By Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
The NRL has hired, presumably at great expense, NFL legend Rob Gronkowski for a lavish US television commercial to highlight rugby league’s incursion into the US, culminating in its Las Vegas opening round bonanza this weekend.
Those familiar with “the Gronk’s” glory years with the New England Patriots would appreciate a match made in heaven between the retired tight end and rugba leeg.
In the code wars… NFL legend Rob Gronkowski.Credit: AP
But the Gronk went a little off-piste over the past weekend when he swung by Caulfield races in Melbourne courtesy of Sportsbet to hang out at Blue Diamond Stakes Day.
It was a neat tie-in given Melbourne’s new status as a host city for an NFL game next year. But The Gronk happily singing the praises of rival code, the AFL, was not in the script.
“It’s wild,” he told the Herald Sun newspaper. “I’m a fan of it, I’ve watched some highlights and there are some vicious hits.
“I don’t know how you guys take these hits without shoulder pads. I would never put myself out to want to do that.
This from the man dubbed a “rugby league expert” in the NRL ads.
Could there be anything designed to irritate NRL and NSW horse racing supremo Peter V’landys more? His big hire enjoying a Melbourne race meet and talking up the southern footy code.
Possibly the amount of money the AFL paid for this generous endorsement. Not one dime.
Bad blood
We last encountered Liverpool councillor Peter Ristevski on the hustings at last year’s local government election, launching into a bizarre tirade against his political enemy, mayor Ned Mannoun, who he accused of being stinky and wearing an Armani suit.
Somehow, this man managed to win a defamation case. Last year, Mannoun sued Ristevski over a series of Facebook posts calling him a “crim” and a “grub”. The District Court tossed out the claim on the basis that it failed to meet the serious harm threshold required under new defamation laws.
Still, the epic feud, which CBD believes dates to a 2015 preselection stoush, shows no signs of simmering down.
After his courtroom loss, Mannoun was ordered to pay Ristevski’s legal costs, and Ristevski’s representatives at Mark O’Brien Legal sent a letter to the mayor this month to demand he pay up a discounted $60,660.62 within two weeks.
On Friday, that deadline passed, leaving Ristevski red-faced and plotting a coup of his own.
“I’ve been more than fair with him, I’ve even discounted the amount payable. He did not meet the deadline, and now I’ll be proceeding to bankruptcy,” Ristevski said.
He then very confidently added that this would force Mannoun to resign as mayor. It would also leave him unable to attend the 5th Annual Aerotropolis Summit in Hong Kong in May, a trip set to be endorsed by the council this week. But never fear, Ristevski has promised to go in his stead.
Is Ristevski, who ran for mayor last year under the wholly original slogan “make Liverpool great again”, perhaps getting ahead of himself? Well, we hear Mannoun’s legal team has provided a counter-offer and are awaiting response. As for the mayor himself, he wisely decided to give this one a wide berth.
All that mud-slinging from within the council chambers is the least of Liverpool’s worries. An Office of Local Government Inquiry into the council, following allegations of maladministration and dysfunction, is ongoing, with submissions closing last month.
In da club
After four years in the hot seat as president of the National Press Club, veteran political journalist and writers festival fave Laura Tingle is taking a breather.
Could Laura Tingle’s exit as president open the way for Peter Dutton to address the National Press Club.Credit: James Brickwood
Tingle, who is chief political correspondent for ABC’s 7.30 and a staff-elected member on the public broadcaster’s board, announced her resignation last Friday. It paves the way for Sky News’ Tom Connell to step up as the youngest ever NPC president.
Tingle’s departure was met with glee by The Australian’s Media Diary, who had, for two weeks running, missed arguably the biggest media story in the land – The Daily Telegraph’s spectacularly botched “antisemitism investigation”.
But in this column, we’re more concerned about what this all means for Peter Dutton. The opposition leader has ducked and weaved his way out of appearing at the NPC this term – aside from an exclusive political fundraiser held by a lobbying group. And if he heads to the polls without facing the music in that Canberra Bubble institution, it’ll be quite the move.
Dutton’s reticence is probably a political calculation – pissing off the gallery helps his anti-establishment credentials after all. But it’s fair to say he’s hardly Tingle’s biggest fan. The ABC journalist’s claims that Australia is a “racist country”, which kicked off weeks of unnecessary outrage, were made while discussing Dutton’s immigration policy at the Sydney Writers’ Festival last year.
Will her replacement with a Sky News man make Dutton warm to the NPC? His office wouldn’t say anything, but we note that both leaders are widening their repertoire of interviewers ahead of the election.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has shared a mic with the Betoota Advocate boys, former reality TV contestant Abbie Chatfield, and gone on a cricket podcast with former Test wickie Brad Haddin.
Dutton was interviewed by Olympic diver Sam Fricker last month. Both have been guests of business bro Mark Bouris, Australia’s wannabe Joe Rogan. That is all very nice, but if Dutton really wants to get out of his comfort zone, there are a bunch of journos in Canberra who can’t wait to have a go.
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