The inside story of the jersey that has divided a club
Who came up with the idea to replace the club uniform and how a jersey - months in the planning - arrived on Hugh Jackman’s doorstep before players were told can now be revealed.
About two weeks ago, one of Manly’s pride jerseys arrived on Hugh Jackman’s doorstep. 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 Mad Max. Roberts, then with Manly, came out in the mid-1990s as the first openly gay rugby league player.
Jackman, noticeably pointing at the Gotcha4Life logo in the photo, and Hemsworth had generously offered their support to Worland and Roberts in the lead-up to a game 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 at least seven players to stand down rather than wear the same jersey Jackman wore with a beaming smile.
Manly is a club in crisis and the remarkable thing is it has been more than a year in the making.
An emotional Manly coach Des Hasler and his captain, Daly Cherry-Evans, fronted an extraordinary press conference on Tuesday, apologising to everyone from the aggrieved footballers to the “LGBTQ community”, to NRL clubs, to “minority groups” as well as for “shifting the spotlight” from the launch of the Women In League round.
Hasler said there had been “little consultation or collaboration with key stakeholders” both inside and outside the club and this had caused “significant confusion, discomfort and pain for many people”.
But it can be revealed 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 Cronulla, another of Dynasty’s clients, was approached at the same time about the rainbow concept but declined because it already had too many jersey designs on the market.
Manly initially demurred as well but when it was approached again earlier this year, the club agreed to the new design – which features rainbow colours where there is normally white space on the jersey – to coincide with the 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 it 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 said.
The next stop for Manly was the NRL and its licensing department, which made changes to the initial design. Its 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 said. “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 has 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 its players but the first they knew about it was when they picked up Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph and The Australian 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 the team’s 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 it fights for a place in the finals. Sadly, it isn’t just Manly fans who will suffer.
As his team fell apart around him, Cherry-Evans, the club captain, said he will proudly wear the pride jumper in the crucial game against the Roosters.
“I’m really trying to encourage people to have an open mind on what has happened,” Cherry-Evans said.
“As a society we have a long way to go on topics like this. But there are going to be people out there wearing the jersey.
“I will be out there proudly wearing the jersey and trying to endorse inclusiveness and diversity. Eventually, once we get over the fact people have made the decision not to play, there are going to be people who made the decision to wear the jersey.”
Roberts said he was “incredibly” excited when he first heard about the jersey being introduced with the “right intentions”.
“I try to see it from all perspectives but this breaks my heart,” he said. “It’s sad and uncomfortable. As an older gay man, this isn’t unfamiliar. I did wonder whether there would be any religious pushback. That’s why I think the NRL have never had a Pride round.”
It’s not the first time an Australian football team has been faced with a player pushback on wearing rainbow colours. In January this year AFLW GWS player Haneen Zreika stood down from the Giants’ clash with the Western Bulldogs after refusing to wear the club’s Pride guernsey on religious grounds.
Rugby league boss Peter V’landys said he would now consider a “pride round” and also observed the Manly pride jersey issue is not a “political issue”.
“One of the things I love about Australia is we have this freedom; we don’t live in Russia,” V’landys said. “It doesn’t matter who you are, we are treated equally. We’re not going to back away from that, but at the same time we respect the players’ position.”
“Our policy, and it doesn’t matter who you are, I hope they change their minds because that is the beauty of rugby league – it is the greatest game for all.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he hopes the division within Manly over the Sea Eagles’ jerseys that feature the pride flag “is resolved”. “And it’s important that in Australian society, we respect everyone for who they are.”
Religious leaders accused the Manly club of causing “unnecessary hurt and division”.
