Josh Addo-Carr makes painful admission about NRL All Stars call
The shattered Bulldogs star has revealed why he had to pull out of a game that's so close to his heart.
A shattered Josh Addo-Carr has explained the rationale behind his decision to pull out of Saturday night's NRL All Stars clash. The Bulldogs winger captained the Indigenous side against the Maori team last year, but a gruelling end to 2022 means the 27-year-old is behind in terms of his match fitness ahead of the 2023 season.
Addo-Carr was one of the standouts in Australia's triumphant Rugby League World Cup campaign towards the back end of 2022 and has subsequently had a shorter pre-season than the rest of his Bulldogs teammates. The winger says he wants to give himself every chance to get up to speed with the systems put in place by new Dogs coach Cameron Ciraldo, who begins his NRL head coaching reign with a round one clash away to Manly on March 4.
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The Kangaroos speedster has been one of the most influential voices in the Indigenous All Stars side since making his debut in the pre-season exhibition in 2019, when he scored two tries for the team. However, Addo-Carr admits that his priority lies with his club side and getting in shape for the start of the Bulldogs' season.
Addo-Carr told NCA NewsWire he's "spewing" not to be able to take part in the All Stars game in New Zealand and "be with my family to celebrate my culture". He admits that while it's a brutally "tough" decision to make, the 27-year-old felt he wasn't quite at the level required give his all to the Indigenous cause.
“It was extremely tough. It’s something I absolutely love doing, but I just felt like the body and mind needed to get right,” Addo-Carr said. “It is a physical game and I’m probably expected to play the whole game in All Stars, so I just wanted to get everything right. I need to look after the body a bit more because I’m not getting any younger.
Addo-Carr has played for the Indigenous All-Stars three times, helping them win the 2019 edition in Melbourne with three tries. The Maori All-Stars have won every game since then.
The Dogs flyer last week revealed that that he wants to focus on his pre-season with the Bulldogs. “I just feel like I need to get my mind and body right," he told Fox Sports.
"I sat down with the (Bulldogs) coaches and they went through some stuff that I needed to get right and that’s all it was. It was a disappointing decision but at the same time I thought about the team before myself.
"I’m not as fit as I should be and I’m just trying to get everything right. I’m shattered but it’s just one of those things.”
Addo-Carr's departure from the Indigenous squad sees him join Ezra Mam (Brisbane), Chris Smith (Penrith) and Will Smith (Wests Tigers) in pulling the plug. Daine Laurie (Wests Tigers), Albert Kelly (Dolphins), Isaiah Tass (South Sydney) and Braydon Trindall (Cronulla) have been called up to replace them.
The 2023 edition will mark the first time the annual showpiece game has been played in New Zealand. However, there have been fears in the lead-up that it won't go ahead due to the threat of strike action from players amid an ugly stoush with the NRL.
NRL pay dispute overshadows pre-season
Dozens of NRL players are locked in a battle with league boss Andrew Abdo over pay and conditions amid negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. Strike action has been looming as a real possibility.
NRL players could decide late on Friday whether they will use the new pre-season competition to protest at the governing body's handling of protracted collective bargaining negotiations. The Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) and the NRL were locked in talks late on Thursday as they sought a resolution to the CBA dispute.
Players have hinted at taking fresh action this week as the NRL returns to TV screens with a newly-created Pre-Season Challenge competition. There are two games scheduled for Friday night with Manly facing Souths and Cronulla playing Newcastle in a double header in Gosford.
The two bodies have been in talks all week, with a CBA for NRLW players a high priority for the game's male players. The RLPA also hopes to have better funds to support players after they retire or if they suffer injury.
"The women's game is growing rapidly, and the men's game fully supports them," Canterbury hooker Reed Mahoney said on Thursday. "They deserve to have a CBA and they should because their game is growing.
"I feel like we're the product and we're putting our bodies on the line during pre-season and games. We have the right to have those funds open to us when the game does stop."
The NRLW remains the only major professional competition without a CBA and the lack of progress towards their goals of introducing multi-year contracts and a pregnancy policy has created further frustration. Players have hinted at delaying kick-off times in a bid to disrupt broadcasters this weekend.
Boycotting media engagements and the season launch, covering the NRL badge on jerseys and strike action are all options which have been mooted. However, Thursday night's trial between the Warriors and Wests Tigers went ahead without a hitch as both factions were locked in discussions. The Tigers' new era under coach Tim Sheens got off to a disastrous start as they were thumped 48-12 by the Warriors.
with AAP
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