I'm also just trying to have a well meaning conversation I'm not bagging qld or you.
There's nothing wrong with a bit of banter now and then, but I just find that when it goes on for as long as it has here that it detracts from any actual point. It's hard to talk constructive about something if when the same situation occurs it's viewed differently based on whether it's NSW or QLD biased. I'll grant you that you didn't know those ages, but given you now do, I'm sure you can understand why by page 4 we can't just talk about the actual issue rather than perceive things differently based on state alone.
I think that because Taumololo has represented the junior Kiwis that should rule him out of origin.
This is really just a result of the game I feel. I reckon a lot of people who come to NSW or QLD as a teenager from the NZ/Island nations would love both Origin and to play for their country. But because of the small scope of League as a serious thing Internationally, as a professional I imagine it can be quite hard not to choose the Origin option. I'm sure Akuila's agent can sell his NSW rep honours as a selling point. I'm equally sure he'd be laughed at if he tried to talk up his Fiji jumper.
At the end of the day, I still think players should just be forced to choose what state they want to represent when they sign their first professional contract. And I reckon that whatever side they choose, they should just be allowed to play for them. In many ways, where you first played grade footy as a way of eligibility is outdated. I like to think of it less as "State of Origin" and more like "State of Passion". In most cases these are the same, but in other cases, it's not. I mean, you could grow up loving footy, being a mad QLD/NSW fan, then move to the other state when you are 12 and possibly have to end up playing for the one you hate. I mean, imagine if you woke up tomorrow with footballing ability Broncoman. Because you live in QLD, if you played your first game here, you'd have to be a Queenslander!
And, I mean, if you wanted to get really technical, the ACT, whilst within the NSW borders, is not really a part of NSW. I'm sure there's someone who played their first game in Canberra and went on to represent NSW, and rightly so, I feel.