NRL still considering 2023 Pride Round despite recent challenges

Though the NRL draw has only released the opening round of fixtures so far, it's expected that the full 2023 draw will be released by the end of the week.

Something that won't be marked down is an NRL ‘Pride Round' – but it's been reported today that the league are still considering the idea, with an in-depth discussion likely to take place at an upcoming meeting of the ARLC.

The NRL has had to manage both the introduction of a 17^th team, and a number of logistical, stadium-related challenges that will come to a head during the FIFA Women's World Cup. But while a Pride Round didn't factor into the development of the draw, there's still a realistic possibility that the idea could be implemented ahead of the new season.

“We were always going to look at those things in the off-season,” ARLC Chair Peter V'landys told AAP.

“We have plenty of time. We have 26 rounds and don't start for three or four months.

“(Pride round) will be discussed at the next couple of Commission meetings. There has been discussion, but no final decisions made.”

Though the issue proved divisive during the Manly jersey saga last season, the NRL has taken a progressive stance on equality in the past, with a Mardi Gras float and the significant support for marriage equality during 2017.

That doesn't mean everyone has been supportive, with situations like these regularly receiving plenty of criticism from insistent fans who naively believe that sport and politics should not be mixed.

“From our end we've always said we want to respect everyone's views,” V'landys said.

“We don't want to get into politics. The reason people watch rugby league is to escape. They don't watch it because you have a political persuasion.

“We want to keep it as much as an escapism sport as possible.

“But respecting each other, I don't think that's political.”

Naturally one of the biggest challenges with a Pride Round would be getting unequivocal support from the players, given the boycott that followed Manly's decision ahead of their Round 20 game this year.

“There are ways you can do it where you won't upset anyone.

“If we do it, we have to have a format to do it the right way. It's all about respecting each other. We have to respect that (some people) have a different view to the rest of us.

“The most important thing in my eyes is we're all equal. It doesn't matter what colour, what creed or sexual orientation (you are).”