Kangaroos and Canterbury Bulldogs winger Josh Addo-Carr has shared his dream of an Australian team adopting a pre-game Indigenous โwar cry' akin to New Zealand's haka.
Addo-Carr, Latrell Mitchell and Jack Wighton are just three members of the Australian team who've previously represented the Indigenous All Stars in the annual pre-season clash, where a traditional war cry has always been delivered by Indigenous players in response to the iconic Maori haka.
But with New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands all set to adopt a traditional pre-game performance at this year's World Cup, Addo-Carr is one of a number of Indigenous athletes past and present calling for Australia to follow suit.
Addo-Carr said he would welcome the introduction of an Indigenous routine becoming a permanent fixture in Australian rugby league Tests, regardless of how many Indigenous players are in the national team.
โIt would be really good for everyone to buy into,โ Addo-Carr told AAP.
โThe All Blacks do it even though they're not all Maori. Me, Latrell and Jackie (Wighton) would love it.
โThere are things we can do to modify it for some of the boys who don't know how to dance, there's a lot we can do so everyone is part of it.
โWe're all Australian and that's what this is all about โ togetherness.
โIt would be mad to have it. We could get some elders in and some professional dancers to help create something special.โ
While Addo-Carr was excited to play his first representative game this year after missing out on Origin selection, he was just as excited โ if not more โ for Bulldogs teammate Matt Burton, who also earned a call-up after his first season in the No.6 jersey at Belmore.
โI was more excited for him, given it was his first year at the Dogs and as a five-eighth,โ Addo-Carr said.
โI knew our combination was going to be special, it would just take some time.
โWe have to thank our teammates for helping us get here. It shows the Bulldogs are on the up and shows the competition that you can go to a club that's struggling and still have some success.โ