin for Queensland and represent New Zealand he would be happy to play for us, but they get this Origin incentive put in front of them and it affects the way they think.

"All we're asking for from over here is a fair go. Test football is supposed to be a contest and it can regularly be a contest between New Zealand and Australia if we get a fair go. We've got about 37 players we could genuinely consider for our Test team and some of those would be a stretch. Australia have got many, many more, but they still want more from us.

"I think Kiwis should be eligible to play Origin and at the same time stay eligible to play for New Zealand, and in my capacity as NZRL chairman I'll be approaching [ARL chairman] Colin Love to put that proposal to him."

Brisbane chief executive Bruno Cullen said Pearson's concept had merit, but that the Kiwi official was wrong about Hunt's situation.

"Karmichael came over here with his family when he was 10 or 11 and grew up playing his junior league and watching Queensland and NSW do battle in Origin," Cullen said. "That was his inspiration, to grow up to be a part of Origin, and he has already represented Australia in junior league."

ARL chief executive Geoff Carr said that while the league would listen to Pearson he did not envisage the Origin concept changing.

"I don't think we need to tinker with it on that front," Carr said. "I think the increasing number of Polynesian players making it in the NRL and pushing for spots in the New Zealand team will more than compensate for the occasional loss of a player like Karmichael Hunt."