The Australian public are sick of seeing the country’s athletes not sing the national anthem when pulling on the green and gold.
That is the result of a recent news.com.au poll of more than 13,000 people, of whom around three-quarters said all Australian athletes should sing it loud and proud.
Less than 20 per cent of Aussies surveyed said it should be up to the individual player whether to sing or not, while five per cent said the current anthem is the problem, and two per cent didn’t want it played before games at all.
The result comes on the back of the Kangaroos and Jillaroos coming under fire for not singing the national anthem at the Rugby League World Cup.
Latrell Mitchell, Bradman Best and Keaon Koloamatangi all seemed to keep their mouths shut as a Channel 7 camera swept past players while the anthem played ahead of their clash with New Zealand last week.
It was a similar story for the Jillaroos, with next to no one singing.
And that saw fierce debate erupt over whether players should be made to sing.
Veteran journalist Dean Ritchie said Aussie players not singing made him “sick in the stomach”, while Manly cult figure Peter Peters labelled it a “disgrace”, calling for any player who doesn’t sing to be banned from representing the country.
Only adding fuel to the fire was the pride shown by Samoan, Tongan and Fijian players as their national anthems were played before their opening World Cup games.
Tears flowed repeatedly as those nations’ stars belted out their national anthems in deeply moving scenes last weekend.
And Aussie footy fans were quick to call out how disappointing it was not to see Australian players also sing their anthem loud and proud, with social media echoing the same sentiment as news.com.au’s poll.
However, it is hardly a new thing for players not to sing, with footage from decades ago also showing next to no players singing the anthem.
Vision from the Kangaroos tour of England in the 1990s, which you can watch at the top of the page, shows the squad tight-lipped as the national anthem played.
Australia won that Ashes series 2–1 against Great Britain, and back then nobody seemed to bat an eyelid that certain players didn’t sing.
Footage from the 1994 series shows several stars not singing, including the likes of Laurie Daley and Brad Fittler, and even one with their arms crossed.
But in the last decade it has suddenly become a big talking point when a star doesn’t sing.
And Daley, who twice led the Kangaroos in his 21-game international career, spoke out about the issue on Sky Sports radio on Wednesday morning, revealing he’s never sung the anthem and doesn’t see why it is a problem.
“Why do you have to sing the anthem to feel passionate about your country?” Daley began.
“I never sang the anthem. I just didn’t want to sing, but that doesn’t make me not proud of Australia.
“I just didn’t feel the urge to sing it. I just wasn’t a singer. I don’t see any issue at all if people don’t want to sing it. I don’t think people are non-patriotic if they don’t sing. That’s just their choice.”
Speaking on SEN radio on Tuesday, former NRL player Jimmy Smith said he also doesn’t see why it’s become such a hot topic.
“They have every right not to. I’ve got absolutely no problem with people not singing the anthem,” Smith said.
“Isn’t that the whole point of a strong democracy? That you’re allowed to choose. Who is impacted by Latrell Mitchell not singing the national anthem?
“I’m certainly not. Do I feel like it’s un-Australian for them not to sing? Of course not.”
The reality is the Australian national anthem is not without controversy, and it has been well documented as to why Indigenous players choose largely not to sing it.
Other players have said they simply prefer not to or are simply ‘in the zone’ in the moments before the game begins.
Originally published as Australia’s clear message as anthem furore takes over Rugby League World Cup