TripADeal's Norm Black: The man who delivered Jarryd Hayne to the Gold Coast Titans
He's the one-time surf shop owner from Taree with six kids who supported the Dragons for 40 years. Meet Norm Black, the man who delivered Jarryd Hayne to a club and region crying out for a hero.
Black ignored his favourite side – who wanted Hayne – and shut down an attempt from the Eels to recapture their favourite son.
Jarryd Hayne: It is what it is
Jarryd Hayne speaks about his return to the NRL by signing for the Gold Coast Titans instead of the Parramatta Eels.
Black is the owner and founder of TripADeal, one of Australia's fastest growing companies. He poured in $400,000 to get Hayne. That figure is also his yearly commitment to the deal. Hayne will be a brand ambassador for a new offshoot company, Phone A Flight.
"This didn't happen overnight," Black said of the signing. "It started six months ago when I was starting to think about who we wanted to promote our product.
"I just thought there and then the person we need is Jarryd, the Hayne Plane. His story really inspired me.
"A friend of mine knew Brian Canavan, who was then the COO of the Titans, and I got in touch. He impressed me straight away and he also got a huge rap from David Gyngell [former Channel Nine chief executive], who I also know. I told him when the whole Rio dream was starting off that if there ever was a chance to be involved with Jarryd, I wanted in. If the club was going to have a crack at Jarryd, I'd be part of it. I just liked what he was about.
"I went and had a meeting with his agent, Wayne Beavis, and once I met him I was even more interested. I saw there was a genuine care, like a father for his son, and I thought I want to be involved with these guys and I want the region of the Northern Rivers to have a hero like Jarryd and a team to look up to in the Titans."
When Hayne didn't make the Rio Games he became an option for the Titans. But Parramatta were his first choice and they needed money.
Inspirational meeting: Norm Black and son Finley with Jarryd Hayne. Photo: Supplied
Black's money was being talked about in football circles. Chris Orr, the manager of Eels coach Brad Arthur, heard about the interest from Black and made an approach. Black wasn't interested at all. "I wanted to help the Titans," Black said.
All this and he had never met Hayne. "I met him [Hayne] for the first time on Tuesday afternoon at [Titans chairwoman] Rebecca Frizelle's house. It was away from the cameras, microphones, all that kind of thing and I was so impressed with him as a young man. I listened to him talk and I thought if my kids grow up to be that kind of person I'd be really proud. What really sealed it for me was he said to me, 'I'm just going crazy, I want to get out there, I just want to play league'.
"And I could see his pain about Parramatta but, to be honest, it was more about his mates, especially Tim [Mannah]. He didn't want to let him down. I talked to him about that and said that if I had an employee that had that bond like that I explained that it would be understandable if the environment had changed ... You wouldn't want someone to be loyal to his own detriment and I think he got that, but I did love his loyalty.
"Also I was really impressed that at no point did Beavis or Jarryd say to me, 'How about a bit more?'
That was never a conversation. That fitted the respect I got from everyone at the club, from [club boss] Graham Annesley down."
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...to-the-gold-coast-titans-20160806-gqmnha.html
He's the one-time surf shop owner from Taree with six kids who supported the Dragons for 40 years. Meet Norm Black, the man who delivered Jarryd Hayne to a club and region crying out for a hero.
Black ignored his favourite side – who wanted Hayne – and shut down an attempt from the Eels to recapture their favourite son.
Jarryd Hayne: It is what it is
Jarryd Hayne speaks about his return to the NRL by signing for the Gold Coast Titans instead of the Parramatta Eels.
Black is the owner and founder of TripADeal, one of Australia's fastest growing companies. He poured in $400,000 to get Hayne. That figure is also his yearly commitment to the deal. Hayne will be a brand ambassador for a new offshoot company, Phone A Flight.
"This didn't happen overnight," Black said of the signing. "It started six months ago when I was starting to think about who we wanted to promote our product.
"I just thought there and then the person we need is Jarryd, the Hayne Plane. His story really inspired me.
"A friend of mine knew Brian Canavan, who was then the COO of the Titans, and I got in touch. He impressed me straight away and he also got a huge rap from David Gyngell [former Channel Nine chief executive], who I also know. I told him when the whole Rio dream was starting off that if there ever was a chance to be involved with Jarryd, I wanted in. If the club was going to have a crack at Jarryd, I'd be part of it. I just liked what he was about.
"I went and had a meeting with his agent, Wayne Beavis, and once I met him I was even more interested. I saw there was a genuine care, like a father for his son, and I thought I want to be involved with these guys and I want the region of the Northern Rivers to have a hero like Jarryd and a team to look up to in the Titans."
When Hayne didn't make the Rio Games he became an option for the Titans. But Parramatta were his first choice and they needed money.
Inspirational meeting: Norm Black and son Finley with Jarryd Hayne. Photo: Supplied
Black's money was being talked about in football circles. Chris Orr, the manager of Eels coach Brad Arthur, heard about the interest from Black and made an approach. Black wasn't interested at all. "I wanted to help the Titans," Black said.
All this and he had never met Hayne. "I met him [Hayne] for the first time on Tuesday afternoon at [Titans chairwoman] Rebecca Frizelle's house. It was away from the cameras, microphones, all that kind of thing and I was so impressed with him as a young man. I listened to him talk and I thought if my kids grow up to be that kind of person I'd be really proud. What really sealed it for me was he said to me, 'I'm just going crazy, I want to get out there, I just want to play league'.
"And I could see his pain about Parramatta but, to be honest, it was more about his mates, especially Tim [Mannah]. He didn't want to let him down. I talked to him about that and said that if I had an employee that had that bond like that I explained that it would be understandable if the environment had changed ... You wouldn't want someone to be loyal to his own detriment and I think he got that, but I did love his loyalty.
"Also I was really impressed that at no point did Beavis or Jarryd say to me, 'How about a bit more?'
That was never a conversation. That fitted the respect I got from everyone at the club, from [club boss] Graham Annesley down."
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...to-the-gold-coast-titans-20160806-gqmnha.html
