NRL: Thurston’s powerful message on racism ahead of Indigenous Round
NRL legend Johnathan Thurston has delivered a powerful message on the impact of racism ahead of the league’s Indigenous Round this weekend.
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NRL legend Johnathan Thurston has delivered a powerful message on the impact of racism ahead of the league’s Indigenous Round this weekend.
During a visit to Cairns on Tuesday, the former Cowboys great said there was no place for racism in today’s society.
Thurston, who was voted the greatest Indigenous player of all time by NRL fans earlier this year, also praised players for calling out racist attacks on social media and using their platform to open a discussion on racism not in just in sport but in the wider Australian community.
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“I’m very proud of the way that our Indigenous players have stood up to racism throughout the country and I think they should be supported and commended for calling out these people and certainly the way they handle themselves,” he said.
“It does take a toll on you mentally when you get these keyboard warriors racially vilifying you, racially abusing you, and it’s very sad to see that in this day and age it’s still around in this country.”
Rabbitohs fullback Latrell Mitchell, who has long been a target for racial abuse online, condemned social media trolls in an Instagram post earlier this year, while other players have been vocal in a push to expose and eradicate racism in the sport.
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While playing for the Indigenous Australian side in February, Storm winger Josh Addo-Carr replicated the famous anti-racism gesture that former AFL player Nicky Winmar did in 1993.
Last month, the Eels’ Blake Ferguson reached out to the Panthers’ Josh Mansour before their Round 5 clash to arrange for the teams to come together and take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement after the game.
“There is no place for racism — in sport, or socially — in this country,” Thurston said.
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“I’ve had a history lesson of what this country has been through, what our culture has been through, we weren’t even thought of as people in this country until 1967.
“I do believe we have come a long way, obviously 2008 was a big stepping stone with the Prime Minister’s apology to the stolen generation.
“We have a come on in leaps and bounds but there’s still a long way to go.”
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The four-time Dally M Player of the Year said playing in the NRL’s Indigenous Round was always a special moment.
“I always took pride in playing in this round and representing my mother’s heritage and Aboriginal culture,” he said.
“It’s something that I’m extremely passionate about and to be able to play in this round and highlight the significant role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have played throughout rugby league over the history of the game is something that should be celebrated.”
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“From Lionel Morgan, who was the first Aboriginal person to represent Australia in a Test, and Arthur Beetson, the first Indigenous captain to captain an Australian team of any sport. “These are the blokes that set the pathways up for the likes of myself, the GIs, the Sam Thaidays that have come through to play in the NRL.
“It’s a round that needs to be on the calendar and should be celebrated.”
Originally published as NRL: Thurston’s powerful message on racism ahead of Indigenous Round