The Manly Sea Eagles are yet to decide whether they will wear the infamous pride jersey following the saga that derailed their 2022 campaign.
The rainbow-trimmed strip, which was introduced to represent members of the LGBTQIA+, blew up in Manly powerbrokers’ faces as seven players stood down due to religious beliefs.
The Sea Eagles were widely criticised for their handling of the situation with players claiming they were not properly consulted.
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Des Hasler was sacked in the wake of the pride jersey saga after his side lost the final seven games and crashed out of the top eight. Former Broncos and Rabbitohs coach Anthony Seibold has since been hired as his replacement.
Manly chief executive Tony Mestrov has now revealed the Sea Eagles are yet to decide whether the club will wear the pride jersey again in 2023.
“The club hasn’t made a decision,” Mestrov said to The Daily Telegraph.
“In all honesty it’s something that hasn’t been discussed internally.
“We need to do a lot better in the way we communicate and educate — it was a warning for the club.
“Until we can do that better I don’t think it’s a discussion point.”
While Mestrov revealed the club’s stance, Manly’s owner Scott Penn previously said the Sea Eagles were “committed” to wearing the jersey next season.
“We’re not going to force them to play, but we’re committed to the jersey and we’re committed to inclusion. We’re not walking away from our position. And we respect their beliefs,” Penn said to the SMH in July.
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Meanwhile, NRL powerbrokers are reportedly set to discuss the introduction of a pride round into the 2023 draw.
According to AAP, no pride round will be scheduled when the draw is initially released but it could be added to the season following upcoming ARLC meetings.
ARLC chairman Peter V’landys revealed the implementation of a pride round is being “sorted out”.
“We were always going to look at those things in the off-season,” V’landys said.
“We have plenty of time, we have 26 rounds and we don’t start for three or four months.
“That will be discussed at the next couple of Commission meetings. There has been discussion, but no final decisions made.
“From our end we have always said we want to respect everyone’s views.
“We don’t want to get into politics. The reason people watch rugby league is to escape, they don’t watch it because you have a political persuasion.”
