“There’s no greater feeling than coaching world-class players like those guys, and it’s certainly great exposure for what we do. We’d still love for them to be around the group.
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“What this means is a younger player will, now, likely get a chance. That happened with guys like Josh Kerr, Shaq Mitchell and Jamayne Taunoa-Brown who all played in this game before they went on to play in the NRL.”
Players have succeeded in the past having the All Stars game counted towards a suspension, especially if they have been regularly selected for either the Indigenous or Maori sides.
Mitchell was elevated to captain of the Indigenous side last year, while Addo-Carr was at the centre of a controversial All Stars moment when he lifted his jersey and pointed to the colour of his skin in 2020, just as St Kilda star Nicky Winmar had done in the AFL almost two decades earlier.
What makes this latest matter so intriguing is that Mitchell and Addo-Carr were punished for off-field matters, not an on-field incident. As a result, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and the Integrity Unit – not judiciary chairman Geoff Bellew – will have the final say.
Should they succeed in having the All Stars game included as part of their ban, Mitchell will return for Souths in round one against the Dolphins, while Addo-Carr can debut for the Eels against his former club in round three.
Griffiths expected Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to feature again for the Indigenous side, along with Cody Walker, Gold Coast try-scoring machine Alofiana Khan-Pereira, Broncos pair Selwyn Cobbo and Kotoni Staggs, and potential first-timers, Jayden Campbell, whose father Preston Campbell was heavily responsible for the All Stars concept, and Wests Tigers fullback Jahream Bula.
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