Whenever I walk into my gym, earphones blasting to psych me up for a tough workout, I often see a familiar face, who quite regularly wears a shirt with a statement that I quite like: ‘Embrace the Inevitability of Change’.
It’s a statement that I believe needs to be plastered over the walls of every newsroom and recording studio that has spoken even an utterance about the State of Origin and international eligibility in recent days.
Needless to say, Australia’s current cultural demographic is a far cry from what it was in times of old.
Fortunately, our country has adapted to these changes and welcomes with open arms people from across the world by accepting and accommodating those from all walks of life.
In the wake of Multicultural Round, I say it’s time the rugby league community follows suit.
You might think it’s a tad harsh to say that the NRL hasn’t met the mark in terms of adapting to changes in its player demographic, but what I’ve heard from some media figures in regard to this issue tells me that not everyone understands and embraces the unique gift that the rugby league community in Australia has been blessed with.
We need to totally dispose of the implications that tier one and tier two rugby league nations have on State of Origin.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
The concept of players being able to represent Samoa and still play Origin – should they be eligible – while someone who pulls on a Kiwi jersey cannot represent their state is so outdated that it’s frightening.
The nature of our culturally diverse island begs that in a state-against-state contest, people can side with the state they are from, and such allegiance does not strip them of their ethnic roots.
Just because Origin built its history one way doesn’t mean it can’t build its future another way. Why some people fear that Origin won’t be as meaningful if every single one of its players doesn’t also play for Australia is totally beyond me.
As if a professional athlete of the highest order will play in the country’s greatest sporting spectacle but only put a half-hearted effort in because in six months’ time, they won’t be wearing green and gold?
At some point, the rugby league must do what is best for itself – which is to produce the best possible product.
Allow me to cast your mind back to the six-again rule change and how its ability to speed up the game seemingly brought the NRL ratings up in a heartbeat.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
There’s a reason that State of Origin receives the best ratings, because it produces the best product. What better way to produce a high-quality game than putting high-quality players on the pitch?
The purpose of representative football from a spectator’s perspective is to see the absolute best of the best battle it out.
This is exactly what we get in Origin, but the same cannot be said for the international game. If we want to grow rugby league, we need to allow the game’s sharpest talents to represent their cultural backgrounds and bring equal competition on game day.
Why would anyone want to tune in to a tournament when they know there’s an unstoppable force that will almost certainly lift the trophy?
In this wonderfully multicultural nation, there are people who will cheer to no end for their state on a cold Wednesday night in June and also cry when they hear their country’s national anthem ring out at the World Cup in October – and that anthem may not necessarily be Advance Australia Fair.
To all the rugby league community, whether in Australia or abroad, I plead with you for the love of the greatest game of all: embrace the inevitability of change.
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