NEWS DESK
\nBRISBANE
\nThree indigenous players have said they will refuse to sing Australia\u2019s national anthem at one of the country\u2019s blockbuster sporting events on Wednesday \u2014 the State of Origin annual rugby league series.
\nTwo New South Wales players and one from Queensland have said they will make a silent, respectful protest when \u201cAdvance Australia Fair\u201d precedes the opening match in Brisbane.
\nDebutant Cody Walker said the century-old song does not represent him or his family.
\n\u201cI\u2019m not pushing my view on anyone, it\u2019s just how me and my family have grown up and how I feel,\u201d the New South Welshman told reporters. Teammate Josh Addo-Carr plans to follow suit.
\nQueensland\u2019s Will Chambers hopes their actions will bring wider attention to an anthem many consider does not reflect the country\u2019s indigenous heritage.
\n\u201cIt doesn\u2019t represent us,\u201d said Chambers. \u201cIf enough of us stand by and not sing, maybe one day there will be change and that\u2019s all we can hope for.\u201d
\nReports said they had the support of teammates, coaches, and the National Rugby League.
\nSeveral players did not sing the anthem when the Australian Indigenous All-Stars met the New Zealand Maori Kiwis in Melbourne this year.
\nThe song was written in 1878 and became the official national anthem in 1984.
\nIts description of a \u201cyoung and free\u201d country rests uneasily with Aboriginal Australians who have inherited the world\u2019s oldest continuous culture, but have struggled with centuries of oppression since European colonization.
\nQueensland had dominated the series with 11 wins in 12 years until New South Wales Blues turned the tables in 2018, winning the opening game in Melbourne 22-12 before sealing the series 18-14 in Sydney. The Maroons won the final match 18-12 in Brisbane.
\nSo fierce is the interstate rivalry that a sex tape purportedly showing a New South Wales player went viral Monday in what the Blues called a \u201cstitch-up\u201d aimed at derailing their preparations.
\nQueensland go into the game without a host of retired greats, including Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater.
\n\u201cIt may not be with the same players but it is the same jersey running out there on Wednesday,\u201d said captain Dale Cherry-Evans.
\n\u201cMake no mistake, we will be drawing on the inspiration from the older guys but it will be done a bit differently and there will be a lot of new faces.\u201d
\nThree new players will be blooded \u2014 teenager David Fifita and fellow Brisbane Broncos forward Joe Ofahengaue, plus West Tigers utility Moses Mbye.
\nThe Blues have named five debutants after a string of late injuries, including livewire South Sydney stand-off Walker, arguably Australian rugby league\u2019s current best player.
\nWith Adam Reynolds and Mitchell Pearce injured, Brisbane teenager Payne Haas, South Sydney\u2019s Cameron Murray and Canberra pair Nick Cotric and Jack Wighton have also been given the nod for the first time.
\nThe second match of the series will take place in Perth on June 23 with the final match in Sydney on July 10.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEWS DESK BRISBANE Three indigenous players have said they will refuse to sing Australia\u2019s national anthem at one of the country\u2019s blockbuster sporting events on Wednesday \u2014 the State of Origin annual rugby league series. Two New South Wales players and one from Queensland have said they will make a silent, respectful protest when \u201cAdvance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n