'Sloppy and incompetent': Fans slam NRL ad over 'litany of errors'
The new NRL ad has been widely praised but also criticised for being “too politically correct” and now a number of factual errors have also been pointed out from fans throughout the campaign.
The NRL unveiled its new advertising campaign on Monday - a throwback to Tina Turner’s iconic hit Simply The Best.
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While reaction has been mixed, some fans have pointed out some unusual errors in the ad that don’t seem to make sense.
The first error appears in the first few clips as footage shows the Trbojevic brothers playing around with a league ball in the backyard.
Super League footage is also running on the television as the date 1996 pops up as Tom and Jake play around.
But one fan pointed out Tom Trbojevic was born on 2 October, 1996, well after the Super League war had started.
The toddler in the photo also appears way too old to be Tom.
Tom Trbojevic must have run out of his mother's womb...#NRL pic.twitter.com/cbazUzyGii
— The Roast (@thenrlroast) March 2, 2020
Hey @nrl just on your new ad for 2020 u do know Tom Trbojevic (born 2 October 1996) pic.twitter.com/l3lp6deMHF
— john G (@berkeley_eagle) March 2, 2020
The second gaffe comes when a fan appears in a John Sutton jersey during the 2000 South Sydney Rabbitohs march against their exclusion from the NRL.
The fan hold up a sign, which reads: ‘Save our Souths’.
But Sutton did not debut for the Rabbitohs until 2004.
However, the NRL told The Daily Telegraph: “it’s a metaphor showing Sutton going from angry Souths fan to premiership winner.”
Even if you put the cringeworthy political correctness to one side, the NRL ad is simply the worst due to its litany of factual errors. Sums up @Todd_Greenberg. Sloppy and incompetent. #NRL #NRLad
— Bob (@Bob71883551) March 2, 2020
The final gaffe was spotted in an early version sent to news editors, showing Hazem El Masri carried off Belmore Oval in his final game in 2009.
But the original caption showed the date as 2010.
Does the nrl ad have hazem getting chaired off in 2009 but say belmore 2010??
— THE TROOPER (@peewee283) March 2, 2020
The final version fixed this error before it went to air on Monday, according to The Daily Telegraph.
NRL’s divisive ad
The two-minute ad features the Super League war, South Sydney’s expulsion from the comp, as well as some of the more memorable grand final triumphs of the last few decades.
Fans flocked to social media to sing the ad’s praises on Monday, however not everyone was impressed.
A number of prominent figures believe the ad is too ‘politically correct’, criticising certain aspects of the ad such as a long shot of Mitchell draped in an Aboriginal flag, Macklemore’s performance at the 2017 grand final in tribute to same-sex marriage, and the famous kiss between Karina Brown and Vanessa Foliaki after the partners played against each other in a State of Origin match.
