'I have never seen that done before': Roosters accept blame for petty scoreboard act as NRL sends please explain letter
Updated . First published
The Roosters have apologised to arch rivals the Rabbitohs for a petty act that left Souths chairman Nick Pappas enraged.
Pappas was filthy that the scoreboard at Allianz Stadium on Friday night referred to the Rabbitohs only as "visiting team", interpreting it as a deliberate slight against his club on what would be an historic night as Alex Johnston broke the long-stranding record of tries scored.
Celebrations for his historic achievement were overshadowed by a sense that the home team had been "discourteous".
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"I have never seen that done before at an elite sporting event," Pappas said, per The Sydney Morning Herald.
Pappas told the SMH that he had raised the incident with NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo, who will ask the Roosters to explain their actions regarding the scoreboard's text.
Alex Johnston has scored 213 tries in his NRL career. Getty
As per the NRL operations manual, the "names of teams must be displayed at all time on the scoreboard alongside the live match clock.
Souths CEO Blake Solly confirmed that all clubs know "the ops guideline", however, "what the Roosters choose to do is their choice.
"I'm sure the NRL will take appropriate action at some point," he concluded.
Solly said he had no interest in replicating the scoreboard tactic in round 27 when Souths host the Roosters at Allianz Stadium.
"We're better than that," Solly said.
"All I know is clubs who breach that manual, including issues like taking too long to convert a try, are routinely warned and fined without a complaint from a rival club.
"I can only hope it's not one rule for 16 clubs and another for the Roosters."
In a statement on Monday, the Roosters took full accountability for the presentation of the team names on the scoreboard.
The club noted in the statement that this is not the first time they have referred to South Sydney as a visiting team on the scoreboard, but they will not continue to do it in future.
"The wording was implemented in good faith by the club's marketing department in recognition of the rivalry between the two clubs, which spans more than a century," the statement said.
"If this genuinely caused the level of concern suggested, we will cease doing so.
"This approach was taken in the spirit of the rivalry, and the Roosters acknowledged and appreciated the jest shown at Sunday's NSW Cup fixture at Redfern Oval, where the scoreboard referred to the Roosters as the 'visitors'."
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The Roosters ended the statement acknowledging the historic milestone achieved by Johnston during Friday's match, but their actions still "irked" Pappas.
"Friday night was a wonderful night for 'AJ' and for the rugby league with yet another record coming to the South Sydney Rabbitohs," he said on Sunday.
Fans flooded the field to celebrate the historic achievement of Alex Johnston. Getty
"But there were also things that irked me, most of all how the Roosters didn't even have the decency to put our club name on the scoreboard.
"It was thoroughly discourteous and clearly a bit of a jab at us ... Our club deserves an unreserved apology.
"Coming from a state-of-the-art stadium with a sophisticated scoreboard, it was really disappointing and thoroughly unprofessional."
Roosters players were asked for their thoughts on the cheeky scoreboard listing after the match, with Lindsay Collins recognising the ploy could have backfired easily.
"I saw it, but I wasn't a fan of it, myself," he said.
"It was lucky we won. I don't like those sort of things. You have to be a good sport ... I don't know who had control over there, but I wouldn't have done it."
On the other hand, Roosters winger Mark Nawaqanitawase said he felt it "was quite funny".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among those on the field on Friday. Nine
Additionally, the Rabbitohs are said to be bemused by reports the Roosters were upset about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's presence on the ground after Johnson's history-making try.
Albanese is the Rabbitohs' No.1 ticket holder and was spotted among the thousands of fans on the ground who were celebrating Johnston's 213th try.
There had been threats throughout the week that anyone who entered the field to celebrate the record would face fines of up to $5500 as well as stadium bans.
Multiple sources have revealed that Albanese entered a public lift alongside Roosters officials who were moving to the field to join players during the stoppage of play.
It was soon after that an awkward exchange unfolded between Albanese's team and Roosters officials.
"This is only for the coaches," a Roosters official allegedly told the prime minister.
One of Albanese's minders then replied: "This is the Prime Minister."
Pappas refused to comment on the elevator exchange, nor would he discuss the exchange he had with Roosters chairman Nick Politis post-match.
The Rabbitohs will return to action on Saturday when they host Wests Tigers.
