Concerns have been raised over the future of International and State of Origin eligibility with incoming Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters facing the potential of three stars defecting ahead of the 2025 Ashes Tour.

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Walters is reportedly set to land the Kangaroos coaching job this week, but he could be without three of his best players.

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

Samoa currently being a tier two nation means the trio can still play Origin for the Maroons and Blues while representing their country.

While Walters is expected to be officially be announced as the Kangaroos coach this week he is likely to start on a three-game deal that only covers the Ashes tournament.

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Payne Haas, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.Source: FOX SPORTS

The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield believes Walters will have a huge task to win without potentially three of the first players picked.

“It is going to be such a tough tour,” Rothfield said.

“A lot of players in Haas, Tino and now the Hammer might not make themselves available for that green and gold jersey.”

Rothfield also pointed out availability concerns over the injured Latrell Mitchell, with his South Sydney teammate Cameron Murray already ruled out for the season.

“It is going to be a really tough tour,” he said.

The panel debated whether the trio would actually defect or make themselves available for the Kangaroos, with News Corp reporter Brent Read declaring Haas was highly likely to make the switch. Read also reported Tabuai-Fidow and Fa’asuamaleaui had spoken together about playing for Samoa while in Queensland camp and were likely to follow suit.

Why the delay on Walters decision? | 02:22

Rothfield believes players defecting from Australia to the tier two nations was helping the international game continue to grow.

“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.”

“They’ve beaten nobody!” | 01:01

However, Fox League commenator Dan Ginnane believes it is time for Samoa and Tonga to become tier one nations, a move that would 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, adding Tabuai-Fidow had indicated as much.

“… 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.”

“The spin doctors have got to you!” | 02:23

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.”