A number of prominent commentators have attacked the NRL for reversing their decision to remove the home state’s national anthem, with Scott Morrison also criticized for his role in the reinstatement
Barely two hours after the announcement of the decision to remove the anthem from the pre-match ceremony at Origin, ARLC President Peter V’landys bowed to the public and reinstated it
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said there had been discussions in various forums shortly after the decision was made public, while PM Morrison also lobbied
« There have been many discussion forums in the media and in Australia today There have been many phone calls today between different stakeholders, » Abdo said on Thursday afternoon
“A number of fans have expressed their views on a number of different platforms and on that basis the committee met and decided that this decision was not the intention and that ‘so it was important to restore the national anthem to start of the State of origin «
Fans and commentators were initially outraged by the decision to drop the anthem, but the call to reinstate it also drew widespread condemnation
Sky News host Chris Smith said the NRL « took the cowardly path, » describing the initial call to drop the anthem as « one of the most pathetic decisions an organization has ever made. sporty «
« A group of native-born players refused to sing the anthem last year to protest the white invasion of Australia, » Smith said
« The Australian Anthem Will Now Be Played As It Should Be When it comes to the stance taken by some Indigenous actors, the NRL hosts an Indigenous Tour every year, has a long history of giving skilled Indigenous players opportunities that they can ‘they wouldn’t normally receive, and the code’s charitable work in indigenous communities is second to none
« These players should use their status to unite black and white and commemorate the indigenous history of the code, and not divide young fans of the game and make the NRL feel guilty by no longer celebrating this great country »
« I feel uncomfortable every time it is played because of the injury it causes to Indigenous Australians I have been deeply attached to this for a long time and will continue to try to educate others «
« Why the NRL keeps trying to position itself on political issues is something the game hasn’t explained, » Kent wrote in the Daily Telegraph
« Sports codes should represent everyone and not decide who is right or wrong, nor force those who love their game to rally to a political position they do not support
« Nobody tells NRL fans if they should vote Liberal or Labor, and the rest of the policy should be the same »
While Peter FitzSimons and project host Peter van Onselen criticized the role of the Prime Minister in decision-making
« Yes, Prime Minister After a very difficult year of plague and plague, foreclosure and a sluggish economy, getting the league players to sing the national anthem will improve the situation, » the former player said Wallabies FitzSimons
Van Onselen tweeted: “Personally, I think the national anthem should be played in the home state
It is understood the PM has argued for strong national unity after a year of struggles during his phone call with V’landys on Thursday
Personally, I think the national anthem should be played in the home state But a PM calling for it to be played gives the impression of shedding weight
I’m absolutely flabbergasted by this mess of the anthem No one but Scott Morrison is happy People are either pissed off that he was scrapped in the first place or put on the backflip And the few who do not fit into these categories laugh
I look forward to Scott Morrison’s call to Cricket Australia to order that the anthem be played at all Sheffield Shield matches tomorrow Especially the one between NSW and Queensland
Sports fans: « Sport has no place for politics » * ScoMo calls V’Landys and tells him the NRL should play the national anthem at the Origin
Sad to hear @ScottMorrisonMP tries to win by playing the ‘national’ anthem after a year of ‘struggle and heartache’ Has he forgotten the struggle, oppression and heartache that the peoples Aboriginal / First Nations people have felt for generations since colonization? https: // tco / lsvQfYeF8s
The about-face follows an ARLC committee meeting on Wednesday night with representatives from NSWRL and QRL, where a decision was made to remove the anthem for Origin matches
Abdo explained that the removal of the anthem from the Origin matches was done to celebrate the rivalry between the state teams
The commission decided that the anthem was appropriate to be played only in the NRL Grand Finals, Anzac Day matches, and Test matches, and did not intend to create a divisive political debate
Last year’s series was dominated by the issue when native blues trio Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Josh Addo-Carr denounced before the game their refusal to sing
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National Rugby League, Peter FitzSimons, State of Origin series, anthem
News from the world – UA – « Coward’s way out »: the NRL under fire for the saga of the ‘pathetic’ hymn
