Queensland Premier fires back at 'ridiculous' Brad Fittler comments
Annastacia Palaszczuk has hit back at criticism from Brad Fittler, labelling the NSW State of Origin coach’s comments amid the current crisis ‘ridiculous’.
Fittler doubled down on his attack on the Queensland Premier on Saturday, saying her stance on playing State of Origin in 2020 was ‘ludicrous’ and showed ‘no backbone’.
Last week the Queensland Premier said she doubts the NRL's showpiece event can be played during a pandemic, but said she had her fingers crossed for December.
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Palaszczuk also declared she wouldn’t want an Origin match to be played in Queensland and she wouldn’t support sending Queensland clubs to Sydney to help the NRL restart on May 28.
The comments drew the ire of NSW coach and Blues legend Fittler, who said he can't understand that attitude to an Origin series as the Australian rates of COVID-19 infection continue to drop.
But after Fittler’s latest comments on Saturday, Palaszczuk’s office has heard enough.
“It’s ridiculous. The premier is in the midst of a global pandemic and is managing the health concerns for Queensland,” a spokesperson for Palazczuk told the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday.
“They always come first. The Premier has said often that the health advice comes first.”
Brad Fittler continues attack on Premier’s ‘ludicrous’ stance
Doing the rounds on Sydney radio on Saturday afternoon, Fittler took aim at Palaszczuk for the second time.
“Just throwing the towel in this early is a crazy way to go. I don't see it as anything we want to be about. It shows no spirit, no backbone,” he told Triple M.
“I think you've got to fight this thing to a degree by showing it respect, but also trying to find a way out of it.
“I think since then Annastacia's turned around because she realised the importance of Origin to Queensland people and NSW people.”
Fittler then spoke to Wide World of Sports Radio, labelling Palaszczuk’s comments ‘ludicrous’.
“I find it unusual there would've been a time that any Queensland politician or person would've uttered those words. It would be interesting to see what the voters think,” he said.
“Given it's so far away not to give it a chance. I find it ludicrous.
“We're playing, I don't care if your team turns up or not we're playing. It will be 3-0. Not having an open mind is pretty unpolitical of them.
"You got an industry that employs a lot of people ticking all the boxes and looking at everything. You got a premier of Queensland just dragging it down.”
Palaszczuk backflips and softens stance
Palaszczuk has appeared to soften her stance since her initial comments, saying she’d be happy to have Origin in Queensland if medical advice allowed it.
Fittler said anything less would be ‘political suicide’.
“I’m not sure if Annastacia is a rugby league fan but she’s backtracked since then and that’s understandable given the popularity of the game up there, especially towards the Maroons,” Fittler told ABC Grandstand.
“I think throwing the towel seven weeks before the comp hopefully even starts, possible three or four months before Origin could play, and just giving it no chance at all is, I think, seen as political suicide. So I think she’s backtracked since then.
“I think anyone that’s sort of given no one a chance to get back to some sort of normality and give some people employment, gives people entertainment and things to do, I think the mental health side of it, the productivity side of it, just getting back to any sort of normality has got to be healthy for anyone.”
with AAP
