Ahead of tonight’s State Of Origin round I, several Indigenous players have announced they will not be participating in the schedule performance of the national anthem. The players explained to Channel 7 that the song does not represent them, nor their culture.
Cody Walker, Josh Addo-Carr and Latrell Mitchell, all vital additions to this years NSW squad, and QLD star Will Chambers have led the charge on the issue. In a pre-game press conference, Mitchell explained the anthem, “doesn’t represent my people.”
Speaking with the SMH earlier in the week, Addo-Carr detailed his conflict between being a proud Australian and a proud Indigenous man, adding “If it’s not going to stand for my people, why should I sing it?” and questioning why the anthem can’t be changed.
“How hard can it be? … Why can’t we recognise the Indigenous people of Australia?”
Walker and Addo-Carr have made this stand before, remaining silent during the anthem as part of the Indigenous All Stars team back in February. At that time, Addo-Carr explained his issue with the anthem, “It just brings back so many memories of what happened [in Australia’s past].”
Of course, the move was met with both support and vitriol, coming at a time when the NRL and its following have been acclimatising to the debate around free speech following on from the Israel Folau tweet saga.
The situation shares extensive parallels with NFL star Colin Kaepernick’s protest, in which Kaepernick ignited a national debate after kneeling during the American anthem.
Origin Round 1 kicks off tonight, and is shaping up to be even more culturally significant than years prior.
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