‘I got knocked out’: Addo-Carr breaks silence on brawl that cost him Kangaroos jersey
Breaking News: Bulldogs player has been banned for 2023/half of the 2024 season
Banished Kangaroos winger Josh Addo-Carr has broken his silence and taken a swipe at the NRL in the wake of his sanction for his involvement in a brawl.
Bulldogs speedster Addo-Carr copped a $5000 fine and two-game suspension that cost him his Australian jersey after he threw a punch at the Koori Knockout.
The 28-year-old was playing for the Redfern All Blacks in the tournament on the Central Coast earlier this month when the incident occurred at the end of a game.
Mobile phone footage surfaced of Addo-Carr punching a Walgett player before one of the NRL star’s teammates threw a second punch which reportedly landed the man in hospital.
Addo-Carr, talking to Josh Mansour on the Let’s Trot podcast, accused the NRL of not caring about the Indigenous tournament until now.
The segment was recorded last Wednesday, two days before the NRL finalised Addo-Carr’s breach notice.
“There were a few situations during the game that led to it,” Addo-Carr said.
“I was copping it all game against the Walgett boys. I ended up getting knocked out and put to sleep five, 10 minutes into the game.
“It was a fiery game, two strong teams, two proud communities going against each other. It’s unfortunate that incident happened at the end of the game
“That’s the Koori Knockout. I don’t think the media or the NRL have ever cared about the Koori Knockout until now.”
Addo-Carr said playing at the tournament was on par with playing for his country – “for us blackfellas, it’s the same level”.
The winger was named in Mal Meninga’s Kangaroos squad for the Pacific Championships before an investigation into the brawl found him guilty and he was taken out of the side.
Addo-Carr, who scored the most tries of any player at the World Cup last year, said on the podcast that he’d been “kicked out” of the squad.
