Exceptional Move: Titans Star AJ Brimson Cleared to Shift National Allegiance from Australia to England

AJ Brimson has officially made the switch from representing Australia to England after receiving approval from the rugby league tribunal on Wednesday.

The utility back, who hails from Brisbane, has dedicated his entire NRL career to the Gold Coast Titans but has yet to make an appearance for the Kangaroos in a senior international fixture.

As a result of this decision, he will no longer be eligible to wear the green and gold jersey.

Brimson has previously played for the Maroons on four occasions and was required to submit a formal application to alter his allegiance, as England is also recognised as a Tier 1 nation.

He initiated his application earlier this year, and will be eligible to don the English jersey in the upcoming Ashes series.

The 26-year-old’s situation was described as “unique” by IRL chairman Troy Grant, particularly as Brimson represented Australia at the 2019 international 9s.

At that time, Australia, England, and New Zealand were classified as Tier 1 nations, which made him ineligible to switch allegiances.

However, since the discontinuation of the 9s World Cup, players from that tournament have been granted the opportunity to choose their national representation freely.

This perspective differs from the continuous nature of the 13-a-side matches played throughout the year.

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Grant noted that Brimson’s plea was approved because of his English heritage through his mother.

“This case was unprecedented, where a player qualified for two Tier 1 nations but had chosen to represent one in 9s, thereby being unable to represent the other in 13s,” Grant explained.

“The player has not had the chance to represent his chosen country in 9s as he had hoped and hasn’t played a senior international match to date.

“The intention behind the international eligibility rules is to ensure that the top players can represent the nation they qualify for, but in this case, Brimson was left in limbo.

“The tribunal thus concluded that AJ Brimson should be permitted to transfer his international eligibility from Australia to England and granted his request.”

A few years ago, Roosters lock Victor Radley also made the change to England after previously representing the Blues in Origin.

Neither Radley nor Brimson are permitted to participate in State of Origin competitions anymore.