Concerns have been raised over the future of International and State of Origin eligibility with three Kangaroos stars set to defect from Australia to Samoa at the end of the season.

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Queensland stars Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Blues prop Payne Haas are reportedly set to turn their back on playing for Australia in favour of representing Samoa.

With Samoa a tier two nation, the trio can still play Origin for the Maroons and Blues while representing their country, unless Samoa and Tonga are changed to tier one nations.

Braith Anasta asked on NRL 360: “Do we think that Hammer, Tino and Haas are going to play for Australia or not? What are the odds here?”

The Daily Telegraph’s Brent Read believes all three will defect from the Kangaroos to Samoa.

“I don’t think Haas will,” Read said.

“I think Payne would have played for Samoa last year if he was fit and this year I think he will play for Samoa.

“I think Tino by the sounds of it is definitely leaning that way and my understanding is that Tino and Hammer have actually spoken about it.

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“They spoke about it during Origin camp with Queensland, so there is every chance that Hammer plays for Samoa. He has played for Samoa before at a World Cup a few years ago.

“So I think they all will play for Samoa.”

Veteran journalist Phil Rothfield believes players defecting from Australia to the tier two nations is great for the international game.

“It’s crazy isn’t it that this started four or five years ago with Andrew Fifita and Jason Taumalolo and its just growing and growing,” Rothfield said.

“I actually think it is great for International rugby league. Australia used to just have to put their jerseys on and turn up to win and the international game was pretty rubbish I thought.

“But now we have the Pacific Islands, England and New Zealand and I think it is great.”

However, Dan Ginnane believes it is time for Samoa and Tonga to become tier one nations and force players to choose their allegiances once and for all.

“I like it, but I don’t like it when one of the players intimate, if I don’t get picked for Australia I will go and play for one of the Pacific Nations,” Ginnane said.

“I think Hammer said that in a press conference. I would rather he just say, I want to play for Samoa and that’s the end of that.

“I do think we need to get to tier one status for Samoa and Tonga and have some moratorium or amnesty for a year, that whoever wants to go across this is your chance, but that’s it. We can’t have chopping and changing.”

However, Read warned that such a move would force players to choose between playing State of Origin and playing for their country, which would deny one or the other some of the biggest stars in the game.

“I don’t like that idea,” Read said.

“I have never been a fan of that idea because then you force players to make a choice between playing for Samoa and Tonga and playing State of Origin. I think they will all play State of Origin.”