If they acted as dissidents, New South Wales teammates Cody Walker and Josh Addo-Carr refusing to sing the national anthem before State of Origin I in Brisbane next Wednesday night could have presented a Colin Kaepernick moment.

Without the support of the NRL, their coaches and teammates, Walker and Addo-Carr might have been subjected to the kind of predictable rhetoric spat at the now ostracised San Francisco 49ers quarterback when he took a knee during the US national anthem at NFL matches.

Kaepernick's failure to stand for the Star Spangled Banner to highlight violence against African Americans was ridiculed by unabashed bigots and twitchy White House Twitter fingers as the "divisive" act of a now wealthy ingrate failing to use the opportunities "given to him" by the game and the nation.

But, of course, "divisive" is a deceptive notion upon which to base any argument about protest because it contains an often false assumption — that the subject of protest is inherently inclusive and, as such, can only be undermined and never enhanced to the benefit of all.

Walker said — in the most measured and respectful manner possible — he would not sing the national anthem because it does not represent him or his family, a sentiment echoed by Addo-Carr.

"I'm not pushing my view on anyone, it's just how me and my family have grown up and how I feel," Walker told Nine Media, making it abundantly clear he is not seeking to demean or overshadow State of Origin but merely to exercise a personal right.

While the silent protest has gained inevitable media traction, the more remarkable outcome is the absence of the kind of rancour that could usually have been expected had an Indigenous Australian player engaged in what would once have been portrayed as "un-Australian" and, yes, "divisive" behaviour.

Josh Addo-Carr will join Cody Walker in not singing the national anthem before Origin I. ( AAP: David Rowland )

On the contrary, it seems unlikely anyone will jeer Walker and Addo-Carr when they respectfully maintain their silence during Advance Australia Fair.

This is not just because the protest will be less demonstrative than Kaepernick's, or because Australians are not quite as slavishly devoted to patriotic symbolism as Americans or because many athletes choose not to sing the anthem anyway (or simply don't know the words).

Rather, their demonstration is less confronting because it comes with the tacit support of the NRL at a time when the game is demonstrating genuine leadership in the often contentious realm of Indigenous affairs.

Last week in this space I wrote about how the AFL and NRL's Indigenous rounds could be perceived as merely symbolic if they did not lead to more meaningful outcomes for First Australians.

In that context, it seems apparent the inclusion of Indigenous Australian voices at the top level of rugby league, such as the ARL's first Indigenous Australian commissioner Chris Sarra and currently serving commissioner Megan Davis, have provided a strong influence.

Taking an active and educated stance on issues such as supporting the Uluru Statement from the Heart has, in a sense, made Walker and Addo-Carr's protest seem actively aligned with NRL policy, not in defiance of it.

AFL still learning from Goodes booing

Coincidentally, Walker and Addo-Carr made their intention known in the same week as the advance screenings of the documentary The Final Quarter about the racially motivated booing of Adam Goodes in his final years with the Sydney Swans.

The documentary draws exclusively from archival footage, while a second production The Australian Dream to be released in August will feature more recent interviews with Goodes and others.

Adam Goodes was subjected to incessant booing during his final season in the AFL. ( AAP: Tony McDonough )

But The Final Quarter is, nonetheless, a stark reminder of how Goodes was left isolated and alone in the face of the both the crowd's booing and the ideologically-driven attacks of media figures who mischievously misrepresented the 2014 Australian of the Year as a vocal threat to unity rather than the measured voice for reconciliation he was and remains.

As ABC Offsiders panellist Waleed Aly said at the time, the jeering of Goodes and the reaction was a sharp reminder of the underlying racism that had blighted Australia's past and infected its present.

"We boo our discomfort," said Aly of the way crowds react to those who have the temerity to remind them of uncomfortable truths.

History has not been kind to the AFL and club officials and media figures now damned by their failure to support Goodes, or those who ignorantly or wilfully misunderstood the reason for his booing.

Optimistically you might suggest that the confronting mirror provided by the documentary will hasten necessary change across the sport, although not until there is a more diverse range of voices at the AFL's head table.

Colin Kaepernick (centre right) kneels during the playing of the US national anthem before a 2017 NFL match. ( AP: Jose Sanchez )

And Kaepernick? He recently settled his law suit against the NFL for their "collusion" in his ostracism for the game, although he was back in the headlines this week.

While the once-star quarterback remains permanently sidelined, the Oakland Raiders recruited Richie Incognito, an offensive guard in the most literal sense whose charming portfolio includes physical assaults, bullying of teammates and an array of racist slurs.

This is not merely racism ignored, but racism institutionalised. And a powerful reminder why sport must have the backs of its most marginalised players.

Catch up on all the results and issues from the sporting weekend on Offsiders at 10:00am on Sunday on ABC TV.