LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
Mal Meninga and other NRL figures have rejected the idea of an Indigenous Test team playing separately from the Kangaroos due to concerns about potential backlash against players like Latrell Mitchell.
Former player Dean Widders suggested an Indigenous team could participate in the Pacific Championships if not selected for the Kangaroos.
However, there are worries this could create division and force players to choose between teams.
Meninga argued that the annual All-Stars clash already gives Indigenous players a platform to shine and emphasized the importance of unity, stating, "we should be promoting the fact we're all Australian at the end of the day." He highlighted that Indigenous players like Mitchell and Josh Addo-Carr are respected and included in representative teams, suggesting that they already have opportunities to excel.