Thank God Ricky Stuart is not in charge of the Socceroos.
If he was, there would be no place for Harry Kewell, Mark Schwarzer, Lucas Neill, Vince Grella, Mark Bresciano, Brett Emerton et al.
Why? Because they have the temerity to ply their trade in countries other than Australia.
Stuart's threat to strip Melbourne's Michael Crocker of his Test jumper because the Melbourne forward has signed a three-year deal with English club Hull smacks of petulance and insularism.
Who cares which competition a player comes from if he's the best for the position?
Crocker can play for Mars if he desires - as long as he's producing the goods and his form warrants a Kangaroos jumper when the World Cup squad is announced later this year.
Stuart demanded the pride be put back in the Australian jersey when he inherited the national job from Wayne Bennett and has managed to do that.
You won't get a more passionate person than Michael Crocker.
He plays every game like it's his last. Teams he plays in lose as regularly as it rains in the Sahara.
Yet Stuart wants to punt him, declaring he will pick the 'second, third or fourth' choice player if it means leaving out a player whose has 'copped the cash' in England.
Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.
No wonder rugby league struggles to gain a foothold outside its narrow, blinkered borders.
Many in charge possess the vision of Ray Charles.
They think the best way to stop players leaving the NRL for bigger cabbage overseas is to blacklist them from representative teams.
What inspired thinking. Instead of looking for other streams of revenue to keep our best in the NRL, we're just going to freeze them out.
It doesn't seem to be working. Players are still leaving in droves.
And the threat of missing a World Cup won't stop them taking the pounds on offer in the UK.
The tournament will struggle for credibility as it is without the coach of the world champions telling us he will happily pick an inferior side.
Melbourne CEO Brian Waldron got it 100 percent right when he said: "It's the World Cup, not the NRL World Cup."
Stuart's atlas, it seems, has plenty of pages missing.
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