25 Apr 2014

Sport: Clarification in rugby league eligibility laws called for

6:52 am on 25 April 2014

The former Toa Samoa international Nigel Vagana says the NRL and Rugby League International Federation need to address the rules around player eligibility.

A number of high profile players turned out for Pacific countries at last year's World Cup including Petero Civoniceva and Akuila Uate for Fiji and Brent Kite for Tonga.

With a new cycle in place players again have the option of making one election change between World Cups, forcing many to decide whether to play for a Pacific nation or hold back in the hope they will be selected for State of Origin or the Kiwis and Kangaroos.

Nigel Vagana says Samoa fullback Anthony Milford is a perfect example.

He's impressed for the Canberra Raiders this season and it's been suggested he will sit out next week's Pacific Test against Fiji to focus on his club and a potential State for Origin call-up, even though under current laws he could do both.

Vagana says the rules need to be clarified so developing countries aren't punished.

"You're going to find a lot more that are going to be pulled left and right and try and encouraged to play one way or the other, and if it means they're sort of sacrificing a developing nation to wait in the wings for an Australia or New Zealand that waiting in the wings might be two or three years. It seems sort of pointless to have the guys on the sidelines when they could be developing the sport in the smaller nations and then when required or when the opportunity comes to play with the big boys they shouldn't be hindered in that."

Meanwhile Vagana, who is in charge of football operations for the Toa Samoa team, says there is real momentum in rugby league circles just over a week out from the Fiji test.

Samoa and the Fij Bati will square off next weekend in Sydney with the winner earning the final place in the end of year Four Nations tournament, alongside Australia, England and New Zealand.

The teams last met at the Rugby League World Cup in November where Fiji prevailed 22-4 in the quarter finals.

"You know the World Cup was great for it but I think what you do between the World Cup is a testament to how good the World Cup is. Over the last few years there's been a lot of emerging nations that are getting stronger and stronger. Penrith have been going really well over the last few years since Ivan [Cleary]'s taken over and his assistant out there, Dave Fairleigh, is the Cook Islands coach so you're getting good calibre of people in coaching and even PNG have a team in the Queensland Cup competition - they're playing week in, week out against the second tier semi-professional guys here in Australia - so it's great for development of the game throughout the Pacific and strengthening the test teams as well."