MATTHEW RIDGE has reopened the wounds of the "Grannygate" scandal, claiming Nathan Fien is "not a Kiwi" and that eligibility laws need to be tightened before the New Zealand jersey is further devalued.

Fien was unwittingly involved in one of the biggest eligibility scandals in rugby league when he represented New Zealand two years ago. The Warriors utility was chosen on the basis his grandmother was born in New Zealand, although subsequent investigations revealed it was actually his great-grandmother that was born there.

After calling for Wayne Bennett to be sacked as Kiwi assistant coach last week, Ridge switched his attention to Fien, saying: "The fact he's suiting up with the silver fern on his chest is wrong."

"The rules, as they stand, regarding a player's eligibility, are ambiguous to say the least," Ridge wrote in his column in Auckland's Sunday News .

"Players, even if they have no connection to New Zealand other than having lived here for three years, can pull on the black jersey.

"That's completely wrong and it concerns me to see the Kiwis jersey being devalued like that.

"Australian-born Nathan Fien, a man who grew up in Queensland, played for the Maroons and didn't move over the ditch until he was 25 years old, is an example of this."

Outspoken columnist Ridge stressed he had nothing against Fien personally, but said the Kiwis would benefit long-term in "developing our own". The former Manly goalkicker added that Kiwi-born youngster Arana Taumata would have been a more worthy selection than Fien.

"I admire [Fien] as a player and am the first to admit his performances at the World Cup have been very good," Ridge said. "But that doesn't change the fact he's not a Kiwi … In New Zealand, we need to be developing our own players, not throwing Australians into the mix to plaster over the fact our depth is poor.