Play the anthem at State of Origin. Take a knee. Then let's talk about real cultural change

Personally, I'm in favour of playing Advance Australia Fair before NSW meet Queensland. State of Origin is one of the nation's most significant stages.

While ever the anthem is officially part of the national identity, it should be part of the occasion.

But I also believe sport offers a platform for more meaningful change and a proper discussion, when it comes to recognising systemic racism in society.

If the indigenous players - and those non-indigenous in support - choose to not sing the anthem, I'm absolutely cool with that.

If the indigenous players - and non-indigenous in support - are to take a knee during the anthem or before kick-off, as we've seen elsewhere, then I'm also very supportive of that.

The ARL Commission's announcement the anthem would not be played, only to backdown shortly after - in part at least after the intervention of Prime Minister Scott Morrison - is a reflection of society as a whole.

Australia is still not comfortable talking about topics of meaningful change, reconciliation and accepting the colonial wrongs of slavery and slaughter of indigenous people.

Much of the population is unsure how to address the abhorrent and disproportionate deaths and abuse in custody of indigenous people. Part of that is because the likes of Pauline Hanson still have more influence on the Australian political system, than any significant indigenous voices.

So this columnist isn't fence sitting, rather I'm just sick of the cheap, political grandstanding about an issue which goes much further than whether 34 blokes stand and sing the national anthem before belting each other up for the next 80 minutes.

All of this is in front of a backdrop of the US election, Donald Trump, civil unrest and the Black Lives Matter movement.

It's in front of a backdrop of a once-in-a-century pandemic and political systems tearing at the seams, trying to address the health and economic impacts of it.

Sport and politics do mix. In fact, sport is filling the void left by divisive politics that refuses to properly address it.

In a political sense, examine the issue of marriage equality.

Once it was rightfully and lawfully accepted, has it wreaked the very fabric of society, as the religious zealots wanted you to believe?

Australian athletes should be able to represent their state or nation without racial connotation. But that means having a proper conversation in 2020 about what the anthem, or the flag, or the future actually means.

Meantime, play the anthem, take a knee, let it help Australia move beyond the developing identity crisis.