Inside story: Why NRL backflipped on State of Origin national anthem ban
The NRL’s controversial call to scrap the singing of Advance Australia Fair was a year in the making, but lasted just an hour. See how the game was forced into an embarrassing backflip.
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It was a decision 12 months in the making that only survived one hour of public scrutiny and an angry prime minister.
The future of the national anthem in rugby league has been a delicate discussion point at NRL headquarters for the past year.
Ever since Indigenous stars Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Josh Addo-Carr spoke of boycotting the anthem before the opening game of the series last year.
The NRL goes out of its way and often tries too hard to appear to be inclusive.
That’s why the anthem issue has been raised at almost every independent commission meeting since last year.
Then on Wednesday afternoon it became decision time.
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Among discussions on salary cap issues, the 2021 playing schedule and funding to the clubs, the commissioners voted unanimously to scrap the anthem for the Origin series, just three days after they had played it at the grand final at ANZ Stadium.
They wouldn’t announce it and hoped no one would even pick it up in Adelaide on Wednesday night.
The decision was made after conversations with the NSWRL and the QRL.
There were grave reservations among NSWRL directors who read the potential for a public backlash better than the commission had.
In the end they played it safe and told the NRL it was their decision to make as the governing body.
The story was leaked to The Daily Telegraph about noon on Thursday – then all hell broke loose.
Shortly afterwards chief executive Andrew Abdo confirmed it.
The anthem had been dumped.
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It sparked the most ferocious public backlash from fans and a phone call from Prime Minister Scott Morrison to Peter V’landys urging him to overturn the decision.
And Daily Telegraph readers were furious.
An extraordinary 89 per cent of more than 7000 voters voiced their disapproval.
V’landys then rang each of the commissioners to urge them to reconsider.
Then came the backflip.
Morrison’s office was straight on the phone.
“This is a welcome decision by the NRL,” Morrison said.
“The NRL have done the right thing by listening to their fans and acting quickly to overturn their choice not to play the national anthem.
“We have all faced a year of struggle and heartbreak and it has never been more important to be coming together to celebrate Australia and to be able to sing together our national anthem at the game so many of us love.”
V’landys has been a passionate supporter of Indigenous players and their views since he joined the NRL.
He has had one-on-one and group meetings with the likes of Mitchell and other stars.
But he declared when replacing Peter Beattie as commission chairman late last year that fans were his number one priority.
That he would always listen to them and act accordingly in the best interests of the game.
The backflip was proof of that.
“It was never intended to be a political statement,” V’landys said.
“I’ve always said we’ll listen to our fans and it’s obvious the fans want the anthem.
“We’ve had a COVID emergency all year and the country has fought it together.”
The Prime Minister praised the NRL for being able to have an “adult conversation” about the national anthem.
“I contacted Peter, it was all very open and friendly and I really appreciate him hearing me out and he feels very strongly about the fans and what the fans would want to occur,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.
“I appreciate him reconsidering that decision and talking to his commissioners and coming to a different view very, very quickly
“I appreciate the way they handled that. I like the fact you can pick up the phone and have an adult conversation about this.”
Abdo maintained that the ARL Commission’s original decision was never politically motivated and based on celebrating the interstate rivalry between NSW and Queensland.
“We didn’t do it to create controversy and it wasn’t a politically motivated decision, it was based on the fact whether we thought it was appropriate to play the national anthem at which games,” Abdo said.
“I wouldn’t say we have caved into pressure, I would say that it’s been unexpected, the issue and the divisiveness that this has created, and that wasn’t the intention.
“As soon as this did become a divisive issue, the decision that the Commission made, was to revert to playing the national anthem for State of Origin.”
Abdo said that the NRL had not consulted Indigenous players throughout the decision-making process.
“We didn’t speak to them prior to this and they certainly weren’t actively lobbying or putting pressure on us. That’s why we haven’t consulted with them on this decision,” Abdo said.
The story sparked enormous reaction across the game.
Former Australian prop Mark Carroll described it as “PC bullshit.”
“I will speak from the heart – I used to belt out the anthem so loud. The anthem is iconic. It’s just ridiculous.”
Told later the NRL had back flipped, Carroll said: “So they bloody should.”
Boxer and former NRL star Anthony Mundine maintained the rage.
“It’s a white supremacist song to me and my people,” Mundine said.
“Why would I support it and advocate it?
“If you sit down and study the words, it’s a racist anthem, you know what I mean? I would love it to be changed to unite us, not divide the way it does from the dark history this country has been built upon.
“Personally, I think it should be scrapped all together across all codes at all times.
“I will continue to fight for this until it comes to fruition.”
While Indigenous Blues opted against singing the anthem last year, NSW stars including captain Boyd Cordner, Jake Trbojevic and Damien Cook said they would sing the Australian national anthem “loud and proud”.
NSW Origin coach Brad Fittler had vowed to support any Indigenous Blues players who wish to remain silent for Advance Australia Fair in 2020, saying: “Our anthem, it definitely needs work”.
Earlier this year, the ARL Commission scrapped the national anthem at the annual All Stars match on the advice of the game’s Indigenous players.
Aboriginal leader Warren Mundine said: “It is the national anthem of the country and if the NRL doesn’t want to be proud of the nation then they should say it.
“Quite frankly the NRL loses credibility by saying it is not an international game when they are still playing the anthem at the grand final.
“We know the real reason why the NRL has pulled the nation’s anthem and they are taking their fans for fools by not being honest.”
QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher has backed the NRL’s move to ban the national anthem at State of Origin, saying the showpiece event should not become a political platform.
“I have been to events where some players would not observe the national anthem and I found it embarrassing. That behaviour detracts from the event,” he said.
“Principally, the national anthem should be reserved for international events.
“My personal view is that it shouldn’t be played at Origin for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s not an international event and in recent years it has attracted some controversy which is not fair to the game and to the anthem.
“Australians should be proud of their anthem and if you have the green and gold on everyone will sing along with it.
“But if certain sections of society have an issue with it and if there will be negative reaction drawn to State of Origin, it’s not worth the controversy.
“State of Origin is not an international event, so there’s no reason why it should be played.
“The QRL were asked for their opinion and I agreed Origin was not an international event. There have been pockets of dissent lately and it has involved administrators and players.
“There may have been some problems from the NSW camp last year and we didn’t get any inkling of it until the last minute.
“We are all Australian and I don’t want to see State of Origin used as a political football, pardon the pun.
“The Origin event should be respected and honoured, not get involved in political issues.”
Originally published as Inside story: Why NRL backflipped on State of Origin national anthem ban