SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 13: Timana Tahu of the Panthers looks on during the round 10 NRL match between the Penrith Panthers and the Brisbane Broncos at Centrebet Stadium on May 13, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Former NSW star Timana Tahu, will be sacked from his role in player development following his comments that linked Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker’s boycott of the Australian national anthem to their axing in the second State of Origin game.

NSWRL chief executive David Trodden said Tahu's remarks in a NITV collumn were "seriously misguided" and were on a "completely different page" to the values of the entire organisation.

Tahu acknowledged that their controversial stance on the anthem wasn't the sole reason, but it played a role. The indigenous pair had decided not to sing "Advance Australia Fair" before the first Origin game in Suncorp Stadium.

“Even though there are selectors, the politics come into it and I feel like some old boys might have come in and shared their two cents with the coach," Tahu wrote.

“We are a country where a lot of people have come from overseas and made this place home. It’s something that the boys involved had a strong feeling about it.

“Did it cost some of them their positions in the team? I think yes and no.”

“I’ve read the comments which were attributed to him and if they’re accurately attributed to him, he needs to have a serious think about what he said,’’ NSWRL chief executive David Trodden told The Daily Telegraph.

“Because if he thinks that’s what has happened, then that reflects more on him and the standards that he sets for himself than it does on (coach) Freddy [Fittler] or anybody to do with NSWRL."

It was also suggested that an ARL commissioner approached Trodden with similar beliefs to Tahu, but Trodden denies this claim.

The second match in the 2019 State of Origin will be held this Sunday at Optus Stadium and the full team lists can be found here.

19 COMMENTS

  1. What a pelican. How does he explain Addo Carr not being dropped? JAC is black and didn’t sing the anthem.

  2. Go on nrl.com and watch the “7 moments that cost Latrell his Blues jersey” article.
    After watching that I see why Freddy dropped him and fully support his decision.
    Latrell from 2018 would have stopped any of those attacking raids and would have finished off the attacking raids with a try.
    If he had played like last year NSW would have one game 1 by a convincing margin.
    Dropping him was definitely the right idea but replacing him with a nuffie like Wighton wasn’t.
    Wighton is a half decent fullback but that’s about it.
    If it’s a case of having a token raiders player Freddy should have gone with Croker. At least he is a specialist centre and a good goal kicker.
    Never been a fan of playing wingers and fullbacks at centre. Centre is a specialist position these days and should have full time centres in those positions.
    As much as I want to pick my Blues to win, I can see the lametoads wining this convincingly.

  3. Firstly, I highly doubt the not singing the national anthem had anything to do with those 2 players being dropped, and in part because no one would dare.
    But this is 1 of the things I really don’t like about the whole “PC” issue. If anyone doesn’t want to sing the national anthem, fine, don’t sing it, done. When a whole team (as in a previous rep round game) make a protest out of it, and when that “protest” is encouraged/re-ignited through sport/sporting events, then I have a problem with it.
    This whole “we don’t/didn’t make it a public issue” and/or “we are just expressing our personal views” (very publicly and very deliberately through sport), I have an issue.
    Personally, I care who/what you are, I just like watching the best RL players play RL, but if you want to use that to promote a cause, well you’ve probably just made me offside.

  4. I don’t know what he said

    I don’t care what he said

    But I will back his right to say it to the ends of the earth.

    Political Correctness is now trying to control free speech – we lose that at our peril.

  5. Yeah, but be careful.
    The way I see it, political correctness is trying (and to a very large extent, succeeding) to make everything one way traffic.

  6. And nevermind that freddy replaced those guys with 2 other aboriginals in wade graham and blake Ferguson. But don’t let that stand in the way of a $hit stirring trouble maker.

  7. If Israel folau can get sacked for his comments then there’s no reason this bloke shouldn’t get the punt. Not to mention defamation against freddy implying that he is a racist. This bloke is a dead set 🤡🤡

  8. So you agree with dropping a specialist center for a non-center, but you hate when non-centers play center.
    got it.
    also, the article shows some bad defensive reads, but also has things like Munster skips past 3 players to get to the let edge, but its Latrell fault he didnt tackle him.
    just a poor coach, admitting they don’t know how to manage players for big games.

  9. I’m still not sure why we sing the NATIONAL anthem at a state vs state event anyway!
    the anthem should be for International events only. ya know, when the NATION is competing.

    Cut it from the pre-game, and make kick off a few minutes earlier ffs.
    if they didnt sing it, trust me, no one would notice or give a damn.

  10. I’m with you, eelsalmighty, they weren’t axed for that reason. I also 110% agree with you to celebrate the anthem or not is a matter of personal choice. I agree with you again: It’s completely irrelevant to our pursuit of enjoying the sport we love.

    But, to blame political correctness in this context is misplaced: it would be politically correct to actually sing the anthem. This was intended as a protest, as you said. That’s actually the antithesis of political correctness in this context.

    This ongoing misunderstanding of what “politically correct” means routinely & wrongly translates into an opportunity to trash anyone & everyone who protests on a leftist/humanitarian front.

    To not sing the national anthem is NOT an attempt at “political correctness;” it’s quite the opposite. ‘Bucking the system’ is what we, as a fledgling nation founded by questionable means, have been taught to take pride in.

  11. The notion of “PC” isn’t threatening any of us: it requires of us to be mindful of already existing legislation to not denigrate on the grounds of race/sex/creed/disabilities etc – ALREADY existing legislation. Nothing new.

    To take a stand & ‘buck the system’ is very much politically INcorrect. We used to celebrate this as a nation. Very much so!

    Why are we so suddenly afraid of it now???

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