Deeply proud of his mixed cultural heritage, Jesse Arthars hopes that more acknowledgment of the different backgrounds of players in the NRL can help inspire people into embracing their own cultural identity.
Awarded this year’s Preston Campbell Medal following a standout performance in the All Stars match, the in-form Broncos winger has spoken about how the annual fixture has helped him learn more about his Māori roots and said he also appreciated the opportunity Multicultural Round presented to players to celebrate their diverse heritages.
One of the more culturally diverse players in the league, as well as listing the Māori, Samoan and New Zealand flags, Arthars has also highlighted his English and Croatian heritage to celebrate Multicultural Round this week.
With many players like him in rugby league who have family from all corners of the globe, Arthars - whose iwi is Ngai Tahu - was hoping to see even more opportunities for cross-cultural sharing and learning, including an acknowledgment of player mobs, iwi and international eligibility and respecting player pronunciation – one area that has benefited from more open mindedness and understanding in recent seasons.
“We have Multicultural Round, but I guess that's only one round of the year and then we obviously play the All Stars tournament at the start of the year before the season kicks off, but we could do a bit more in the community,” Arthars said.
“I think we could definitely do a lot more … I can't really comment on other clubs, but I know here at the Broncos, we're massive on it, we're out in the community a lot.
“I know as a club, we're pretty deep in the roots and we're all for the cultural stuff, we do stuff like cultural nights … I think people want recognition of where they're from and there's a lot of proud players in this team that I know are proud of their culture and they'd love to get recognised.
“Whether it's where they're from or their mob; for some of the Māori boys if they wanted to recognise our iwi; I think it'll be a great incentive for the game to do it and involve that in the game.
“Obviously, a lot of the players that play the game are of a different cultural heritage, so you've got to recognise that as well.
“I look at myself, I've got Samoan heritage as well and I didn't end up playing in that Samoan team (in 2023), but, before I got nominated for the team, no one had any idea (I was eligible).
“I knew, but for the younger players coming through, for them to be able to speak up and have a platform where they can let people know where their culture's from or where their family's from (is important) because it gives you your identity.
“That's the one thing that I really have taken out of and love being a part of in the All Stars game is learning … I didn't know anything (before being selected), so for me to learn about my background it's been massive and now I have an identity and I can be proud and represent my family.
“Younger players coming through might be in my boat, so just being able to identify and let people know where you're from and who you can represent … I feel like it's a big deal.
“Even for the selectors, it will open up more to whether they can be selected or whether they're eligible for their culture.”
Before the Broncos face Wests Tigers in their Round 5 Multicultural Round match at home at Suncorp Stadium this Saturday, the club also celebrated the diversity of their squad with an internal club culture night and flags presentation.
NRL.com
