What’s the Buzz: South Sydney facing sponsor pain
THE South Sydney Rabbitohs are facing a $2.5 million sponsorship crisis in the wake of the recent sexting scandal and captain Greg Inglis’ drink-driving and speeding charges.
NRL
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THE South Sydney Rabbitohs are facing a $2.5 million sponsorship crisis in the wake of the recent sexting scandal and captain Greg Inglis’ drink-driving and speeding charges.
Never has it been more evident that high-profile player misbehaviour can have a catastrophic effect on the corporate support that keeps the 16 NRL clubs afloat. And even though the club cleared all Rabitohs players from any wrongdoing in the sexting case, the sponsoring job has become that much harder.
For several months Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly has been pitching the club’s front of jersey major sponsorship to prospective interests following the departure of James Packer’s Crown casino and doubts over the continued support of Fujitsu.
Crown and Fujitsu have shared the major sponsorship for home and away games.
“The market is pretty tough anyway,” Solly said, “There’s so many opportunities now and sponsors can be really choosy.
“If there’s a new A League team or Big Bash team it adds another property to the market.
“We’ve got a lot of sponsors who understand there will be issues at times.
“They feel it’s most important how the club deals with it. That’s been the overwhelming feedback we’ve had from our sponsors. They trust us to deal with it appropriately.”
The Canterbury Bulldogs have lost almost $1 million in major sponsorship from Jaycar and Wicked Sister Deserts as a result of their Mad Monday debacle where players were photographed in the nude, vomiting and falling asleep in the street.
This is further proof that having clean image is now more important than success on the field.
As a club with a private ownership model without licensed club backing, the Rabbitohs desperately rely on corporate support.
Cronk shows his appreciation
Cooper Cronk has given his Roosters grand final jersey to the pain management specialist who injected his left shoulder before the game and at half-time.
Dr Craig Harris, who is a Manly Sea Eagles tragic and season-ticket holder who grew up on the northern beach, used a portable ultra sound machine in the Roosters dressing room to ensure he hit the right spot to numb the pain from a broken shoulder blade.
The media shy doctor had to wear a Roosters track suit top into the dressing sheds as part of the team’s medical staff … and has been copping it from his mates at Manly all week.
Cronk gave Dr Harris the jersey that had to be cut off at half-time as a memento of what has now become one of rugby league’s most extraordinary injury stories.
Manly big-wigs brush 1978 reunion
There is absolutely no respect for history at the Manly Sea Eagles. The club’s 1978 premiership reunion was held at Manly Leagues club last weekend. Ken Arthurson went to the trouble of travelling down from the Gold Coast. It was a packed house yet not one current Manly official bothered to turn up. The Penn family and CEO Lyall Gorman were invited but brushed it. Long-time members and fans are filthy about the lack of respect for one of the great premiership winning sides of all time.
Greenberg out of his comfort zone
When the NRL season ends NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg looks to go out of his comfort zone to improve his skill base.
Last year, he took up an invitation from a surgeon friend to witness heart surgery first hand. He scrubbed up and watched the entire operation.
This week he jumped on a Navy vessel and headed to Jervis Bay as part of an armed forced leadership program. He will be back on dry land this week to oversee the Test between Australia and New Zealand.
Radio battle heats up
There’s an interesting battle taking place at the bottom of Sydney’s radio ratings ladder between two sporting networks. They rate nothing like Alan Jones and Ray Hadley but the competition is fierce to avoid the wooden spoon at the end of the year.
In the latest survey Mark Levy and Mark Piggy Riddell on Macquarie Sports Radio began closing the gap on Sky Sports Radio’s Laurie Daley and Terry Kennedy.
In the breakfast time slot Macquarie Sports Radio went from .06 to .08 while Sky Sports radio dropped from 1.5 to 1.2. There are two surveys remaining in 2018.
GI misses out on Mal mentorship
The biggest shame about Greg Inglis’ sacking from the Kangaroos is him losing the opportunity to be mentored by the great Mal Meninga during the tour of New Zealand. We can recall the great Darren Lockyer dealing with serious off-field issues before he played under Meninga as QLD coach in 2006. Mal’s leadership and guidance was the turning point in Lockyer’s life. At South Sydney, Dally M coach-of-the-year Anthony Siebold has done a wonderful job with the football team. Yet he hasn’t been around long enough to have the experience of handling the major off-field issues that players regularly have to deal with. This is where Mal would have been great for GI.
Johns’ son travels south
Matty Johns’ 20-year-old son Jack has quit the Newcastle Knights to join the South Sydney Rabbitohs as an edge back-rower. Johns played his junior football in Manly at Harbord United Devils but got his first opportunity as a five-eighth at his father’s old club in Newcastle. He chose Souths to learn under the experience of John Sutton and Sam Burgess. Johns’ other son, 19-year-old Cooper, is coming through the Melbourne Storm system as a half-back.
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