Mal Meninga slams rugby league farce amid swipe from former Kangaroos player

Australia coach Mal Meninga has hit out over the eligibility rules in international rugby league amid a swipe from former Kangaroos star Murray Taulagi, who has since pledged his allegiance to Samoa. Taulagi was part of Meninga's Kangaroos squad that won the 2022 Rugby League World Cup but was overlooked for Australia's Pacific Championship squad.

Taulagi starred for the Maroons after playing all three games in this year's State of Origin series triumph. However, Kangaroos selectors opted to pick Josh Addo-Carr ahead of the Cowboys star in the 21-man squad, before the Bulldogs winger was stood down in the wake of a two-match ban for his involvement in the Koori Knockout brawl.

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Speaking after Taulagi's defection to Samoa - who the Aussies face in Townsville on Saturday night - Meninga said players should not be able to switch allegiances after representing another country at senior level. As it currently stands, eligibility rules allow players to switch between tier-one (Australia, England and New Zealand) and tier-two nations (Tonga, Samoa, France and Papua New Guinea).

“I don’t believe guys should be able to go back and forth (between countries),” Meninga said. “What I would like to see is that every player nominates which country they want to play for right from their first registration in the NRL

"That way, there is no confusion around who they are eligible for. When they make the NRL and they have to make a tough decision on Test football, they have to make one call.”

The issue has been a contentious one for several years now, with former New Zealand international Jason Taumalolo perhaps the most high-profile star to switch allegiances after committing his future to Tonga. Premiership-winning Panthers Jarome Luai, Brian To’o and Stephen Crichton are also among those who have pledged their allegiances to Samoa, despite representing NSW at State of Origin level.

Australia coach happy for Origin stars to play for other countries

Despite his stance on international eligibility rules, Meninga does not have an issue with players representing NSW or Queensland, but committing their Test careers to the country of their family's heritage. “Everyone in Australia has some ancestry except for the First Nations people, we all come from different parts of the world,” he added.

“I believe if you are born in Australia and born in NSW or Queensland, you should be eligible for State of Origin. I have no issue with Jarome Luai for example playing for Samoa and NSW... as long as he is eligible.”

Meninga's comments come after Taulagi suggested he did not feel wanted by Meninga, before turning his back on the Kangaroos to join up with the Samoa squad. Taulagi indicated that even while he was playing for Australia, it was always his dream to represent Samoa and he was happy to now be playing "under a coach that wanted" him.

“I didn’t really speak to Mal (Meninga). I just made the decision that I wanted to come and play here and I haven’t heard from Mal since," Taulagi said.

Meninga revealed that he did not try and persuade Taulagi to change his mind, despite the Cowboys player being first in line to replace the suspended Addo-Carr in Australia's squad. “If Murray was happy playing for Samoa, we were happy for him to go,” Meninga said. The Kangaroos ultimately drafted in Penrith premiership-winning fullback Dylan Edwards to occupy Addo-Carr's spot on the wing.

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