General 2022 NRL Players - Mandatory Vaccine

[tajhay]

With the way things are heading, for season 2022, the NRL clubs will likely have enforced mandatory COVID-19 jabs for all players or have their contracts terminated.

Could have a huge flow on effect to some clubs, most notably the Warriors.

No jab will force sackings: NRL club boss

Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis says players who refuse the COVID-19 vaccination could have their NRL contracts torn up.

thewest.com.au

 

[Wrighty]

With the way things are heading, for season 2022, the NRL clubs will likely have enforced mandatory COVID-19 jabs for all players or have their contracts terminated.

Could have a huge flow on effect to some clubs, most notably the Warriors.

No jab will force sackings: NRL club boss

Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis says players who refuse the COVID-19 vaccination could have their NRL contracts torn up.

thewest.com.au

Big News

Why most notably the Warriors. Are our players refusing the Vaccine?

 

[tajhay]

Big News

Why most notably the Warriors. Are our players refusing the Vaccine?

Around 20 players refused to take a flu shot which was required last season to enter QLD to play games. In the end, the QLD state gov gave the group exemptions. However that is unlikely to be the case with COVID-19 vaccine next season. One of our star props was in that group. I'm sure there are others.

In recent days, one of the NZ Breakers star has been released from his contract due to his vaccine stance.

 

[Ever Hopeful]

I mentioned a month or so ago that this was a reality that I feared was coming.

I'll repeat what I put there. Addin Fonua-Blake was stood down by Manly for several games after refusing to be administered with a flu jab. He never softened on that stance.

Our mega forward pack seems to be littered with a few issues at the moment. Can't have nice things and all of that...

* Whoops, I see Tajhay alluded to that above.

 

[Wrighty]

Thanks Tajhay

Logically you would expect this to end up in court. And I would think that the court would rule in favour of the players and the NRL will have to back down and pay extensive damages and court costs for attempting this.

It sets too dangerous a precedent that an employer can fire someone for not taking a vaccine.

That basketball player in the post who has accepted his fate is following a path that surprises me He should have engaged a lawyer and filed an injuction a month or two ago.

Any lawyers on our message board who want to weigh in on this?
Are there any precedents or jurisprudence I am ignoring?

 

[tajhay]

Logically you would expect this to end up in court. And I would think that the court would rule in favour of the players and the NRL will have to back down and pay extensive damages and court costs for attempting this.

Vaccine mandates are already across a few industries in Australia i.e. health care workers, school, staff, aged care, construction etc...as well as mandates specifically made by employers i.e. Telstra etc. More are added to the list everyday so it shouldn't be a surprise if NRL does the same.

That basketball player in the post who has accepted his fate is following a path that surprises me He should have engaged a lawyer and filed an injuction a month or two ago.

His stance shouldn't surprise. His brother played for Breakers too. The bro quit the team and posted that Pfizer vaccine has killed more people than COVID-19.

 

[snake77]

The biggest worry from our squad would be Addin Fonua-Blake. I remember them discussing him on NRL360 when he was training with a mask on. His argument was he was taking precautions so he should be paid.

That was early on in the piece. Now that covid has impacted the competition for two years, stopped it last year and had the relocated this year. They have also gone through all of the protocols and the disruption that causes. Hopefully there will be more of an understanding of how important it is to get vaccinated and try and get back to normal.

We also had during the break last year players not wanting to be vaccinated despite the competition being stopped. Things being a bit more serious now with delta with higher case numbers and more deaths might make it hit a bit closer to home.

Mind you these are footballers not road scholars.

Our guys are doing Facebook posts/adverts about getting vaccinated so people can come home. So think most of our squad will be fine. They will be wanting to do what they can to get back home.

 

[Wrighty]

Vaccine mandates are already across a few industries in Australia i.e. health care workers, school, staff, aged care, construction etc...as well as mandates specifically made by employers i.e. Telstra etc. More are added to the list everyday so it shouldn't be a surprise if NRL does the same.


His stance shouldn't surprise. His brother played for Breakers too. The bro quit the team and posted that Pfizer vaccine has killed more people than COVID-19.

I didn’t know any of that so thanks
All that information notwithstanding this is heading to court
If I were a wife of an nrl antivaxxer I would be insisting the family gets legal counsel to advise of options and if I were a lawyer I would advise a law suit
That said I am not a lawyer so don’t know if the nrl and Telstra can leverage any case law or precedents.

I do know there have been some relevant court cases
One I know of is the government won against a Jehovah’s Witness mother who refused to give her very sick child medicine.
I spent 16 years in North America
Definitely over there everyone would lawyer up in a situation like this

 

[Warrior#214]

I didn’t know any of that so thanks
All that information notwithstanding this is heading to court
If I were a wife of an nrl antivaxxer I would be insisting the family gets legal counsel to advise of options and if I were a lawyer I would advise a law suit
That said I am not a lawyer so don’t know if the nrl and Telstra can leverage any case law or precedents.

I do know there have been some relevant court cases
One I know of is the government won against a Jehovah’s Witness mother who refused to give her very sick child medicine.
I spent 16 years in North America
Definitely over there everyone would lawyer up in a situation like this

If you took it to court your absolute best outcome might be getting a bigger payout, your whole rest of your contract even? Maybe that offsets your legal fees. You wont be magically playing NRL. The contract will still come to an end. You'd have to lodge a human rights claim and say you were being discriminated against or some sh!t to get back on the park and I don't think the world is spinning on that axis at the moment. Anti-vaxxer just isn't a label thats inspiring a lot of sympathy right now. These guys wont be alone though - if you want to stick to your guns and not get the jab - the way society is headed you will be a second class citizen and lack any job mobility. Plenty in my industry have announced "No Jab No Job" policies. New employees must disclose or wont be hired. Current employees are better protected but for certain roles they will have to declare or be moved to different functions. I dont think there'll be too many alternative employers for Addin Fonua-Blake in either code anywhere in the world.

 

[mrblonde]

With the way things are heading, for season 2022, the NRL clubs will likely have enforced mandatory COVID-19 jabs for all players or have their contracts terminated.

Could have a huge flow on effect to some clubs, most notably the Warriors.

No jab will force sackings: NRL club boss

Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis says players who refuse the COVID-19 vaccination could have their NRL contracts torn up.

thewest.com.au

Expect to read a URL like this about the Wests Tigers some time soon: "no-jab-sackings-will-be-reversed-because-we-can't-convince-any-other-player-to-come-to-this-fucked-up-club-nrl-boss"

I'd imagine - or at least hope - that the NRL and the clubs are getting very "lawyered up" about this. Certainly the NRL can propose a "no jab equals no job" stance, but if enough players say "Nah, stuff that!" (and some of those players might be happy to be vaccinated themselves but don't really care if their team-mate chooses not to and don't think he should be punished for that stance), things could get interesting.

If I was running the NRL, I'd wait to see how another professional sports organisation in Australasia goes with implementing a "no jab equals no job" edict before I enforced it. The NRL is certainly far from flush with cash...

 

[gREVUS]

i wonder if the guts could wind up being no jab, no playing over state lines. the players inability to travel then results in their contract being torn up.
here in Vic there has been talk of an internalpassport between states, and its an acknoledged fact that no jab no international travel.

 

[tajhay]

i wonder if the guts could wind up being no jab, no playing over state lines. the players inability to travel then results in their contract being torn up.
here in Vic there has been talk of an internalpassport between states, and its an acknoledged fact that no jab no international travel.

Expectation is that it will be for domestic travel too.

Virgin CEO expects ‘vaccination passports’ for domestic travel

Could proof of vaccination be needed to fly between Australia's own states?

www.executivetraveller.com

 

[wizards rage]

Will there be exemptions? - medical, religious, etc reasons?

I wouldn’t like my career to end in a non frontline workplace, if I had a legitimate medical issue that precluded me from being vaccinated.

I am pro vaccine but human rights issues and all that.

 

[Rick O'Shay]

Will there be exemptions? - medical, religious, etc reasons?

I wouldn’t like my career to end in a non frontline workplace, if I had a legitimate medical issue that precluded me from being vaccinated.

I am pro vaccine but human rights issues and all that.

Don't think they could give exemptions in the NRL. Either the whole organisation is jabbed or not.

The travel will be the killer (pardon the pun) as it is appearing more likely anyone will be not be crossing state or Tasman borders without being vaccinated. Those will be govt regulations which the club will need to comply with.

However, in a couple of years once the world has settled down a bit and got used to an annual body count like the flu things may be a bit different.

If you're a player dead set on not having the jab, you may just have to sit it out, the next question would then become, are you entitled to any unemployment benefits?

 

[wizards rage]

Don't think they could give exemptions in the NRL. Either the whole organisation is jabbed or not.

It all comes down to health and safety and limiting what is not essential.

NRL is not a high risk at a local level. Employment is a right and is essential. ie unless it is mandated that every person in employment anywhere needs the vaccine you cannot make a case that the NRL must have it on safety grounds at the local level. The NRL is not the front line.

However the NRL is not essential at an interstate level so I can see the argument to limit travel for the unvaccinated.

 

[snake77]

Will there be exemptions? - medical, religious, etc reasons?

I wouldn’t like my career to end in a non frontline workplace, if I had a legitimate medical issue that precluded me from being vaccinated.

I am pro vaccine but human rights issues and all that.

I know some players are just against it. Cartwright last year it seemed like his story about a past issue with a vaccine was to push back on the media pressure. Remember that was for a flu vaccine at the time.

Josh Papalii was mentioned a few weeks ago on NRL360 at the explanation seemed a bit better. More concerned about issues due a previous one.

If people have genuine concerns or medical history its something you can work with.

It would be interesting though if the Raiders were scheduled to come to NZ and Papalii was not allowed to play. Could see Stuart throwing a hissy fit that its unfair, even though its the same as having an injured player. I wouldn't be surprised if there are issues with non vaccinated players coming into NZ if he argued the Warriors should be stuck in Australia even though they have done enough already.

 

[john nick]

I know some players are just against it. Cartwright last year it seemed like his story about a past issue with a vaccine was to push back on the media pressure. Remember that was for a flu vaccine at the time.

Josh Papalii was mentioned a few weeks ago on NRL360 at the explanation seemed a bit better. More concerned about issues due a previous one.

If people have genuine concerns or medical history its something you can work with.

It would be interesting though if the Raiders were scheduled to come to NZ and Papalii was not allowed to play. Could see Stuart throwing a hissy fit that its unfair, even though its the same as having an injured player. I wouldn't be surprised if there are issues with non vaccinated players coming into NZ if he argued the Warriors should be stuck in Australia even though they have done enough already.

Does anyone know the stance of the players union on the jab.

 

[snake77]

Does anyone know the stance of the players union on the jab.

They probably don't have one until someone questions them on it and they realise they need to do some work. They seemed pretty reactive last year.

They should be taking the stance to encourage their members to be vaccinated so they can get the competition back to normal. Less likely they will need to up and move with their families to Queensland and more importantly less likely to have their pay docked. But I wouldn't be surprised if they take the stance of the minority and use it to push the NRL.

I know there were some issues with the competition relocation and families. But overall it seemed the NRL handled that well. How much did the players union do during all of that, did the players even hear from them?

 

[Miket12]

Will there be exemptions? - medical, religious, etc reasons?

I wouldn’t like my career to end in a non frontline workplace, if I had a legitimate medical issue that precluded me from being vaccinated.

I am pro vaccine but human rights issues and all that.

There are medical reasons a very small name of the population can’t be vaccinated.

I’d say the NRL would want to see medical evidence for that.

 

[john nick]

They probably don't have one until someone questions them on it and they realise they need to do some work. They seemed pretty reactive last year.

They should be taking the stance to encourage their members to be vaccinated so they can get the competition back to normal. Less likely they will need to up and move with their families to Queensland and more importantly less likely to have their pay docked. But I wouldn't be surprised if they take the stance of the minority and use it to push the NRL.

I know there were some issues with the competition relocation and families. But overall it seemed the NRL handled that well. How much did the players union do during all of that, did the players even hear from them?

NBL have torn up contracts of 2 of their players for refusing the vax. I am sure the NRL will take the same stance.Could come down to the players themselves saying if you are not vaxxed we wont play against you. Interesting times