Broncos refuse to back down over Magic Round promo snub
Phil Lutton - May 8, 2019 — 4.49pm
The Broncos have refused to back down from a decision not to send a representative to a Magic Round event in Brisbane, making them the only club not to take part in the major promotion. Fifteen of the 16 NRL clubs had representatives at the Million Dollar Kick in Brisbane's King George Square, where fans could try to kick a football through a goal and then into a basketball hoop in the hope of striking it rich. But Brisbane were noticeably absent, a move that wasn't appreciated by the NRL as it tries to promote the first Magic Round, which sees every match played at Suncorp Stadium from Thursday until Sunday.
The Million Dollar Kick was sponsored by insurance company Youi, which is a direct rival of NRMA, a long-time major sponsor at Red Hill. In a statement, Brisbane said they had 'opted out' of the event and their stance had been 'fully endorsed' by the NRL the previous night. “The Brisbane Broncos’ partnership with major sponsor NRMA Insurance explains why the club opted against sending a representative to an event promoting a rival insurance brand as part of the NRL’s Magic Round,” the Broncos said in a statment. “NRMA Insurance is one of the club’s contracted 'protected partners' – which means the club cannot take part in anything that promotes a rival brand in the same category.
“Once the Broncos discovered today’s (Wednesday's) promotional event was sponsored by another insurance brand, the club opted out – and informed the NRL.“The NRL fully endorsed that course of action as recently as last (Tuesday) night, and we make we make no apology for standing with our long-term partners NRMA Insurance.
“In saying that, the Broncos have done more than any club over the past month to help promote Magic Round across the club’s social media channels, promotional emails to members and player media appearances.”
The Broncos had two players, Matt Gillett and captain Darius Boyd, at the Magic Round launch on Tuesday while coach Anthony Seibold will conduct his regular pre-match press conference at Red Hill on Thursday, ahead of their clash with Manly on Friday night.
Brisbane were the only club not to attend an event in their own city, citing a sponsorship clash as the reason for the no-show.
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