Sport Confidential: Apparel firm ISC’s withdrawal could cost NRL clubs a combined $8 million
Rugby league’s biggest jersey supplier has confirmed it will walk away from the NRL at season’s end, leaving a massive hole in club coffers. SEE WHICH TEAMS ARE AFFECTED.
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The game’s biggest jersey supplier has confirmed it will walk away from the game at season’s end, leaving a potential multimillion-dollar hole in club coffers.
ISC – which is the official apparel partner and merchandise supplier of eight clubs – blamed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic for its decision to part ways with clubs.
The company has partnerships with last year’s grand finalists Sydney Roosters and Canberra plus a host of other clubs including Parramatta, South Sydney, Wests Tigers, Brisbane, North Queensland and Melbourne.
ISC’s chief executive Jason Schulman said his company had invested significantly into the game in recent years through sponsorships and royalties.
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“The licensing apparel model for professional sporting teams in general has been under pressure for some time due to a number of factors,” Schulman said.
“With the COVID-19 global pandemic and resulting effect on both the sporting and retail landscapes having a devastating and unprecedented impact on all sporting bodies, entities and related businesses, the ISC Licensing business has been no different.”
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Clubs and the company have been in negotiations with in recent weeks. The terms of each of these deals are different with some fortunate to have their contracts expiring at the end of the year so the financial impact will not be as significant.
Others were locked into long-term deals.
Schulman confirmed the company would also withdraw from AFL clubs. It will remain trading as part of its teamwear division servicing grassroots clubs.
DRAGONS WANT SHARK TO REPLACE GRAHAM
Boom Cronulla youngster Billy Magoulias could leave the Sharks before the end of the season after he approached Cronulla to ask permission to speak with rival clubs this week.
Magoulias has found himself out of favour in Cronulla despite being heavily touted in the off-season to be Paul Gallen’s long-term replacement in the no.13 jersey.
He rose to prominence last year when the 23-year-old produced back to back match winning plays to lead Newtown to a NSW Cup and National Championship victory in successive weeks last year.
But Magoulias has fallen out of the Sharks 21-man squad in recent weeks since featuring in rounds two and three despite Cronulla’s struggles.
The ball-playing forward played two top grade games last year. St George Illawarra have been earmarked as a potential option for Magoulias as the Dragons search for a James Graham replacement.
ANOTHER WALLABY COULD COME HOME
Another Wallaby could be headed back to the NRL. Just days after former Storm flyer Marika Koroibete was linked with an NRL return, Sport Confidential can reveal Curtis Rona sits on top of a number of club’s wishlists as he eyes an NRL comeback next season.
Rona hasn’t played in the NRL since the last of his 57 top grade games in 2016 when he left the Bulldogs, switching codes to sign with the Western Force. He scored 40 tries in his three season stint in the NRL.
Rona’s former club Canterbury remain on the lookout for a strike outside back as do Melbourne, Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra. Rona went on to play for the Waratahs and featured in three Tests for the Wallabies.
Rona, who turned 28 last month, is in the final year of his contract with London Irish but is keen on returning to the NRL next year.
Koroibete has been linked with a host of NRL clubs while Canberra duo Nick Cotric and Jordan Rapana are among the highest profile outside backs off-contract at season’s end and Josh Addo-Carr is still keen on returning to Sydney.
NRL STARS STILL IN THE BUBBLE
The NRL may have relaxed its biosecurity protocols for players but they are still under strict conditions when it comes to what they can do away from the field.
Since the competition’s resumption, players have only been able to essentially train and go home.
But last Saturday the NRL loosened its biosecurity measures but still have the players and staff on heightened alert in a bid to minimise the chance of anyone contracting COVID-19. Each club’s bubble has risen by five people to 55 (36 players and 19 staff).
Players are also allowed to leave the house to have a hit of golf, surf or play tennis. Clubs are now allowed to have interclub scrimmages but those inside the bubble still need to submit daily wellbeing and whereabouts reports.
Players are still banned from interacting with people from other clubs.
Among the other changes include;
*Visitors are now allowed at homes but capped at five people at a time and a maximum of 10 per day.
*Pubs are still banned but cafes and restaurants are allowed but only with people they live with or others who are part of their club’s 55-person register but with no group larger than 10.
*Approval needed to visit family members.
*Public transport, taxi and ride-sharing allowed but must wear a mask.
FOOTY COMMUNITY RALLIES AROUND KULA
The rugby league community continues to rally behind Cronulla’s Fine Kula and his fight with brain cancer. on Saturday a host of people headed up by his friend Sama Malolo, Kula’s partner Anisha Zissis and ex-NRL player Ava Seumanufagai, will aim to run 40 kilometres in four hours at the Sylvania athletic track in a bid to raise some money to assist with Kula’s recovery. To donate click here.
SIMS DOUBLE ACT
The Sims brothers are struggling to get on the field for St George Illawarra at the moment but the rest of the family are having no troubles taking their place on the sideline.
Ashton made his sideline debut for ABC Grandstand on Thursday while less than 24 hours later his sister Ruan will take the same spot in Friday’s clash between the Storm and Warriors.
ON THIS DAY
St George Illawarra fullback Darius Boyd had a car accident on the way to a match against the Wests Tigers 10 years ago. The late Steve Gee reported Boyd was in the middle of a five-car pileup en route to Kogarah Oval where his Hummer 4WD was damaged. Boyd played, scoring the opening try in the Dragons’ 34-10 win.
SUPER LEAGUE COULD RUN LONG
The Super League season could run up to the first week in December. Clubs will vote in the coming days to decide if it will be a 22 or 24 round competition which is expected to resume on August 2.
The season could finish as late as the first weekend in December with a resumption planned for August 2. Only six teams will play catch-up games that weekend which may feature a triple header.
ONE MORE TEST FOR TOLMAN
Bulldogs prop Aidan Tolman will undergo another COVID-19 test on Friday before he will be free to re-join his teammates.
If Tolman continues to be cleared he will be able to train with the side for the first time in two weeks and join them on their captain’s run tomorrow ahead of their match against the Tigers on Sunday.
ALL EYES ON
How will the Raiders and Eels bounce back after their last start losses?
Parramatta showed enough against the Roosters to suggest they will have a deep run in this competition whereas the Raiders have been patchy since the competition resumption.
Are the Raiders in a flat spot or are their troubles running deeper?
BLAST FROM THE PAST
Craig Polla-Mounter, 192 top grade games for Canterbury between 1992-2001
Craig Polla-Mounter shouldn’t have played in that memorable 1998 preliminary finals clash against the Eels after breaking his back just two weeks earlier.
It what was one of the most memorable matches in history, the Bulldogs crawled their way back from an 18-2 deficit with 13 minutes left. Polla-Mounter sparked the comeback scoring Canterbury’s opening try before the scores drew level.
He almost created history when a 48 metre field goal just snuck under the black-dot after Parramatta’s Paul Carige’s famed brain-snap.
“I couldn’t believe he kicked me the ball,” Polla-Mounter said. “It was a hit and hope from me but you kick them all the time at training. Rocket (Rod Silva) thought it went over so I thought it did.”
Polla-Mounter starred in the extra time period scoring a second try before booting two field goals to book the Bulldogs a grand final spot.
“A few weeks before that we played North Sydney and I broke a couple of bones in my back,” Polla-Mounter said. “It doesn’t impact the way you play, it’s just painful. I didn’t play the week before the Parramatta game and wasn’t supposed to play against the Eels. But I thought I had to play so I did. I had a couple of injections.”
The following week’s loss to Brisbane was Polla-Mounter’s third premiership decider. He was part of Canterbury’s defeat to Canberra in 1994 before they beat Manly the following year.
“We were the best team in 1994 but lost the grand final,” Polla-Mounter said. “We struggled in 1995 but won it. We had turmoil with the Super League dramas. We were lucky to be there but when we got there we were too good.”
Polla-Mounter, who travels from his Sunshine Coast home to Brisbane to work as a plumber, only has one regret about his decade long career.
“I retired too early,” Polla-Mounter said. “I was 29 and could’ve played a few more years.”