Rugby Australia boss Hamish McLennan has revealed how the NRL overreaction to Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s determination to ditch league and return to union will assist bankroll their code’s return to solvency.
While no-one at RA is popping any champagne corks but as a result of rugby in Australia nonetheless has a pile of different issues to resolve, together with discovering a brand new chief govt, the NRL’s bleating over dropping Suaalii is the reward that retains on giving.
Not solely has it offered the embattled code with hundreds of thousands of {dollars} price of free publicity, however it has additionally unintentionally helped reunite the rugby devoted.
“The media reaction has been extraordinary,” RA chairman Hamish McLennan instructed a CODE Sports Investigation.
“As Gus Gould quite rightly said, ‘every time they see Joseph everyone will correlate that with his return to union’.
“Joseph will be a sponsor‘s dream, he’ll put bums on seats.”
RA was a basket case when McLennan agreed to step in as chairman in mid 2020, through the grips of the pandemic.
But after a tumultuous few years of heavy monetary losses and job cuts, simply final week RA introduced an $8.2 million surplus for the 2022 monetary yr.
The coming years will even see rugby given a second probability to create a respectable World Cup legacy with
Australia awarded the internet hosting rights for the 2027 (males) and 2029 (ladies) World Cups.
Combined with the profitable 2025 British and Irish Lions tour, RA conservatively expects to generate greater than $200 million simply from these mega occasions.
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Source: www.foxsports.com.au