It’s time for zero tolerance policy and 100% commitment to stopping racism in rugby league

OPINION: The fight to end racism in rugby league will never be won until every single member of the sporting community commits to taking a stand against vile actions destroying our game.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo speaks to media during the NRL 2022 Indigenous Round Launch at National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Sydney, Australia. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Racism is killing rugby league and it’s time we take a stand.

Where would the game be without the likes of Arthur Beetson, Eric Simms, Frank Fisher and Larry Corowa?

What would today’s NRL look like if we didn’t have Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis, Wendell Sailor and Matt Bowen to honour and celebrate?

Rugby league as we know it today would be poorer without these Indigenous legends inspiring countless juniors to chase their dreams.

That is the grim reality we face if what’s happening at the grassroots level continues.

The Toowoomba Rugby League is at the centre of another incident of racial vilification, after a number of Indigenous players were allegedly abused by opposing players during a junior match earlier this month

The taunts were allegedly directed toward a 15-year-old and his Indigenous teammates during a match between Gatton and South Burnett at the start of June.

If the allegations are found to be true it will be the fifth major incident of racism The Chronicle team is aware of in as many years in the TRL.

How do we put a stop to it though?

Last year the TRL banned a man for 10 years after he racially abused a senior footballer.

Indigenous patterned socks are seen during the round 14 NRL match between Cronulla Sharks and Brisbane Broncos. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

After an appeal heard by an independent panel the ban was reduced to two years, but the TRL should be commended for their tough initial stance.

Queensland Rugby League have clear guidelines in place to help organisations investigate and punish offenders and their position should also be commended.

Last year our Indigenous community made a stand when a man was caught on video racially vilifying a player – but the outrage shouldn’t be theirs alone.

The change we need to save rugby league must be enacted by every single rugby league parent, coach, club official and most importantly the players themselves.

And right now – the larger community is not doing enough.

NAIDOC Week will be celebrated across the country from July 2 presenting a perfect opportunity act in a decisive manner.

If someone connected to your club is an offender shut them down.

Bench players, eject team officials and fans, if you’re the subject of an ‘attack’ walk your entire team off the field.

If your club allows this type of behaviour to go unchecked – report it, condemn it and walk away.

Make the punishment immediate and decisive.

There is no place in the game for racial abuse or vilification of any kind.

I do not want to interview another mother who cried herself to sleep after watching her son’s heart break on a footy field because he was racially taunted.

I do not want to interview another former A-grade star who gave the game away because vile racist vitriol spewed forth from the sideline was too much to bare.

It’s time every single person involved in the game took a stand – after all the very future of rugby league is at stake.