Gold Coast Titans’ ultimatum to anti-vaxxer players

The Gold Coast Titans won’t move to NSW in order to accomodate their flu jab-rejecting players, who now face the choice of taking the vaccination or being stood down.

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Gold Coast have rejected an offer to shift games interstate to accommodate NRL anti-vaxxers Bryce Cartwright and Brian Kelly, with Titans chief executive Steven Mitchell stressing: “We don’t want to move”.

Only 24 hours after ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys hinted at playing Titans matches in NSW, Mitchell has told The Daily Telegraph his franchise will not be shifting camp for either training or games – even if it means losing Cartwright and Kelly indefinitely.

Currently, the Gold Coast duo are both banned from playing and training in Queensland given they have refused a flu vaccination requested not only by the NRL, but also under their State Government’s strict “no jab, no play” policy.

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Bryce Cartwright is one of two Queensland players who have refused to get a flu shot.

The players now have until close of business Thursday to either receive the flu shot or stand down indefinitely.

While Cartwright’s position is unknown, it is understood Kelly has softened his stance and will now have an injection, clearing him for the May 28 NRL return.

Should either player refuse, they will be required to front the Gold Coast board where the issue of pay, and its suspension, will be the major discussion topic.

On Tuesday, V’landys revealed the league would consider restructuring the NRL draw around those five clubs with players who have so far refused to be needled – Titans, Canberra, Canterbury, Manly and Penrith.

One option would be to play all five clubs, including the Titans, in NSW for the opening month of competition so that Cartwright and Kelly could both take the field.

Gold Coast officials have rejected that notion however, saying they would not only be staying put, but also bringing the saga to a head by Thursday night.

Nathan Peats of the Titans has now had his flu vaccination, in common with the vast majority of players.

“We don’t want to move,” Mitchell said. “We want to train at home and play at home.

“And if that means (losing) those two players who choose not to get their inoculations, then we will follow the protocols and they won’t train or play

“We don’t want to compromise what the Queensland Government has done for us.

“They’ve been great in regard to not only containing the infection, but also providing protocols in regards to our return to training and playing. So it’s paramount we oblige them.”

Asked if Cartwright, who is on a contract worth around $600,000, would be stood down without pay, Mitchell continued: “That’s the next step (to be looked at). We haven’t reached that point yet.

“We’re still waiting on the two guys to make a decision and we’ll take it up from there. We’ll have notification of their intent by Thursday.

“And if they decide to get their vaccinations – fantastic.

“If the choose not to, then we will need to bring those players before the board for a conversation.”

Cartwright has refused to back down, but the Queensland government may still allow him to play.

The Titans CEO conceded he was unsure if either player would agree to be vaccinated.

“There hasn’t been any change to their stance at this point in time,” he said on Wednesday.

“They’ve been considering their positions for the past two days but I haven’t spoken with them individually today.

“But we will know by Thursday if there is an intent to move forward with the vaccinations or otherwise.”

Former Titans star and dual international Mat Rogers spoke out about the vaccination debate.

After his son Max diagnosed with autism, Rogers said he researched whether it could have resulted from a vaccination.

“I’ve got an autistic child and I thought it might have been a vaccine. We’ve done that much research but there’s just no evidence of that,” Rogers told Channel 9 on Wednesday night.

He had a message for the NRL’s anti-vaxxers: “Every employee out there has stipulations, you can’t just go to work every day and choose what you want to do. And that’s the reality of being an employee and that what you do when you’re in the NRL, you’re an employee and part of a team and that team relies on you and sacrifices need to be made.”