Why Gagai chose to represent New Zealand after eligibility changes

At the age of 35, it’s rare for players to be making debuts.

But someone clearly didn’t tell Dane Gagai that as he made his debut for New Zealand last week against the Kangaroos last week in the Rugby League World Cup.

Born to an Australian dad with Torres Strait Islander heritage and a New Zealand mum with a connection to the Ngāti Pikiao tribe, the Queensland representative was eligible to represent either country.

And in 2010, the then 19-year-old went on to play for the Junior Kangaroos, which saw him go on to play in the senior side seven years later, earning himself seven caps in the process between 2017 and 2018.

Having not represented Australia in eight years before the World Cup, it appeared Gagai’s international career was most likely over.

But after changes to the eligibility rules at the start of the year allowing players to switch between Tier One nations (Australia, New Zealand and England) while able to represent Queensland and NSW in State of Origin, the 35-year-old began to consider the switch.

And a call soon after from Kiwis legend and current assistant coach for New Zealand, Adam Blair, would seal the deal for the soon-to-be Bronco to don the black and white of New Zealand.

“I kind of sat around and had a chat with the missus and just thought how cool it'd be if I was called onto this Kiwis squad,” Gagai explained on SEN’s Arvos with Adam Peacock.

“In saying that, I hadn't played for Australia in about eight years, and with the Origin rules, previously you couldn't play for the Kiwis, or you couldn't play for Queensland if you played for the Kiwis.

“When they changed that rule, that's probably when the thought started really coming into play of representing the Kiwis.

“As soon as that happened, I got a message from Adam Blair to give him a call, and he pretty much just said to me, ‘Look, yeah, if we wanted to select you in the team, what's your thoughts on representing the Kiwis?’, and for me that was just a sign that yeah, let's make this happen.

"We obviously had to go through a bit of a process to jump through a few hoops, but at the end of the day, I think everyone came to the right decision and allowed me to represent who I am.

“Obviously, I'm Australian. I'm a Torres Strait Islander on Dad's side.

“But I'm also a Kiwi on my Mum's side, so I'm neither one or the other; I'm both, and I'm super proud to be able to represent the Kiwis.

“It’s been an absolute honour for myself, and absolutely privileged that I get to do that for my mum and all that side as well.”

Gagai and the Kiwis campaign continues on Saturday with New Zealand facing Fiji at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.

SEN League will have live commentary of the match as part of our coverage of the Rugby League World Cup across our radio network and on the SEN app from 3pm AEDT, with kick-off at 3:30pm.