Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Racial prejudice at the selection table

By Stephen Hagan - posted Thursday, 31 May 2007


Journalists nationwide call up their contacts on a daily basis to see “what’s news” in their communities to seek out potential stories to fill their newspaper quotas for the week. Sometimes, by chance during an interview, an innocuous comment by a “high profile” person can take an average reporter’s article from page 23 to a front page scoop.

And so it was when Dean Ritchie from the Sydney Daily Telegraph broke a story under the heading “Was I snubbed over race” on May 1 from an interview with South Sydney rugby league winger Nathan Merritt.

Merritt, a popular Indigenous footballer, a scorer of 29 tries from his past 31 games, was still coming to terms with being left out of the City representative team to play Country in Coffs Harbour recently when Ritchie made his fortuitous call.

Advertisement

Although stopping short in his interview of accusing selectors of being racist, Merritt wanted to know whether he was overlooked because he played at Souths (a working class - no frills team) or because of his skin colour.

"I wonder whether it was more a Souths thing or a racial thing," Merritt told The Daily Telegraph.

"It's just a question."

When asked if he believed racism was still in rugby league, Merritt said: "It could be. There aren't too many Indigenous players who get selected.”

Now I would consider those comments measured, reasonable and fairly tame considering the innumerable setbacks experienced by Indigenous players throughout their careers in one of the toughest of sporting contests.

Some of our mob reluctantly accept the fact that they will be regularly overlooked by selectors who favour non-Indigenous footballers with half their ability. Perhaps the preferred footballers are related to selectors - which is not unusual in country league - or are players in teams where the selectors have some history.

Advertisement

Lee Wharton, a non-Indigenous coach of the 2007 Toowoomba Rugby League Team and of Wattles Rugby League, recently resigned from all future involvement with representative rugby league in the South West Division over what he termed “racial bias” shown in the selection room.

There was no ambiguity in Wharton’s letter (of which I have a copy) to John Barrett OAM, Chairman, South West Division, Queensland Rugby League, after witnessing as a selector, racial bias shown against three under-19 Indigenous players in favour of less talented non-Indigenous players during a selector’s meeting:

“I have been involved in many selections and representative processes at all levels of the game; however, never before have I experienced such bias, lack of professionalism and lack of integrity by my peers and associates.

“I am saddened by what I have witnessed and experienced and could never have imagined that the management of our game could have fallen to this level.

“It is for these reasons that I inform you of my intentions to withdraw from any future involvement in representative Rubgy League in the South West Division.”

Following Wharton’s official letter of resignation the three Indigenous players in question were surprisingly given further consideration by selectors and have since represented at that level. But true to his form Wharton has not returned to selecting or coaching representative teams despite offers to coach at a higher representative level in country Queensland.

Just to give those non-league readers an idea on how good Nathan Merritt is - he scored the most tries in the National Rugby League season last year from a team that received the wooden spoon (last placed team). That feat would normally be considered impossible but then again Nathan Merritt isn’t any run-of-the-mill footballer - he’s a try scoring wizard.

Still not good enough in the eyes of the selectors.

It reminds me of a great Indigenous boxer in Brisbane in the late 1970s, Dave Sarago, who complained about not making an international boxing team even though he beat the non-Indigenous boxer who was selected ahead of him in his division. After much public protest a fight night was organised in Redcliffe to prove once and for all who was the best fighter. Surprise - surprise! Sarago won the fight but still didn’t get selected. The excuse offered by selectors sitting ringside that night was “… the win wasn’t convincing enough and therefore we’re sticking with our original selection”.

How can you beat that?

Souths co-owner and Hollywood A-listed actor Russell Crowe also expressed surprise that Merritt had been overlooked.

"Who is the winger who can contain Nathan Merritt? The answer is nobody in the NRL," Crowe told The Daily Telegraph. "If you don't choose Nathan in your rep sides, you're not serious about the potentials of our game."

Of course every other journalist in radio and television jumped on the story and milked the race issue for all its worth. It’s a pity they don’t jump on positive Indigneous news stories - but then again they don’t receive the rating numbers executives crave.

The predictable line and approach to all the subsequent news stories on the Merritt racial bias claim revolved around pitting famous Indigenous rugby league players - Ricky Walford, Laurie Daley, Craig Salvatori and others - against Merritt and his supporters including Anthony Mundine and Ronnie Gibbs.

Many in the Indigenous community would call those in the pro-administration camp in the Merritt case “turn coats” and “coconuts” - but I’m more inclined to label them as misguided because most would be indebted to the NRL or still be on the payroll as development officers or radio and TV commentators on rugby league.

These people know who they are and should take a serious look at themselves and the harm their stance is having on young Indigenous footballers who are constantly missing out on representative teams and are looking for guidance from their sporting idols on how to remedy their predicament.

The most famous of all Indigenous Rugby League players was Australian representative player and coach Arthur Beetson. I know first hand the damage he did to my legal campaign to rid the E.S. “Nigger” Brown Stand of that offending word when he supported his mate John McDonald who was Chairman of the Toowoomba Sports Ground Trust (who fought me in court) as well as Chairman of the Australian and International Rugby League Committees and Beetson’s Queensland coach in the inaugural State of Origin Team.

How do you think I felt when I work up on the morning of July 13, 1999 to read in my local newspaper The Toowoomba Chronicle:

“I just can’t believe it.” Mr Beetson said yesterday, “I have heard about it and I’m absolutely amazed. I don’t know what’s going on in the world. I don’t have a problem with it and when I read about it I found it quite laughable. … But this whole thing is just stupid, that was the bloke’s name. … I can only think they have a lot of spare time on their hands. … I think you could ask anyone with Aboriginal blood in them and they wouldn’t have a problem with it. … I’ve got mates with nicknames like coon and things like that and they don’t worry. Soon I won’t be able to call them anything.”

So be warned all those Indigenous rugby league players who criticised Nathan Merritt for his courageous stance because one day you’ll have to justify your public position in 2007 to your grandchildren in much the same way as I’m sure Arthur Beetson will have to do with his for comments made in 1999.

To those detractors of Nathan Merritt I offer this advice from William James: “A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.”

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

9 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Stephen Hagan is Editor of the National Indigenous Times, award winning author, film maker and 2006 NAIDOC Person of the Year.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Stephen Hagan

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Photo of Stephen Hagan
Article Tools
Comment 9 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy