Focus on Cartwright after Titans teammate Kelly agrees to flu shot
Gold Coast centre Brian Kelly has agreed to take the flu shot, leaving teammate Bryce Cartwright as the only Queensland-based NRL player yet to do so.
The Titans have put a Thursday deadline on the pair to officially inform them of their decision in a bid to provide clarity about their squad ahead of the NRL’s season resumption on May 28. The Queensland government has extended its “no jab, no play” policy to all major sports, meaning all NRL players who don't adhere will be prevented from entering the state.
Kelly and Cartwright had resisted getting the flu shot, jeopardising their chances of participating in the Titans' premiership campaign. However, sources close to Kelly said the former Manly centre had relented in a bid to rejoin his teammates at training and continue his playing career.
The focus now shifts onto Cartwright, who is putting his contract at risk if he refuses to accept the influenza vaccination. If he opts against the shot, Cartwright faces the prospect of losing his job and approximately $450,000 in earnings.
Cartwright has become the posterboy for the NRL’s vaccine-refuser movement. His children are also not vaccinated. Last week his wife, Shanelle, took to social media to complain about football players being coerced into taking a flu shot in order to play.
“According to the Australian immunisation handbook under 2.1.3 Valid Consent …” she wrote.
“2. It must be given voluntarily in the absence of undue pressure, coercion or manipulation.
“This is exactly that. We’re entering very scary territory."
Bryce Cartwright has a big decision to make.Credit:AAP
Herald columnist Phil Gould, who has worked with Cartwright during their time at Penrith, revealed he declined a request to write about the issue.
"I was asked to write a column about this on the weekend, about the whole anti-vax situation and everything, and obviously I've had a relationship with Bryce Cartwright over the years as well and a number of these players refusing to take flu shots and I could never understand it," Gould told the Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
"I wrote that column and I actually didn't publish it, I decided not to in the end because I've dealt with this so many times before, I just didn't want to deal with the debate.
"It's virtually now a platform to keep getting this anti-vax message out there, it's become a little bit of a soap box for them now."