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IT STARTS atop the weathervane of the old SCG scoreboard, sweeps down onto a rugby league fantasy land where Clive Churchill turns inside passes to Darren Lockyer, and ends with Norm Provan and Arthur Summons receiving pats on the back from premiership-winners Cameron Smith and Greg Inglis.
The NRL's television advertising campaign is a seamless combination of the old and the new but during this centenary season it will probably become a case of "Where's Wally" as fans attempt to identify every player in the 60-second slot.
Indeed, league trainspotters are certain to watch the advertisement repeatedly in slow-motion as they attempt to identify as many players as possible, right from the moment Dally Messenger kicks the first ball.
The advertisement, which is the NRL's most expensive marketing campaign to date and started airing last night, still celebrates the code's milestone and evokes the smell of liniment in the nostrils.
"We think it merges the new and the old very well," said the NRL's director of commercial and marketing, Paul Kind. "Everyone can find something to relate to. We had to be a lot of things to a lot people in 60 seconds. We think we've done that."
And that's a good thing because rugby league is a lot of things to a lot of people, old and new.
The "That's My Team" campaign of the past five years was a reminder of the tribalism the code generates.
But this season's offering is one that fittingly represents the transformation the game's undergone through the ages - and much of it is computer generated.
Kind said the campaign was conceived as far back as 2005 but much of the hard work was done at Leichhardt Oval last November as past and modern greats gathered to be filmed for the campaign.
That included Provan and Summons re-enacting the famous pose captured by Fairfax photographer John O'Gready after the the 1963 grand final between St George and Western Suburbs, with both of them allowing themselves to be covered in cocoa and vaseline to mimic the mud caked over them that day.
It also provided one of the more fascinating parts of the ad as players from different eras but the same team combine on the field.
Souths' halfback Craig Wing replaces John Sattler in one shot to set up the Prince of Locks, Ron Coote, for a try. In another, Dragons captain Mark Gasnier links with his famed uncle Reg.
Look very closely and Parramatta whiz-kid Krisnan Inu is supporting Brett Kenny as he streaks down the sideline in the 1981 decider. NSW Origin greats Brad Fittler and Laurie Daley embrace captain Steve Mortimer after he fell to the ground in relief after finally winning the series in 1985. And in the final eight seconds of the advertisement, great
moments from 15 grand finals are depicted.
The NRL will be running on-line competitions throughout the season, asking fans to identify as many players as possible.
And where's Wally? The King's in the final shot, embracing his kids from the final time he played an Origin match.
Other posters who've seen it reckon it looks great. Can't wait to see it.
IT STARTS atop the weathervane of the old SCG scoreboard, sweeps down onto a rugby league fantasy land where Clive Churchill turns inside passes to Darren Lockyer, and ends with Norm Provan and Arthur Summons receiving pats on the back from premiership-winners Cameron Smith and Greg Inglis.
The NRL's television advertising campaign is a seamless combination of the old and the new but during this centenary season it will probably become a case of "Where's Wally" as fans attempt to identify every player in the 60-second slot.
Indeed, league trainspotters are certain to watch the advertisement repeatedly in slow-motion as they attempt to identify as many players as possible, right from the moment Dally Messenger kicks the first ball.
The advertisement, which is the NRL's most expensive marketing campaign to date and started airing last night, still celebrates the code's milestone and evokes the smell of liniment in the nostrils.
"We think it merges the new and the old very well," said the NRL's director of commercial and marketing, Paul Kind. "Everyone can find something to relate to. We had to be a lot of things to a lot people in 60 seconds. We think we've done that."
And that's a good thing because rugby league is a lot of things to a lot of people, old and new.
The "That's My Team" campaign of the past five years was a reminder of the tribalism the code generates.
But this season's offering is one that fittingly represents the transformation the game's undergone through the ages - and much of it is computer generated.
Kind said the campaign was conceived as far back as 2005 but much of the hard work was done at Leichhardt Oval last November as past and modern greats gathered to be filmed for the campaign.
That included Provan and Summons re-enacting the famous pose captured by Fairfax photographer John O'Gready after the the 1963 grand final between St George and Western Suburbs, with both of them allowing themselves to be covered in cocoa and vaseline to mimic the mud caked over them that day.
It also provided one of the more fascinating parts of the ad as players from different eras but the same team combine on the field.
Souths' halfback Craig Wing replaces John Sattler in one shot to set up the Prince of Locks, Ron Coote, for a try. In another, Dragons captain Mark Gasnier links with his famed uncle Reg.
Look very closely and Parramatta whiz-kid Krisnan Inu is supporting Brett Kenny as he streaks down the sideline in the 1981 decider. NSW Origin greats Brad Fittler and Laurie Daley embrace captain Steve Mortimer after he fell to the ground in relief after finally winning the series in 1985. And in the final eight seconds of the advertisement, great
moments from 15 grand finals are depicted.
The NRL will be running on-line competitions throughout the season, asking fans to identify as many players as possible.
And where's Wally? The King's in the final shot, embracing his kids from the final time he played an Origin match.
Other posters who've seen it reckon it looks great. Can't wait to see it.
