Prime Minister Scott Morrison has backed any decision by state governments to apply a ‘No jab, no play’ policy for the NRL to resume its competition.
Morrison’s comments come a day after the league amended its vaccination waiver form, allowing players who refused to take the flu shot to play this season.
“Ultimately, states and territories have to determine what the health requirements are as they apply to the NRL,” Morrison said on Friday.
“And if they were to be insisting on that, I would think that is entirely reasonable.”
Australia Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy also handballed the matter onto relevant state health officials, but personally considered the flu shot mandatory.
“I personally have a view that everyone should get a flu shot, and it’s important. But I think that’s a matter for the relevant states,” Murphy said.
The NRL moved quickly to amend its waiver form on Thursday after a host of players refused to sign based on conscientious or religious grounds.
Among them were Gold Coast second-rower Bryce Cartwright and Canberra trio Josh Papalii, Iosaia Soliola and Joseph Tapine.
Titans coach Justin Holbrook confirmed on Friday his entire squad, including Cartwright, had signed the revised agreement.
“I have spoken to him today just to make sure we are compliant as a club and he informed that, yeah, he signed the waiver and everything’s okay,” Holbrook said.
“We’ve just got to make sure we either get the flu shot or sign the waiver and be compliant as a club for the government and our game. We’ve done that.”
Queensland Health Minister Stephen Miles claimed the league had broken its own protocols designed to ensure the resumption of its competition on May 28.
The measures were given the tick of approval by Queensland last week, however Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young will take up the issue with the league.
“Jeannette assessed it as being a good plan, and one that was safe. It’s their plan and they have to implement it,” Miles told ABC radio on Friday.
“It’s not a good look, frankly, that so quickly into this agreement they’ve not been able to implement their own plan.”
ARLC chair Peter V’landys told AAP on Thursday the original agreement with government officials allowed certain exemptions for players regarding the jab.
“We respect the government because they have assisted us all the way through on our target day of May 28,” V’landys said.
“But in the protocols we had approved by government it allowed us to allow players not to vaccinate on cultural and religious reasons.”
Holbrook believed the game needed to be adaptable as it works through the biosecurity measures set by the league and health officials.
“If it gets changed in any area, whether it be through vaccination or when we can go to contract training, it’s the experts making the right decisions,” he said.
“We’ve just got to be compliant with it.
“The main thing is we’re back training. We want to get the game up and running May 28. Whatever’s needed to do that, we’ve got to adapt to.”