NRL Season Launch.

PILA’s NRL rugby league goal posts were on full display in the middle of Sydney Harbour for the 2021 NRL Rugby League Season Launch.

This season the NRL is celebrating its 20-year partnership with Telstra, and Nathan Cleary put on an amazing kicking display to win the kicking challenge through PILA’s football goal posts, earning a $20k prize for junior club Colyton Colts!

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo welcomed the start of the football season at a toned-down daytime event held at Sydney’s White Bay Cruise Terminal. While it was a more subdued event than in previous years, officials were excited by the impending return of crowds to cheer on an even faster game. The NRL expects to welcome back capacity crowds in NSW and QLD early in the season, with the first time grounds will be able to sell-out tickets since round one 2020.

Players from all 16 NRL clubs were in the harbour city in person, rather than appearing virtually, with some travelling across state borders to get into NSW for the event. Yet Abdo made it clear the NRL is “not taking this for granted, we’re going to monitor the situation. We saw in the Australian Open how quickly things can change, so if there’s an outbreak we’ll be ready to kick in with our protocols. We’re going to be vigilant and we’re planning for the worst. We’ll be ready for any scenario”.

Abdo also reflected on the harsh lessons learned from the global pandemic and he is confident the game is ready to stay one step ahead. “At this point, everyone is doing such a good job, we’re going to have fans back in stadiums, all our favourite events back – Anzac Round, Magic Round, and Easter – so there’s a lot to look forward to.”