BY CURTIS WOODWARD

@woodward_curtis

The Australian Rugby League Commission has confirmed the national anthem will not be played at the upcoming NRL All Stars match after consultation with the game’s indigenous players.

A final decision was made on Thursday between the NRL and the ARL Indigenous Council.

The reaction on social media from some was painfully predictable.

‘How dare they not sing our bloody song?!’

‘Who do they think they are the ungrateful sods?’

You get the gist of it.

“The All Stars game was created as a celebration of indigenous players and their culture,” ARLC chairman Peter V’landys said in a statement.

“We have listened to our players’ concerns that the words of the anthem do not represent them or their families and does not include an acknowledgement of First Nations people.

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“We respect their wishes and have agreed that the anthem will not be played at the All Stars match on February 22.”

There was a ridiculous outrage by a minority who couldn’t handle indigenous players representing New South Wales in State of Origin last season not singing Advance Australia Fair despite many other examples where white players in the past didn’t sing either.

“I have always stood up and honoured the anthem because I know a lot of people have fought and died or sacrificed a lot for that anthem but listening to the words and knowing where they come from it doesn’t seem right,” Indigenous All Stars prop Josh Kerr said.

“The words say ‘for we are young and free’, but we are the oldest surviving culture in the world and let’s not forget that Indigenous people weren’t classified as humans until 1967.

“I know it is a very controversial topic but we need to be strong and we need to talk about these things.”

Adding to that, Josh, is the fact that we’ve only been singing ‘Advance Australia Fair’ since 1984.

If our First Nations people – who were here somewhere between 50,000 and 70,000 years ago – don’t want to sing a dumb song than they shouldn’t have to.

It doesn’t represent them.

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And guess what?

Advance Australia Fair probably doesn’t represent the rest of us, either.

Why should you have any issue, anyway?

Unless you’re playing in the game yourself, you shouldn’t have a say. And if you do have an opinion, why is yours more important than our indigenous athletes?

The geniuses from legendary cartoon South Park should dedicate an entire episode to how stupid this whole thing is.

You can picture the scene and all the angry, old white footy fans getting together at the local pub.

‘They won’t sing our national anthem maaaate!’

‘Yeaaaaah, mate, they won’t!’

‘Who do they bloody think they arrrrrre?’

Why don’t we dig Captain Cook up and really show ‘em!

Let’s all shake our fists and have a cry.

Get a grip people.

@woodward_curtis