Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson hits out at Manly Sea Eagles pride jersey boycott | Rugby League News

Seven Manly players have boycotted a pivotal match in their playoff campaign due to an “inclusiveness” jersey that contains the rainbow flag; Robinson’s side the Roosters will face the Manly Sea Eagles on Thursday, live on Sky Sports Arena at 10:50am

Sydney Roosters head coach Trent Robinson has hit out at the Manly Sea Eagles pride jersey boycott, calling for the NRL to “move towards a better place”.

Robinson’s side will face a weakened Manly team on Thursday after seven players chose to boycott their match in protest at being made to wear an “inclusiveness” jersey.

The Roosters coach criticised the decision by the players and called for greater movement within the sport towards inclusivity.

Manly Sea Eagles vs Sydney Roosters

July 28, 2022, 10:50am

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“It is great what the owners of Manly have decided to do and it is unfortunate that it has panned out this way because everyone is equal, no matter what race, gender, sexual preference, everyone is equal,” Robinson said.

“Let people make their choice and let’s not discriminate against those, and we are still doing that, and that is why it is unfortunate.

“We have got Gotcha4Life, that both teams [are supporting]… sponsors have given up their space for Gotcha4Life.

“We are really looking forward to representing, and talking about even just male suicide and the high rate that it is.

“But in the youth gay community it is five times the level of what normal society is, that is because they don’t feel included.

“And for us in 2022 to not be inclusive and not say it is OK to be who you are is unacceptable.

“We need to move towards a better place… I want to say that we are inclusive, we do accept you for who you are and we care about you, and we need to move forward in that way.”

Robinson admitted he had spoken to his own players about wearing a pride jersey, revealing it is something his side would “definitely” do to ensure people feel “cared for” regardless of their sexual preference.

“Definitely… because we need to move forward, that is my personal view,” Robinson said.

“I have talked to my players about it, we have talked about it openly.

“Because we have a job to do, we want to play a Roosters style of footy and dominate tomorrow night, but whether we like it or not we do have sponsors on jerseys, we do have things on jerseys that we represent.

“And you know that is a decision for clubs and the game to make, but my personal opinion I am about equality, and I want people to feel like they are cared for, and loved, and have a place no matter what their sexual preference.”

After affirming his support for Manly’s jersey, Robinson compared the outcry from this week to the reaction 40 years ago to wearing an “indigenous jersey”.

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Former Manly player Ian Roberts was the first openly gay NRL player – he hopes the controversy around their pride short sparks more discussion about LGBTQ representation in the sport

“This is not about rugby league, this is a snapshot that highlighted a wider rugby league issue, this is a societal issue that has been highlighted by our sport and other sports around the world,” he added.

“It is still an issue.

“If someone said they weren’t going to wear the indigenous jersey, there would have been an outcry.

“Forty years ago, that would have been the case, 80 years ago we wouldn’t have had Women in League round, we have moved on those front, we haven’t moved on this.

“We want to dominate a game tomorrow but we need to be inclusive as a human race, no one is better than anyone else.

“There is a lot of work to be done still.”

Hugh Jackman supports Manly pride jersey

Robinson is not the only person to back the jersey, with Manly fan and Hollywood star Hugh Jackman pledging his support to the cause and supporting the charity who are featured on the shirt.

In an Instagram video on Gotcha4Life’s page, Jackman can be seen sporting the jersey as he explains how “excited” he is for the first Gotcha4Life Cup between the two rival sides.

He later adds: “I want to say thank you to both teams for supporting this incredible cause.”

Robinson’s side the Sydney Roosters will face the Manly Sea Eagles on Thursday, live on Sky Sports Arena at 10:50am.