The NRL will write to both the Queensland Rugby League and NSW Rugby League to urge transparency regarding team information in response Billy Slater's shock withdrawal from the State of Origin series opener.
Just days after the Queensland fullback sensationally ruled himself out of the MCG showdown despite his coach Kevin Walters only hours earlier giving Slater a clean bill of health, it is understood the NRL plans to send correspondence to both states.
Perception: Billy Slater.
Photo: AAP
Fairfax Media has obtained an email which indicates the NRL will remind both states over integrity concerns with ducks and drakes policies for injuries to key players. The email states that "the issue of transparency concerning [Queensland] team movements has been raised from a wagering perspective".
The Maroons were massive betting drifters after Slater succumbed to a hamstring injury, which was only confirmed on Monday afternoon – and after Walters had previously denied the No.1 was set to miss the match.
Origin is one of the largest domestic gambling sporting events of the year and news of Slater's withdrawal shook up markets significantly, including the popular player of the match category.
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His replacement wasn't immediately known either as the Maroons opted to parachute Anthony Milford and Kalyn Ponga in as potential replacements, with Milford's spot in the side only confirmed almost 24 hours after the Slater news became public.
The NRL has conceded it doesn't have the authority over the states, as it does its clubs, to enforce the mandatory naming of 21-man squads, which are announced each Tuesday before every round.
Clubs are only allowed to draw on players in those squads to play in the subsequent match, except in the case of being granted special NRL dispensation to elevate a player from outside the list.
Theoretically, Walters and his Queensland advisers could have called on any Maroons-eligible player within the NRL and added them to the side an hour before kick-off if Slater's injury had been hidden until game day.
The QRL broke no rules with its intention to keep Slater's injury quiet from the Blues for as long as possible, but the turn of events has shaken the NRL into reminding the Origin combatants of the perception of disguising injured players when they won't play.
Walters was forced to defend his handling of the Slater affair on Origin eve, claiming he wanted the oldest player in Queensland's squad to tell his teammates and family first before news filtered out.
And he made no apologies for protecting the interests of the Queensland team first.
"I know the integrity of myself and the way I conduct myself," Walters said on Tuesday, a day before NSW wore down Queensland 22-12 at the MCG. "I think I am pretty good bloke."
Walters was on the front foot over a freak injury to winger Dane Gagai during the side's captain's run on Origin eve, shortly afterwards stressing the Wally Lewis Medal winner was a likely starter despite a freak finger injury. Gagai played and scored a try in the Maroons' loss.
Coaches have long argued their priority lies with their own team and not the public dissemination of information about injuries and tactics, a ploy designed to try to keep rivals guessing about personnel changes as close to kick-off as possible.
But just a week after resolving a long-running dispute with bookmakers about the taxes they should pay to offer wagering on the sport, the NRL has felt compelled to step in and remind the states about the effects of the Slater affair.
The NRL is set to conduct a wide-ranging review into its integrity agreements with licensed bookmakers later this year after last week Fairfax Media revealed it had taken almost half of the regular season for the parties to agree on a product fee.
The previous long-term agreements expired at the end of last season, which prompted monthly rollovers for the first three months of the 2018 competition.
Adam Pengilly is a Sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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