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New Zealand's international rugby league side has had its fair share of missed opportunities over the past couple of decades and, when it comes to player selection and retention, some of the biggest names in the game have been aligned with the Kiwis - only to wind up playing somewhere else.
Liam Swiggs takes a look at some of the biggest players who have slipped through the Kiwis' hands:
Jarome Luai of the Panthers celebrates a try. Photo: Dave Hunt / www.photosport.nz
Jarome Luai
Luai was once in talks with the Kiwis camp to represent New Zealand and, in 2017, he actually did just that; turning out for the Junior Kiwis in a team that was absolutely stacked with future NRL talent. Through his Māori heritage, Luai was eligible to play for New Zealand - and the Kiwis could have had themselves a future four-time Premiership winning player. But Luai, like many others, opted to play for Samoa with the chance to play for New South Wales in State of Origin mid-year.
Nathan Cleary son of Warriors' Head Coach Ivan Cleary cheers on the team. NRL pre season trail match, Vodafone Warriors v Sydney Roosters at Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua, New Zealand. Saturday 13th February 2010. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Photo: Anthony Au-Yeung
Nathan Cleary
Not just one but both of the Panthers' four-time Premiership-winning halves both considered playing for the Kiwis at different times. Cleary is a bit more of a long shot, though his dad Ivan did play for and coach the Warriors for a good part of Nathan's childhood - and he did hold a New Zealand passport. His parents sadly talked him out of it, with Nathan opting to play for Australia and of course New South Wales in Origin - both representative sides where he's gone on to see great success.
Kiwis Rugby League Staff, Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, October 18, 2015. Copyright photo: David Rowland / www.photosport.nz Photo: David Rowland
Kayln Ponga
Pongi is of Māori descent and lived in Palmerston North for half a decade growing up. Kiwi fans got to see Ponga pull on the training kit to train with the squad back in 2015, just after his first grade debut with the Cowboys. Unfortunately for New Zealand, Queensland beat them to the punch to lock in the future star fullback to represent Australia.
Portrait of NZ Kiwis player Addin Fonua-Blake. 2017 Rugby League World Cup. Turangawaewae Marae, Ngaruawahia. New Zealand. Thursday 19 October 2017 © Copyright Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.Photosport.nz Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
Addin Fonua-Blake
Former Warriors prop Fonua-Blake would go on to become one of the best players in the game - but did you know in 2017 he represented the Kiwis at the League World Cup? In what's becoming a bit of a trend, the Kiwis had the Tongan powerhouse on their books but only ended up using him once during their entire World Cup campaign. After dropping out in the quarter finals it seemed Fonua-Blake had seen enough, opting instead to play for Tonga ever since.
Jason Taumalolo poses for a picture during a New Zealand Kiwis rugby league media session ahead of the team's departure for the Four Nations tournament in the UK. Pullman Hotel. Auckland, New Zealand. Wednesday 19 October 2016 © Copyright Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.Photosport.nz Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
Jason Taumalolo
Taumalolo's defection to Tonga before the Kiwis World Cup side was named in 2017 was legendary. He paved the way for some of the game's biggest names to defect from Australia and New Zealand to instead play for their island nations. The rest was history, as Tonga famously defeated the Kiwis for the first time ever in the opening stages of the League World Cup - kicking off the Pasifika rugby league revolution that's still going strong to this day.
Kangaroos' Johnathan Thurston looks on. Anzac Rugby League test match, New Zealand Kiwis v Australia Kangaroos at Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand. Friday 20th April 2012. Photo: Anthony Au-Yeung/photosport.co.nz Photo: www.photosport.nz
Johnathan Thurston
When people hear the name Thurston they think of Queensland's glory days in State of Origin, the North Queensland Cowboys premiership run of 2015 and Australia's absolute dominance over the world in the international arena. Although he was tempted by an offer from the Kiwis in 2004 after NZRL discovered his father was a New Zealander, Thurston opted to bide his time waiting for a call up from Australia that would eventually come in 2006. After winning multiple World Cups and playing 38 tests, he would retire from the international game one of the all time greats 11 years later in 2017.
James Tamou of the Kangaroos after the game. ANZAC rugby league Test, New Zealand Kiwis v Australia Kangaroos, Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand, 20 April 2012. Copyright Photo: www.photosport.nz Photo: www.photosport.nz
James Tamou
Tamou was quickly snapped up by New South Wales in 2012 amid a whirlwind of controversy as [ https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/103653/dowling-says-tamou-shouldn't-be-allowed-to-play-for-kangaroos New Zealanders cried foul over the eligibility rules at the time. Tamou was born in Palmerston North and raised in Levin, having moved to Australia with his family aged 13. In the end it all boiled down to the NZRL not moving fast enough; Tamou had childhood dreams of playing for the Kiwis - but earlier in the year had been in conversations with then-NSW coach Ricky Stewart, who was telling him that he wanted him in his squad and to pledge allegiance to Australia - and he did just that.
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