Canterbury Bullldogs set to retain $850,00 sponsorship deal despite Mad Monday scandal
CANTERBURY have taken the first step in retaining one of the NRL’s richest playing strips in the wake of their ill-fated Mad Monday celebrations.
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CANTERBURY have taken the first step in retaining one of the NRL’s richest playing strips in the wake of their ill-fated Mad Monday celebrations.
Long-time sponsor Jaycar and shorts sponsor Wicked Sister both pulled out of the final year of their respective contracts with the club as result of the scandal — taking with them $850,000 in sponsorship.
On Friday, the club announced Ultimate Security Australia will replace Jaycar as the back-of-jersey sponsor for the next three seasons.
It’s understood Jaycar was worth $500,000 a year but CEO Andrew Hill was reluctant to reveal the value of the new deal.
He was adamant, however, that the Mad Monday antics had not forced the club to take a discount on its latest partnership.
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“This a big powerful club that has a huge profile nationally. No [we haven’t taken a hit], we are very happy with the agreements we have reached with Ultimate Security Australia,” he said.
The security services company employs almost 900 people countrywide and was co-founded by twin brothers Nassim and Nabil Said 17 years ago.
“We weren’t hesitant to join the club. We discussed it [Mad Monday] with the management and we were very happy with how they have handled it and we have a lot of believe and faith in the management. We are looking forward to be being part of a new era for the club, a successful era,” CEO Nassim Said said.
Coach Dean Pay has come under scrutiny for his presence at Mad Monday, leading to speculation his job could be on the line.
But Hill reaffirmed the club’s commitment to the rookie coach.
It is understood that Pay and general manager of football Gareth Holmes have both fronted the board following the incident and both have been dealt with.
On the recruitment front, the Bulldogs have all but settled on their roster for next season.
Boom forward Corey Harawira-Naera will be one of seven new faces at Belmore after salary cap constraints forced Pay to rebuild his roster.
Hill says the club is not actively shopping for any more players but have “some wriggle room in the cap” to add the right signing. He says a resolution in the different coaching sagas currently hanging over clubs like Penrith and the Tigers will have a ripple effect on the player market.
“We’re not actively pursuing anyone at the moment. There appears to be some movements in coming weeks and months once all the coaching drama is sorted out. If the right opportunity presents itself then, we’ll look at it,” he said.
He also shut down rumours the club was looking to offload Michael Lichaa to bring in off-contract hooker James Segeyaro.
“There’s been speculation around Lichaa for time but we’ve had no formal discussions with his management so I’m not sure where that has come from,” he said.
Hill also indicated the club would be looking to take their home games to the new Western Sydney Stadium in 2020 once the refurbishment of ANZ Stadium commences in late 2019. Canterbury are also in a position to take home games interstate and to the bush.
Their efforts to lock down an interim home ground have been stifled by the uncertainty surrounding the start date of the redevelopment.
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Originally published as Canterbury Bullldogs set to retain $850,00 sponsorship deal despite Mad Monday scandal
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