Then Brisbane Broncos captain Allan Langer and Tina Turner with the Winfield Cup trophy in Sydney on 26 September 1993. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.co.nz
Opinion - News of Tina Turner's passing this morning at age 83 was greeted with great sadness by many. But it set off an immediate wave of reminiscence in Australasia that only we understand, given her incredibly successful and unlikely connection with rugby league. In fact, it's fair to say that without her, the story of the Warriors might be very different.
It's important to note that while she is so indelibly tied to the sport in this part of the world, Turner's involvement with rugby league is just a tiny part of what was an incredible life.
Her upbringing in Tennessee was at a time when African-Americans were still subjugated by strict Jim Crow laws, made even harder by her mother fleeing her abusive father while she was a child. Despite this, Turner's singing career that started in her local church eventuated into a one of the most successful of all time, winning multiple Grammys, Platinum albums and some of the most instantly recognisable songs ever.
She overcame another abusive relationship with husband Ike to become, in the 1980s, one of the most famous people in the world. Remember, this was the pre-internet era so there was only ever room for about five to ten people to ever be considered globally famous at any one time.
Tina Turner as Aunty Entity in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985. Photo: Kennedy Miller Productions / Collection Christophel via AFP
So how on earth did she become the face of, what was then, a regional rugby league competition?
Turner's career in Australia predated the now-iconic Simply The Best campaigns of the late 80s and early 90s. She portrayed Aunty Entity in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1986, a year after the release of her Private Dancer album that reached five times Platinum status in the US alone. The film was shot in New South Wales, with the connections during that time made to bring Turner back a couple of years later to front the ad campaign for what was then the Winfield Cup. The NSWRL had big plans for the competition to rival the just-as-ambitious AFL, which had already expanded into Sydney and Brisbane by that stage.
The original 'What You See Is What You Get' ads are about as 80s as they come, with Turner's parts shot separately to the footage of players of the time hilariously flirting with the camera. It was a major departure from the tough man image that the sport had engendered over its history to that point.
However, it was her involvement over the next few years that people of a certain generation remember the most. 'Simply The Best' was used as the sport's anthem in a period when marketing was aggressively pushed not only through Australia, but New Zealand as well. The Winfield Cup was after the eyeballs of what we know as Generation X, with Raiders, Broncos, Sea Eagles and other team jerseys quickly becoming must-have Christmas and birthday presents.
The success of 'Simply The Best' laid the groundwork for the eventual plans to set up new teams for the competition, including one based in Auckland that would start playing in 1995. It can't be understated how successful this strategy was - having a global superstar involved in the marketing completely legitimised the Winfield Cup in a time when the All Blacks were still amateur, both on and off the field (it's not too much of a stretch to say they still haven't caught up). It basically ensured that the team that would become the Auckland Warriors had a fan base ready to go before they'd even signed a player.
Turner was still involved by the time the Warriors did make their debut season, when the last iteration of 'Simply The Best' showcased them, the North Queensland Cowboys and now-defunct Western Reds and South Queensland Crushers. Warriors winger and noted pretty-boy Sean Hoppe was given the job of giving sexy eyes to the camera, which he did a great job of while the then 55-year-old Turner danced on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
It's telling that by mid-morning, tributes were flowing in for Turner from NRL teams, players and media. She was part of something that hooked a huge community onto something that many of us still cling onto with the tightest of nostalgic fervour, a feeling widely shared and understood that's been passed down to the next generation. It's part of the reason why the NRL has such loyal fans, particularly in New Zealand.
Thanks Tina, Simply the best ❤️ pic.twitter.com/DasSLqIFmL
— Brisbane Broncos (@brisbanebroncos) May 25, 2023
There will be a lot said about the passing of Tina Turner and the impact she left on many people's lives, but it's important to realise the uniqueness of what she did for rugby league in this part of the world. As far as fronting sports advertising campaigns, she was simply the best.
