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The All Stars match dishonours Indigenous Australians and unnecessarily risks players

15th February, 2017
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Indigenous All Stars perform their War Cry. (AAP Image/Darren Pateman)
Expert
15th February, 2017
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The Indigenous All Stars match is a great concept but as it currently stands it is a careless misuse of players and borders on being insulting to the very Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians that it is meant to be celebrating.

Why insulting? Because the Indigenous side isn’t playing an actual team. While I’m sure every member of the Indigenous team is proud as hell to represent their people and show us all just how good they are, the creatively named ‘World All Stars’ team is a facade.

It is effectively a band of mercenaries with no history, no supporters and no club. How could they have any real passion? And what is a team without passion?

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players have long been an ornament to our game. Since I’ve been following the game the likes of Cliff Lyons, Arthur Beetson, Matt Bowen, Preston Campbell, Larry Corowa, Laurie Daley, Ewen McGrady, Scott Prince, John Ferguson, Steve Renouf, Dale Shearer, Justin Hodges, Greg Inglis and Johnathan Thurston have been superstars. They have personified not just skill, but also pride and passion.

Johnathon Thurston North Queensland Cowboys Rugby League NRL Finals 2016

For the NRL to truly celebrate just how much Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have meant to the game of rugby league we must put them up against a team with similar pride and passion. The New Zealand Maoris is the obvious choice.

Rolling the ‘World All Stars’ team out to play the best Indigenous rugby league players is akin to the Washington Generals up against the Harlem Globetrotters. At best it is an exhibition match.

At worst it constitutes a careless risk of players that are loved and needed by their clubs. The folks who run the V8 Supercars wouldn’t dream of making Mark Winterbottom or Shane Van Gisbergen race their V8 Supercars in a charity event the night before Bathurst. Why does the NRL think it is okay to risk the clubs players so close to the start of the season?

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On the occasions that the World All Stars actually beat the Indigenous side, what have they won and for whom? Sure, they’ll get a trophy and pose for the team photo with it. But who is going to hang that photo? Where will that trophy sit? Who really cares? What supporter is going to wear that jersey?

Let’s look at why the ‘World All Stars’ name is creative.

Of the 20 players who fronted up to play, two represent Papua New Guinea, One was an Australian who represents Italy, one was English but hasn’t played for the national side, two were Kiwis, one was Fijian and the other 13 are Australian. That’s a pretty narrow definition of ‘world’ even by rugby league standards.

The use of the word ‘stars’ in the team name was also dubious. Though there were 51 international appearances among the team, 32 of them (63 per cent) were made for the minnow rugby league nations:

• Papua New Guinea -14 (David Mead 9, Nene McDonald 5)
• Fiji – 13 (Akuila Uate 12, Regan Campbell-Gillard 1)
• Italy – 3 (Paul Vaughn)
• Samoa – 2 (Sam Lisone)

The 19 International appearances for major rugby league nations were shared among just four players:
• New Zealand – 10 (Gerard Beale)
• Australia – 9 (Jake Friend 1, Uate 5, Sione Matau’tia 3)

Of these players, only Beale currently plays in his national side.

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Further, there are only three players with experience at State of Origin level:
• Uate – 5
• Chris McQueen – 6
• Gavin Cooper – 1

Of those 12 caps, only Cooper’s was recent.

Sending this one off squad out under the banner of ‘World All Stars’ is clearly taking the piss.

Have a look at how the two sides matched up in relation to the amount of representative and first grade appearances.

Position Indigenous All Stars World All Stars
Name Major Rep 1st grade games Name Major rep 1st grade games
Full back Jack Wighton 92 David Mead 9 147
Wing Dane Gagai $4 $111 Akuila Uate 22 161
Wing Blake Ferguson 10 135 Nene McDonald 5 45
Centre Greg Inglis 68 241 Jarrod Croker 191
Centre Jack Bird 2 49 Gerard Beale 10 143
5/8 Jonathan Thurston 73 292 Mitchell Moses 57
Half Back Ashley Taylor 23 Moses Mbye 57
Lock Kyle Turner 54 Tepai Moeroa 50
2nd row Wade Graham 1 179 Gavin Cooper 1 236
2nd row Joel Thompson 151 Bryce Cartwright 54
Prop Andrew Fifita 15 141 Jordan McLean 66
Prop Ryan James 93 Regan Campbell-Gillard 1 43
Hooker Nathan Peats 103 Jake Friend 1 189
Interchange Leilani Latu 30 Damien Cook 26
Interchange Latrell Mitchell 24 Paul Vaughn 3 85
Interchange Aidan Sezer 95 Sam Lisone 2 26
Interchange Tyrone Peachey 67 Mitchell Aubusson 214
Interchange Tyrone Roberts 118 Sione Matautia 3 45
Interchange Bevan French 13 Jordan Turner 229
Interchange Chris Smith 2 Chris McQueen 6 140
Total 171 2013 Total 63 2204
Average 8.55 100 Average 3.15 110

*Major Rep = Internationals and State of Origin

As you can see, the presence of Johnathan Thurston and Greg Inglis massively boost the Indigenous sides numbers. However, I’d strongly argue that there are eight players in that squad who would be picked in the match day 17 for any of the NRL clubs (Wighton, Gagai, Ferguson, Inglis, Bird, Thurston, James and Fifita). Latrell Mitchell and Wade Graham are very arguably in the same category.

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Now look at the ‘World All Stars’. How many of them would you argue would force their way into any current NRL match-day 17? Don’t get me wrong, Bryce Cartwright, Regan Campbell-Gillard, Moses Mbye and Mitchell Moses could all very well be in that category soon. But they aren’t quite there yet.

And neither is Jarrod Croker. And after last Friday he’s a bit further away. In the 50th minute of the game I watched on in horror as the Canberra Raiders captain went down with a bad knee injury. Now he’s going to miss at least the first four rounds (vs the Cowboys, Sharks, Tigers and Broncos) of his side’s most anticipated season in two decades because he got injured playing in a half-baked event.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is on the record saying that he wants as many of his squad as possible to be selected for State of Origin and for their national sides. He sees it as a yardstick for the success of his club.

I’m sure he supports Aidan Sezer and Jack Wighton honouring their heritage through playing for the Indigenous All Stars side. It means something to pull on that jersey.

Aidan Sezer Canberra Raiders NRL Rugby League 2016

While there is always the risk of injury, it is a risk worth taking when the match is meaningful. However, I can’t believe he’d feel the same way about his players being involved in the ‘World All Stars’ team, especially after losing his captain for the first four matches of the NRL season.

As a Canberra Raiders member myself I can tell you that I’m thoroughly pissed off about it. When Preston Campbell kicked this event off back in 2010 playing a manufactured All Stars side was a good place to start. Seven years later and the event should have evolved into something more meaningful.

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Until the All Stars match actually pits the Indigenous side up against a like opposition it will merely be a wasted opportunity to really showcase the best of rugby league and generate some real passion among players and fans – as well as possibly even helping our nation along the path to reconciliation.

Mr Greenberg, if you are going to do it – and I think we should do it – do it properly. Have the Indigenous All Stars up against the Maori All Stars.

I want to see the Maori boys do their Haka and have our mob respond in kind. I want to see a hard match played with both sides carrying their people with them as they charge into the line. I want to see big crowds of passionate supporters – for both sides.

And put it at a point in the season when players won’t drop out for fear of getting injured. Play the game the weekend after the grand final and alternate it between New Zealand and Australian venues.

It is time to properly honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rugby league players by creating a match that really means something to all of us.

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