Mr Rose (pictured), a 35-year-old Aboriginal man, has played rugby league since he was four years old and in that time has experienced racism, not only from the sidelines, but from players, officials, administrators  and even team mates.

In a nation where fans forgive sports players for many failings, including drugs and assault charges, Goodes’ altercation with a 13-year-old girl in May, 2013 seems to be unforgivable.

The girl called him an “ape” and, after he singled her out, she was escorted from the ground by security guards.

Since then, Goodes has been booed by spectators each time he takes to the field in an ongoing campaign.

While chanting and booing are very much a part of any sporting game, Mr Rose said the sustained jeering towards Goodes was “fuelled by race”.

He added the jeering has gone on for too long to be dismissed as anything other than racism.

“People are just being racist or arrogant,” Mr Rose said.

Mr Rose, a Group 10 player for Orange CYMS, said racism was alive and well on the nation’s sporting fields.

He said while he has not been booed during his time in rugby league, there has been a lot of name-calling from spectators and players.

Mr Rose said he once witnessed one of his team mates refer to another Aboriginal player as a “coon” during a game.

“The sad part about it is he’s one of my mates. He thought it was acceptable,” Mr Rose said of the offending player.

“He absolutely understood the word, but for him he thought it was an acceptable word.”

He also accused some rugby league administrators of “covert racism” where Aboriginal players are not selected, purely because of their race.

“They don’t even know  they’re doing it,” he said.