The NRL has announced they will not introduce a Pride Round this season after opting to stick with the same themed rounds as the 2022 calendar.

NRL officials launched the first of their specialist rounds on Tuesday, with a multicultural event at Belmore attended by several schools and several Canterbury greats.

Themed rounds did not appear on the draw when it was announced last November, with ARL’s commission chairman, Peter V’landys reserving the right to add them before the start of the season.

Commenting on the issue, NRL CEO, Andrew Abdo said the league’s calendar was now set for 2023.

“We are dealing with the themed rounds as we go through the season. We’re not expecting to make any changes,” Abdo said.

“Our focus now is on the Multicultural Round, and you will see the other rounds unfold as we move through the season,” he said.

Therefore, the NRL will stick with a Multicultural, Indigenous, Women’s, Anzac and Brain Cancer Round in 2023.

NRL players were notably absent from Tuesday’s Multicultural Round launch as part of their ongoing boycott of NRL events.

The topic of a Pride Round remains difficult for the league after 7 Manly players boycotted the club’s rainbow jersey during the Women in League Round last year.

At the time, Manly’s owner, Scott Penn called on the NRL to introduce a league-wide Pride Round, with the club having since confirmed they will not go it alone with a rainbow strip this year.

The NRL has since weighed the chances of a Respect Round, an initiative that would be accepting of the views of all.

However, sources close to the situation confirmed the NRL will adhere to the same themes as last year and will not add any new ones to this year’s calendar.

The announcement comes after the NRL has announced a three-year extension of its partnership with Chemist Warehouse.