LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
Roosters star Connor Watson has criticized the NRL's recent decision to modify the eligibility criteria for the rookie of the year award, which has resulted in teammate Mark Nawaqanitawase being excluded from contention. Nawaqanitawase had emerged as a top contender for the award recognizing the best first-year player in the NRL.
The league's authorities decided to bar Nawaqanitawase, believing it would be unfair to more traditional rookies. Despite being a rookie in the NRL since he previously played 58 games for the NSW Waratahs and 11 Test matches for the Wallabies, his significant rugby union experience led to this decision. The Australian Rugby League Commission recently adjusted its rules to prevent players with significant prior professional experience from winning the Dally M Rookie of the Year award.
The updated rule states that players with five or more professional matches in another sport are now ineligible for the award. Though the NRL will assess eligibility on a case-by-case basis, Nawaqanitawase's rugby background disqualifies him immediately.
With this rule change, Roosters teammate Robert Toia, Warriors forward Leka Halasima, and Parramatta fullback Isaiah Iongi now appear to be the frontrunners for the award. Watson, however, believes that the new criteria is unfair to Nawaqanitawase, especially since it was instituted mid-season.
"Mark would probably be the favourite to win it," Watson stated at the launch of the NRL's Indigenous Round on Tuesday. "So I feel like it's hard to make that call halfway through the year when he's played so well. If you're going to make a decision like that, you probably do it at the start of the year."
In response, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo defended the mid-season change, labeling it "really simple." He explained, "The (ARL) Commission has made a policy change decision around the eligibility for rookie of the year, and I think it's contemporary. (The rule) hasn't been looked at for a while. The decision was really simple. It is meant for genuine rookies, so players that are coming through pathways systems, and not for players that have got significant experience, even if it's in other sports."