A Manly player who was part of the team who wore rainbow jerseys against the Sydney Roosters has slammed the seven players who boycotted the pride jumper.
Wide World Of Sports spoke to one of the 17 who played, with the player wishing to remain anonymous.
The Mole reports that the unidentified teammate believed the issue had torn the dressing room apart and called out the hypocrisy of the seven who he believes don’t ‘live by the 10 commandments’.
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The Sea Eagles had insisted that the club were fine after a few coffee dates and some text message exchanges, however, that clearly isn’t the case.
He said: “They (the seven) are still saying they weren't consulted about the pride jersey and it went against the religious a cultural beliefs.
"We weren't consulted when a betting sponsor was placed on our jersey - the guys wear that every week… I'm not sure what their god would say about that.
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"No one asked us when our oval was renamed after a brewery (4 Pines Park) - I don't think their god would have been crazy about that either.
"And I can tell you very few young blokes in our club live by the 10 commandments - nor most young blokes in Australia for that matter.
"Yet these guys take a stance over a good move by the club to make the gay community feel inclusive in our game.”
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Josh Aloiai, Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Schuster, Haumole Olakau’atu, Tolu Koula and Toafofoa Sipley were revealed to be the seven who refused to don the pride-supporting Manly jersey.
They cited their cultural and religious beliefs as the reason they couldn’t sport a few rainbow stripes.
To throw fuel on the fire that has caused the rift between those players, Manly went on to lose to the Roosters in what could have been a crucial two points for their finals aspirations.
The Manly player continued: “They could have said they didn't support the initiative but to refuse to play with their mates, it doesn't sit well, and there is something of a rift in the group as a result.
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"If those two lost points - and we are confident we would have won (against the Roosters) - cost us a place in the finals, it will take a long time for us to get over it."
Despite what the club may officially be saying, the fact that a player will come out and anonymously blast the others isn’t a good sign that things are on the mend.
Topics: NRL, Rugby League, Australia
Jayden Collins