Citing a refusal to allow Ricky Stuart to continue coaching NSW when he was appointed to the Kangaroos job in 2006, ARL chief executive Geoff Carr will seek alternative candidates to Meninga and Craig Bellamy for a shortlist of replacements following the Cronulla mentor's resignation over his behaviour after losing the World Cup final.

However, Meninga will be considered after being nominated by Maroons officials, who believe he is the best man for the job and want to overturn the 23-year-old agreement preventing Origin coaches taking on the Australian post.

Carr will also speak to Bellamy but made it clear yesterday that he would have to relinquish the Blues job if he wanted to come under consideration for the role at the next ARL board meeting in February. Meninga said he would be honoured to be invited to do the job but would not renege on a commitment to continue coaching Queensland for a further three years.

"I'm a very happy and a very passionate Queenslander, I love what I am doing with the Queensland side at the moment and I'll leave it at that at this stage. It's sort of out of my hands," Meninga told Channel Seven. "To do anything in the green and gold is an honour and that's why if … I was a chance of coaching [Australia] I'd give it some serious consideration."

As one of the few available coaches without club commitments, Meninga believes he could do both jobs - if the ARL changed the policy introduced after allegations of bias were levelled against NSW mentor Terry Fearnley when he was also in charge of the Test team in 1985.

"I think it can be done," Meninga said. "But I'm not sure what the criteria is going to be. I think they'll probably review that but it is not up to me … I think it's an invitee proposition so if they thought I was a good candidate I would give it some serious consideration."

Queensland selector Gene Miles said concerns about Meninga being biased to Maroons players if he was Test coach were "very unfounded".

"I think Mal would be pretty annoyed at those type of comments," Miles said. "At the end of the day, he's there to coach the country. He's not there to coach NSW or Queensland. He's taken the Prime Minister's XIII away for the last three years so he's had enough experience with the guys at that level … the guys have got a huge amount of respect for what Mal has achieved in the game."

Of the other contenders, club officials have indicated that they would not stand in the way of Neil Henry, Des Hasler or Tim Sheens coaching Australia. "Mal deserves to be favourite for the job but if he was unable to do it I believe Neil would be a worthy candidate," Cowboys chief executive Peter Parr said.