Manly Sea Eagles pride jersey: Hugh Jackman turns controversy into positive for Gotcha4Life Cup
Hollywood star Hugh Jackman has urged his mate Gus Worland to use the controversy around the Manly pride jersey to make a difference with his charity Gotcha4Life.
Hollywood A-lister Hugh Jackman has urged his good mate Gus Worland to use the controversy around the Manly pride jersey to make a difference with his charity Gotcha4Life.
Worland will realise a longheld ambition on Thursday night when Manly and the Sydney Roosters play for the Gotcha4Life Cup.
The landmark moment for Worland and his mental health charity has been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the pride jersey after seven players stood down citing their religious beliefs.
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Jackman was asked to wear the jersey for his good mate and his image appeared on the front of The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.
The picture was taken as a favour to Worland to help promote Gotcha4Life, a charity that focuses on mental health and wellbeing.
Worland was concerned at Jackman’s reaction to being plastered on the front of the paper but he need not have worried. Jackman instead urged Worland to use the moment to change the narrative around Thursday night’s game for the good of the cause.
And Worland has done just that.
He revealed on Wednesday that a portion of the proceeds from the match would be used to make a difference to the mental health of members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Worland has enlisted Ian Roberts, rugby league’s first openly gay player, to help decide where the money should be directed.
“Jacko has been my best friend since I was five,” said Worland, a fanatical Roosters fan.
“He was the first board member I chose when I started Gotcha4life. He’s my Gotcha4life mate. My go-too.
“He is always with me and I’m always there for him That’s why this is so important that it’s Manly — his team — against my team.
“We have wanted to change the narrative and be positive and upbeat as the game will bring in so much money that will save lives.
“That is what we wanted after a couple of days of the talk of jumpers/player revolt. The money donated and raised will build mental fitness and I’m going to get Ian Roberts to be a consultant on a portion of the money being used for good in LGBTQ+ community.
“I reckon that will continue to turn the focus to a positive. What happens with the money — I think this makes it feel real for people.”
Worland estimates the game could generate as much as $275,000 for Gotcha4Life, money that will be used to change and save lives.
“With the funds raised from the game — we will be able to fund a mental fitness workshop for over 6,500 Australians — that’s 6,500 opportunities to change the conversation about mental fitness,” Worland said. “Imagine the positive ripple effect that could have? The players must also feel awesome about that.”
A-listers caught up in pride jersey fight
About two weeks ago, one of Manly’s Pride jerseys arrived on the doorstep of A-lister Hugh Jackman.
The Sea Eagles super-fan had agreed to help promote Thursday night’s game against the Sydney Roosters to help out his great mate, Sydney radio star Gus Worland, whose long campaign to have Gotcha4Life involved in a Manly-Roosters game was about to come to fruition.
At the same time Jackman was slipping into his Sea Eagles jersey, Chris Hemsworth was likely trying on one as well.
Manly had also sent the Thor star a jersey in preparation for him to come to Thursday night’s game at 4 Pines Park as a guest of former Sea Eagles player Ian Roberts — the pair have been working on the set of the new Mad Max movie.
Jackman, who is noticeably pointing at the Gotcha4Life logo in the picture obtained by News Corp, and Hemsworth had generously offered their support to Worland and Roberts in the lead-up to a game that was meant to be a night of celebration for two of their close friends.
That very celebration is now in danger of being consumed by outrage and controversy following the decision by seven players to stand down rather than wear the same jersey that Jackman wore with a beaming smile on his face.
Manly are a club in crisis and the remarkable thing is that it has been more than a year in the making. News Corp understands that Manly’s apparel sponsor — Dynasty — first contacted the club last year about wearing a pride jersey, which officials insist was designed to honour inclusivity.
It is understood that Cronulla, another of Dynasty’s clients, was approached at the same time about the rainbow concept but declined because they already had too many jersey designs on the market.
Manly initially demurred as well but News Corp understands that when they were approached again earlier this year, they agreed to the new design, which features rainbow colours where there is normally white space on the jersey, to coincide with Women in League round.
Sources close to the club insist the Sea Eagles commercial team’s first stop was with the football department, to ensure they had no issues with the concept.
It is understood the football department raised no concerns, albeit having failed to raise the issue with the playing group.
“You don’t do anything unless you know footy is sweet with it,” one Manly insider told The News Corp.
The next stop for Manly was the NRL and their licensing department, who News Corp understands made changes to the initial design.
Their issue wasn’t with the rainbow design, but rather with the placement of the Gotcha4Life logo that will be on the jersey for Thursday night’s game.
The NRL asked that the Gotcha4Life logo be moved — it was originally going to be across the chest but it was shifted above the Sea Eagles logo.
“Any special jersey has to go through a pretty strict approval process with the NRL,” a source told News Corp.
“There were things that were picked up and changed. I know fans think a jersey was designed yesterday and pops up the next day. But there is a very long, not just approval process, but manufacturing process.
“The rainbow is meant to represent every culture. It was meant to embrace Women in League round and make it part of it.”
Once the jersey was approved by the NRL, it was put before the board for final approval — Manly have been without a chief executive since Steve Humphreys left the club in late-March. New chief executive Tony Mestrov is due to start on Monday.
The process took months, rather than weeks. There was ample time for Manly to raise the concept with their players but the first they knew about it was when they picked up Daily Telegraph newspapers this week to see Sea Eagles stars Sean Keppie, Kieran Foran and Reuben Garrick modelling the new strip.
That image caught members of the Manly squad off guard and prompted a mass backlash by some of their biggest stars, who will sit out Thursday night’s game rather than take the field in the rainbow jersey because of their religious beliefs.
Their absence comes at a crucial time in Manly’s season as they fight for a place in the finals. Sadly, it isn’t just Manly fans who will suffer.
Among the innocent victims of the saga has been Worland, who has devoted years to building his charity and beamed with pride this week as he spoke about his beloved Roosters and Jackman’s Sea Eagles playing for the Gotcha4Life Cup.
He certainly didn’t deserve to have his moment in the sun hijacked. More importantly, nor did his charity.
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