Moving or exploitative? The verdict on the NRL’s grand final pre-match show

The NRL struggled to line up its traditional NRL grand final pre-match entertainment until days before the big game.No Olivia Dean, too expensive. No Tones and I, too complicated, especially if hit song Dance Monkey was off the playlist. No Silverchair reunion given the late notice and the well-known disagreements between the Newcastle band’s members.Retired South Sydney player Jai Arrow and former Wallaby Nathan Charles acknowledge the crowd before they take part in a lap of the field ahead of the NRL grand final.Getty ImagesThe NRL eventually decided there would be no show at all this year. The game’s supremo, Peter V’landys, said he would rather spend $1 million on junior development than a big-name act.So far, so chaotic.Then came a late turnaround during the week: V’landys said there would be a show, after all. And that would be “the highest-rating 11 minutes you will ever see”.It emerged the NRL planned a tribute to former Souths star Jai Arrow, whose forced retirement after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease has resulted in some of the season’s most emotional moments.Amy Shark and Dave Gleeson perform before the NRL grand final.Getty ImagesAs much love as there is around the rugby league community for Arrow and his family, there was a real risk a tribute dreamt up in the last week would feel exploitative. That it was milking the genuine warmth the game felt for the larrikin Rabbitoh.So after The Kid Laroi and Teddy Swims shone in the last two years, how was it?As excitement built towards kick-off, the show began with veteran commentator Ray Warren talking about the importance of rugby league heroes and announcing that the $1 million would allow underprivileged kids to play the game.He said Arrow had shown us “what true bravery really looks like” and called on the crowd at the stadium to shoot an arrow for Jai.Then Amy Shark started singing You’ll Never Walk Alone, the Liverpool FC anthem was the moving soundtrack to Arrow taking the field for his 100th and last Souths match and other emotional moments since his MND diagnosis.She greeted him and a surprise guest, former Wallaby Nathan Charles, who has also been diagnosed with MND, as they started a drive on a lap of honour.David Gleeson from the Screaming Jets, another favourite Newcastle band, took over with Four Non Blondes’ What’s Up, with Shark and the crowd joining in. Then Phil Jamieson from Grinspoon launched into the most famous rugby league anthem of all, The Best.The verdict: it was a simple but effective show.Considering how late it came together, the emphasis on Arrow, Charles and a trio of Australian singers had none of the wow factor of Kylie Minogue’s 20-minute set at the AFL grand final, but it worked well enough on TV.The visual element that should have capped the show – the crowd united in firing an arrow for Jai – came too early and didn’t pay off.Not one of the all-time great NRL grand final shows but it did not feel awkward or contrived.It will work a lot better next year if the planning starts a lot earlier.From our partners