ANTHONY "Choc" Mundine has lashed out at fellow Aborigines and rugby league greats Arthur Beetson and Gorden Tallis, calling them "coconuts" for not speaking up to support Timana Tahu's stand against racism.

Mundine, the first footballer to campaign against racism in the NRL, said Beetson, Tallis and former St George winger Ricky Walford were allowing themselves to be part of a "divide and conquer" strategy.

"What I dislike is the coconuts. They will always try to get somebody of the same background or colour to come out and speak against what Timana did," he said yesterday.

"They are my mates, but I will name them: Gorden Tallis, Ricky Walford, Arthur Beetson; who have come out and said that 'it's all right' or just sitting on the fence. Why? Just look at who they work for and who pays their bills."

In Aboriginal communities, there are few stronger insults than coconut - meaning black outside, but white inside.

"I'll tell you point, straight, blank - they are coconuts," Mundine said."I don't respect them for that. Whether we lose that friendship or not, I'll tell them straight up."

Mundine said that NSW players and selectors against Tahu's return to the team for Origin III should be "sacked".

"If you are putting sport over racism, then these guys - they all need to be sacked," he said. "All of them. Any goodwilled Australian would support Tahu. I applaud him."

Tahu and Andrew Johns - who enraged the Eels star by using a racially charged profanity against indigenous Queensland star Greg Inglis before Origin II - come face to face this week.



League boss David Gallop has ordered them to attend mediation. Gallop will later decide Johns' fate.