Indigenous All Stars: Australian national anthem won't be played at NRL pre-season game
- Published
The Indigenous team performs a war cry before the All Stars match, with James Roberts having the honour of leading it in 2019
The Australian national anthem will not be played at this year's rugby league All Stars match on the Gold Coast.
The Australian Rugby League (ARL) Commission made the decision after advice from the ARL Indigenous Council.
An Indigenous team will face a Maori team in the annual pre-season match at Cbus Super Stadium on 22 February.
ARLC chairman Peter V'landys said:, external "We have listened to our players' concerns that the words of the anthem do not represent them or their families."
This year's event in Robina marks the 10-year anniversary of the first All Stars game, devised by former player Preston Campbell to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
The National Rugby League also stages an annual Indigenous Round during the season and now 12% of NRL players identify as indigenous.
Before game one of last year's State of Origin series, several indigenous players refused to sing the national anthem.
'Advance Australia Fair' was written in 1878 and "does not include an acknowledgement of First Nations people", V'landys added.
"The All Stars game was created as a celebration of Indigenous players and their culture. We respect their wishes and have agreed that the anthem will not be played."
St George Illawarra Dragons prop Josh Kerr sang the anthem before making his representative debut in last year's All Stars match but his views have since changed.
"I have always stood up and honoured the anthem because I know a lot of people have fought and died or sacrificed a lot for that anthem but listening to the words and knowing where they come from, it doesn't seem right," he said., external
"The words say 'for we are young and free', but we are the oldest surviving culture in the world."