In any other walk of life, there isn't really a set age where a person can say they are an Australian. What I mean by that is, if you move to Australia at 30, live here the required 5 (?) years and then (take the Citizenship test?) become a Citizen, you are Australian. Nobody can debate that, nobody can deny that. It's black and white, it's simple. If you are under 18 when you move here the 5 years is reduced I believe (?)
For any player who is an Australian citizen, at the time they play senior football (IMO this should be before Rnd 1 of their Under 16s season which means 17s to 20s you are locked in. Let's face it, most players who have a future in rep footy will be well known by the time they are leaving their JRLFCs). For any other player, from ANY nationality other than Australian, they can choose their State allegiance UPON becoming an Australian citizen.
To me, it's quite clear; if Tamou/Uate is/are an Australian citizen, then nobody has the right to tell him he isn't a NSWman. Carroll/Thorn/Petero, etc are ALL Australian citizens.
State of Origin, while RL pinnacle, is still a representative game, not an exhibition game. It's the best players the QLD RL system has produced vs. the best players the NSW RL system has produced.
The inherent problem doesn't lie in the eligibility of SoO, the problem lies with making serious inroads to allow Polynesian players have a representative game of their own. How long have we discussed "Auckland vs. Rest of NZ" or "North vs. South Island" or "Tauiwi vs. Kiwi"??
*WNG- Off topic rant; The NRL as the ambassador of RL worldwide and more importantly, Oceania, should be celebrating the huge potential of the Pacific Islands. Make the rep week people talk of. Make SoO Saturday night, create Auckland vs. Rest of NZ and play it on the Friday night, make Tonga vs. Samoa vs. Fiji vs. PNG, make it on the Wednesday night. Create Cook Islands vs. New Caledonia vs. Solomon Islands and play it as a curtain raiser. It won't be a success overnight, however give it time.
Don't drag down SoO to accommodate the needs of others. Although, the salary cap shows evidence that RL in Australia doesn't get that concept. I'm sure we were founded by communists....