KEY POINTS:
Ineligible Kiwi hooker Nathan Fien says he is keen for another crack at test rugby league.
The Kiwis were stripped of two Tri-Nations points and Fien was banned from taking any further part in the tournament after he was found to be ineligible yesterday.
Fien, who was ruled ineligible by the Rugby League International Federation, issued a statement through his manager.
He said he would cherish the two games he played for New Zealand, The Australian newspaper reported today.
The former Queensland halfback also accepted the apology of the New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL), which conceded that Fien had told them his great-grandmother was a Kiwi, not his grandmother as the NZRL initially portrayed.
Fien offered the NZRL four birth certificates - his own, his father's, his grandmother's and his great-grandmother's - on October 19, two days before his test debut, the newspaper said.
The NZRL assured him he was eligible for selection and sent a copy of his great-grandmother's birth certificate to the Australian Rugby League.
Players are eligible to represent a country only if they, their parents or grandparents were born in that nation or in they had resided there for three years.
Fien has been living in Auckland for two years.
The NZRL, argued that a great-grandparent qualified as a grandparent under the wording of the RLIF constitution, yesterday issued a statement in which it absolved Fien of blame.
It also ruled out taking legal action, which it threatened when the federation first suggested the Kiwis could lose the points they from their win over Great Britain last Saturday.
RLIF chairman Colin Love described the Fien incident as the darkest day he could remember for the game at international level.
"Playing for the Kiwis over the past fortnight has been one of the most memorable moments of my career," Fien said.
"Being in camp with New Zealand has only reinforced my desire to play for my adopted country.
"I am desperate for another crack. I will be eligible for selection on residency grounds at the end of next year. Hopefully I'll get a chance to continue my test career then."
Fien is understood to have left New Zealand yesterday and returned to Cairns to spend time with his family.
Love said he was confident the Kiwis had made an honest mistake.
If Australia, already assured of a spot in the final, beat Great Britain in their two games, it'll come down to the Kiwis-Britain return match in Wellington on November 11 to determine the second finalists.
- NZPA
