Row erupts over teen keen play for Kiwis

[Go_The_Doggies]

10 December 2006
By ADRIAN PROSZENKO and STEVE KILGALLON

A new transtasman tug-of-war is brewing following revelations that four of the stars on the current Australian Schoolboys tour of Europe are eligible to play for New Zealand.

And in a move that has outraged Kangaroos greats, gun Schoolboys half Liam Foran has declared his aspiration to replace Stacey Jones as New Zealand's long-term halfback.

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Foran, 17, is being groomed as a representative player of the future during the Schoolboys' European tour and is also in contention for the Melbourne standoff spot vacated by London-bound Scott Hill.

But despite that, he has pledged his allegiance to the Kiwis. "My ultimate goal is to play with New Zealand at the highest level," Foran said. "I moved to Australia when I was 10 but my family and my heart is with New Zealand. (Stacey Jones) is my idol and I would love to take over from him."

New Zealand officials have already identified Foran as a major talent, with Kiwi assistant coach Tony Iro watching Foran play for North Sydney in Premier League and coach Brian McClennan saying he would be be considered for test duty should he become a regular first grader in 2007.

"We've heard about the young Foran boy and I hope he grabs every opportunity and grabs a leaf out of Blairy's (Storm prop Adam Blair's) book," said McClennan. "Let's hope he has a big year."

However, the prospect of Foran using the Schoolboys tour as a stepping stone to representative honours for New Zealand has upset Australian greats, including Mark Geyer.

"If they say they want to play for the Kiwis, they shouldn't be in our team," Geyer said. "If you're going to play for the Kiwis when you're older, don't play for Australia.

"We shouldn't be nurturing their kids and giving them a leg up so that they can boot our **** in five years' time. If you decide at an early age that you want to play for the Kiwis, why are you playing for the Schoolboys?"

Of the 20 players in the Schoolboys squad which toured New Zealand in 2003, nine were eligible for both countries and two, Ben Roberts and Benji Marshall, then played for the Kiwis. Nathan Cayless and Tony Puletua are other Kiwis who played for the Schoolboys.

THE CONTROVERSIAL mid-season test between the Kiwis and Great Britain has been scrapped after the NZRL could not secure NRL support to send a full- strength team.

A weakened New Zealand was thumped 46-14 last June after NRL clubs blocked releases and NZRL acting chairman Andrew Chalmers said they faced the same scenario again. "More practically, we have a very long tour to the UK at the end of the year anyway," he said.

It's one decision reached by a marathon board meeting on Friday, which closed without coming to a conclusion on the Nathan Fien affair.

There seems to have been other controversies involved at the meeting, with director and former vice-chairman Peter Douglas yesterday rejecting suggestions he had been suspended, saying there had been a "misunderstanding".

The Fien decision will come next week, but the directors did announce a complete review of all domestic competitions and endorsed Auckland Lions' plans to enter a side in the NRL reserve grade competition.

The Lions will now formally be awarded a place in the New South Wales Premier League later this week subject to some final details of business plan and budget, their chairman Tony Sadgrove said. The NSWRL gave outline approval just hours after the NZRL nodded the idea through.

Chalmers said the NZRL endorsed the plans but would not fund them, leaving the Lions and the Auckland Rugby League to find the expected $800,000 budget.

The Lions have made their first move by anointing Kiwi coach McClennan as their director of football to oversee all their teams next year. They will advertise for a Premier League coach, with Graeme Norton the likely frontrunner.

[Go_The_Doggies]

I love guys like this, they moved away from NZ at an early age but still know where their home is.

And Mark Geyer ffs dude this isnt the first time this has happened..as it states in the article.

And Yay for the Lions getting a premier league team!! ..this is exciting..as their games will be on tv..therefore me getting to see the Doggies PL team!!

[Future Star]

Nice work Lions!


I see nothing wrong with the School-Boys to Kiwis thing if they qualify for both countries - they have a choice.

[Grimmace]

"If they say they want to play for the Kiwis, they shouldn't be in our team," Geyer said. "If you're going to play for the Kiwis when you're older, don't play for Australia.

Amen to that.

[Go_The_Doggies]

Its up to the selectors to not pick them for the schoolboys team ffs..you can't just blame the players.

[Grimmace]

Its up to the selectors to not pick them for the schoolboys team ffs..you can't just blame the players.

They are partly to blame as well they should walk up to selectors and say thank you for the offer but my heart is with the kiwis.

[Steelers]

They are partly to blame as well they should walk up to selectors and say thank you for the offer but my heart is with the kiwis.

No, they aren't partly to blame. They were selected because they are currently playing football in Australia. The Australian Schoolboys squad selections aren't based on their heritage and their alleigance, it is based on whether or not they are playing footy in this country at the moment. Unless they change the selection policy, they have every right to play in the team.

[DIEHARD]

It's tough and a situation we need to fix.

Maybe we should change the selection criteria for school boys and make players declare their allegiance at age 16.

It doesn't feel right to have Kiwis playing in Australian jerseys.

It's up to the Kiwis to pursue these players and for Australia to help them secure them and not selection them in the first place. This sort of thing will just get worse and worse as more and more Kiwis abandon New Zealand for Australia.

New Zealand will never be the strength it should be if we keep white anting them.

Maybe there needs to be an Australian based academy for young Kiwi players in Australia. Build a stepping stone for representative honours for them here in Australia.

[DIEHARD]

I mean does this photo look right to you?

[Steelers]

As I said before, the way the selection policies stand at the moment, there is no reason why New Zealands shouldn't be able to play for the Australian Schoolboys and then go on to play for New Zealand. I'm not sure whether it should be changed or not, but I don't want to see a situation where playing for Australian Schoolboys locks you into playing for Australia in the future.

I mean does this photo look right to you?

Doesn't matter what jersey Benji wears in that photo, it just doesn't look right to me

[Capital_Shark]

It's tough and a situation we need to fix.

Maybe we should change the selection criteria for school boys and make players declare their allegiance at age 16.

It doesn't feel right to have Kiwis playing in Australian jerseys.

It's up to the Kiwis to pursue these players and for Australia to help them secure them and not selection them in the first place. This sort of thing will just get worse and worse as more and more Kiwis abandon New Zealand for Australia.

New Zealand will never be the strength it should be if we keep white anting them.

Maybe there needs to be an Australian based academy for young Kiwi players in Australia. Build a stepping stone for representative honours for them here in Australia.

All quality in that post DIEHARD. Making players pledge allegiance at 16 would remove situations like we saw this year with Fien. Or players waiting to see if they can make QLD/NSW before deciding where to play. Heres a situation: your a halfback who's elidgable for both Australia and NZ. Your hanging out for the NSW/Aussie number 7 when a bloke like Andrew Johns bursts in .. Still gonna be waiting on that NSW/Aussie jersey? Or try your luck in the black and white?

The Ausralian bases academy for young Kiwi players is a great idea and one the NZRL and ARL should seriously look into so the development of young players aspiring toward a Kiwi jersey isn't overlooked.

[Future Star]

...Heres a situation: your a halfback who's elidgable for both Australia and NZ. Your hanging out for the NSW/Aussie number 7 when a bloke like Andrew Johns bursts in .. Still gonna be waiting on that NSW/Aussie jersey? Or try your luck in the black and white?

If it was someone like Joey, i wouldnt be to worried - he is over-rated.

[Capital_Shark]

If it was someone like Joey, i wouldnt be to worried - he is over-rated.

You are a clown. I mean Joey at his prime, of course, not now at the backend of his career. But just incase your blindness has no cure, you can change it to the QLD/Aussie fullback or 5/8 jersey and change it from Joey to Darren Lockyer.

[Future Star]

You are a clown. I mean Joey at his prime, of course, not now at the backend of his career. But just incase your blindness has no cure, you can change it to the QLD/Aussie fullback or 5/8 jersey and change it from Joey to Darren Lockyer.

In that case - to the Kiwis i go.

[Steve]

Personally, I still think where you were born should be where you play for. Settle it once and for all.

But, these are the Australian Schoolboys. Boys, brought through the Australian school system. Be it NSW, QLD, state or private. And that's what they're representing. So it's a bit iffy there.