NRL Chief Executive Andrew Abdo has ruled out any changes to the current State of Origin eligibility rules.
The announcement has effectively ended Dally M Medalist Jason Taumalolo's campaign to be eligible to play for the Maroons in 2021.
Taumalolo was born in New Zealand but has lived in Queensland since he was 13, where he represented the Queensland under-18s and Australian Schoolboys.
The 27-year-old also represented Tonga and New Zealand, a tier one country, in the early stages of his career which made him ineligible for Origin selection.
Under the current eligibility rules, players are only available for selection if they have not represented another tier one nation at senior level.
There will be no changes to #Origin eligibility rules in 2021.
👉 https://t.co/mngnoGX0RC pic.twitter.com/l6QAPGnk1r
— NRL (@NRL) April 13, 2021
Speaking in Brisbane, Abdo ended the speculation around the change of rules.
"There is certainly no proposal to change the eligibility in the short term or in the long term for that matter but of course everything will be considered over time but at this stage no," Abdo said.
"I won’t talk about specific players around Origin eligibility but I would like to clarify something, the Commission is not looking at changing the eligibility for Origin.
"What we are looking at is standardising and harmonising the calendar so players who do qualify to play for NSW and Queensland don’t have to choose between that and representing their country in a potential mid-season test.
"This is not about changing the definition of who qualifies for Origin this is about making sure those that do qualify and do want to play for Origin don’t have to choose.
"We are building towards a dedicated international window at the back end of the season that is good for everyone. It is good for fans, it’s good for State of Origin, it’s good for the international game and that’s really what we’re putting our efforts into."
Taumalolo has signaled his intent to continue representing Tonga internationally regardless of the changes in Origin eligibility, while in the NRL he is expected to reach the 200 game milestone this season.
State of Origin kicks off on June 9 at the MCG.
