Simply the best? NRL brings back Tina Turner for 2020 ad campaign
The National Rugby League has launched its 2020 marketing campaign and there is immediate controversy | WATCH
It begins in the bedroom of young Cameron Smith and ends with a young girl watching the Melbourne captain being honoured for his 400th first grade appearance.
In between, the greatest moments of the past 30 years are celebrated to the tunes of Tina Turner’s iconic ‘Simply the Best’, arguably rugby league’s greatest anthem.
The National Rugby League launched their 2020 marketing campaign on Monday night and there was immediate controversy.
There was also a reminder of all that has made the game great over the past three decades, from Newcastle’s maiden premiership to Benji Marshall’s magical flick pass in the 2005 decider.
There was a celebration of the game’s indigenous players with the image of Latrell Mitchell draped in the indigenous flag and a nod to the women’s game.
The period was not without controversy, the ad making note of the Super League war and Souths’ axing from the premiership.
VIEW THE NRL AD FOR THE 2020 SEASON HERE
But the good far outweighed the bad. The NRL sought input from key stakeholders who have shaped the game since 1990 — including past and present players, media identities, administrators and partners to choose the 30 iconic on and off field moments which are featured in the campaign.
“Rugby league in Australia is still Simply The Best and that will be our theme for 2020,’’ NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said.
“This campaign celebrates the best on and off field moments in our game over the last 30 years and acknowledges some of the challenges we have overcome.
“It also reflects on the impact of rugby league in Australian communities and how our game, like no other, brings communities and cultures together.”
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