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EXCLUSIVE: International tug-of-war set to erupt for Strange siblings

They are eligible to represent three different countries.

Published by
Ethan Lee Chalk

The 2024 Pacific Championships may have come to a close, but an international tug-of-war is set to erupt for one of the best brother and sister duos in the NRL and NRLW competitions.

After his first full season in the NRL with the Canberra Raiders, Ethan Strange illustrated that he is one of the brightest prospects in the competition and there were already calls this year that he is a future NSW Blues player in the making.

On the other hand, his older sister and Sydney Roosters NRLW outside back Jasmin Strange has won back-to-back premierships in the NRLW and has been a dominant force when in the starting team or coming off the interchange bench.

Although Ethan represented the U19s NSW Blues and Jasmin represented the Maori All Stars, Zero Tackle can reveal that the siblings are among only a few players in history who are eligible to represent all three tier-one nations - Australia, England, and New Zealand.

The two players were born in Australia and can represent England via their mum's side of the family and New Zealand via their dad's side of the family.

While Ethan is yet to make a decision on which country he will end up representing, his sister and NRLW star Jasmin hopes to represent the England national team in the near future.

"I am eligible for the Kiwis, but my mum's fully English, so I wouldn't mind trying to give the English team a crack," the NRLW two-time premiership winner told Zero Tackle.

"My dad's side were really proud of me for playing Maori (All Stars) but I know that my mum's side who still live in England would be very happy if I did that."

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The difficult decision for the siblings will have an everlasting effect on their future in the State of Origin and international arena.

Due to international eligibility rules, a player is unable to appear for two different tier-one countries, and if they represent England or New Zealand, it will rule them out of future selection for the Blues.

Although Ethan Strange represented the U19s NSW Blues team in 2023, players from that match can later represent other international teams than Australia, as shown by Casey McLean recently representing the New Zealand Kiwis at the 2024 Pacific Championships, where he scored four tries on debut.

Published by
Ethan Lee Chalk