England and NRL star Victor Radley has shared his thoughts on the recent debate surrounding international eligibility rules regarding the State of Origin.
As it stands, Radley is unable to play in State of Origin as he represents England rather than Australia as a tier 1 nation, yet New South Wales teammate Jarome Luai is free to represent Samoa, a tier 2 nation.
With players seemingly changing regularly between representing tier 1 and tier 2 nations, Radley believes that the current rules should reflect the current state of play across the NRL.
Radley is proud to represent England and shares that it shouldn’t be an either-or option to decide to represent England, yet lose out on a State of Origin spot that they qualify for.
Speaking to Wide World of Sports earlier this week, the England star said:Â “I’ll start by saying that I’m not looking for them to change it, because I made the decision knowing what the rules were.
“I don’t want to be that guy to stand up and say they should change it and that it’s unfair, because I made that decision.
“That being said, I feel like it would only be a positive thing for the international game if they did allow the tiering system to be scrapped.”
Whilst Radley believes that the rule should remain, in regards to qualifying to feature in Origin, there should be some leeway regarding nationality.
He added: “You still need to be eligible to play for NSW or Queensland, that needs to be set in stone: playing junior football before the age of 12 or whatever it is.
“I’m not searching for a big change, I’m so happy with the decision I made to play for England … but if it changed, it would be a good thing.
“It would be positive for the international game if they did change the rules for everyone and not just for the Pacific Island and tier-two boys.”
NRL and England star on whether he’s hoping to feature in the autumn Ashes series
When asked whether he’s aiming to get a call-up for the England squad ahead of the autumn Ashes series, Radley remains optimistic that he can make it.
However, with all the talk surrounding his seventh concussion in four years as of late, he recognises that it’s not a certainty that he is selected, especially considering the breadth of talent that England has in the forwards right now.
He finished: “I’m making sure I’m getting as fit as possible and playing my best football for the Roosters, that’s all I can control.
“Hopefully I’m playing good enough football to where Shaun Wane wants me in the team, and I’d love the chance to get over there – I’m trying not to think too far ahead.
“With a lot of these English forwards, I’m definitely not a shoo-in to get put straight in the team. It’s a really strong side that the English are gonna have this year.
“I’d love to be a part of it.”
