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Home / Sport / League / NRL

Michael Burgess: More than 98 per cent of NRL players are vaccinated against Covid - so why the condemnation towards Jason Taumalolo?

Michael Burgess
By Michael Burgess
Senior Sports Journalist·NZ Herald·
9 Feb, 2022 04:00 PM4 mins to read

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Jason Taumalolo of the Cowboys. Photo / Getty

Jason Taumalolo of the Cowboys. Photo / Getty

OPINION:

More than 98 per cent of NRL players – including all of the Warriors – are vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus.

League players aren't always perfect role models, especially with off-season antics over the years, but they have set a good example in that arena.

The Herald understands that fewer than 10 NRL players remain unvaccinated.

From a player pool of around 550, that means that 98.2 percent have had the jab.

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It's an impressive figure.

Many clubs have complete rosters of inoculated individuals.

It's believed that the Canberra Raiders have multiple players yet to receive the vaccine, but no other team has more than one unvaccinated squad member.

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Despite not being mandated by the NRL, the players as a collective have followed the directives of their clubs, as well as medical professionals and government advice.

Which makes the recent outcry over Jason Taumalolo's 'neither confirm nor deny' status hard to stomach.

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On Tuesday the Cowboys captain faced a press conference in Townsville, after months of rumours about his vaccination status, but refused to give a direct answer.

"My medical information - I'd like that private - so I won't be answering any more questions about my medical information," said the 28-year-old, when asked about his status.

Jason Taumalolo has chosen to make his vaccination status private. Photo / Photosport
Jason Taumalolo has chosen to make his vaccination status private. Photo / Photosport

When pressed further, given the vaccination rules around Australia, the Tongan international confirmed he was Covid compliant for the opening round of the NRL next month.

"I'll be playing the NRL season," said Taumalolo. "I'm not gonna harp on about exemptions and injections [but] whatever I do to my body, that's my information but what I know is I'll be playing Round 1 and that's all that matters."

It's an awkward situation for the club and the player – but Taumalolo doesn't deserve the widespread condemnation.

For whatever reason, he has made an unpopular decision, but his right to make that call needs to be respected.

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Like the vast majority of NRL players, Taumalolo has already contracted Covid (all but five of the Warriors players are believed to have had the virus).

Arguments over levels of natural immunity are beyond the scope of this column, but Taumalolo certainly isn't a health risk to the wider community over the next few months, especially given the bubble that NRL players currently operate in.

Kiwi forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona is a prominent player yet to be vaccinated, though he has been granted an exemption to return to training with Melbourne, on the grounds of a recent infection.

Canberra and Kiwis enforcer Joseph Tapine is another top-line individual who has so far declined the jab.

Joseph Tapine will captain the Māori All Stars. Photo / Photosport
Joseph Tapine will captain the Māori All Stars. Photo / Photosport

"It's a personal preference, I've had reactions to past vaccinations, and I'm a bit cautious," Tapine told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"That's my stance. I'm not anti-anything. If you know me, with anything in my life I'll look into everything first and make sure I'm 100 per cent about it before I make a decision. I didn't feel like it (previous vaccinations) helped me. I'm on the fence."

Tapine, who will captain the Māori All Stars against Australia's Indigenous All Stars on Saturday, will have to make a call over the next four weeks, as he is yet to receive a government exemption to play while delaying the jab.

Tapine would be putting his livelihood at risk, as regulations mean he is unable to travel to Victoria (to face the Melbourne Storm), nor take the field in any away matches against the four Queensland-based teams.

For most of us, that don't view receiving the Covid vaccine as a big deal, it's a stance that hard to understand, especially given his profile and the potential repercussions.

But it's time to put away the pitchforks and let Taumalolo, Asofa-Solomona and Tapine make their own decisions in their own time, given they will have to live with the consequences.

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