‘Disappointing and unprofessional’: Souths blast Roosters’ antics on Johnston’s big night

3 hours ago 1

South Sydney chairman Nicholas Pappas says arch-rivals the Sydney Roosters acted “discourteously” when they took the bizarre step of refusing to refer to the club by name on the official scoreboard during Alex Johnston’s history-making night on Friday.

Souths officials were also bemused by reports the Roosters were upset Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – who is the Rabbitohs’ No.1 ticket holder – joined the thousands of fans on the ground to celebrate Johnston’s 213th try, despite threats all week about supporters facing fines if they did so.

Several witnesses spotted Pappas and Roosters chairman Nick Politis in a verbal exchange at full-time.

Sources with knowledge of the situation not authorised to speak publicly also confirmed there was a flashpoint between Albanese’s security and the Roosters just after Johnston scored in the second half.

Multiple sources confirmed Albanese tried to get in the same public lift as several Roosters officials who were going to the ground floor to join the players during the stoppage in play.

“This is only for the coaches,” one Roosters official allegedly said to the PM, only for Albanese’s minders to politely point out, “This is the Prime Minister”.

Alex Johnston after breaking the Australian rugby league record.

Pappas would not comment about his discussion with Politis, nor the elevator exchange.

“Friday night was a wonderful night for ‘AJ’ and for rugby league with yet another record coming to the South Sydney Rabbitohs,” Pappas said on Sunday.

“To do it at Allianz Stadium, the same precinct where we’ve had more success than any other club, has great symbolic value.

“But there were also things that irked me, most of all how Venues NSW and the Roosters didn’t even have the decency to put our club name on the scoreboard.

The scoreboard celebrates Alex Johnston’s milestone try.

“Rather than South Sydney, the scoreboard read ‘visiting team’. I have never seen that done before at an elite sporting event.

“It was thoroughly discourteous and clearly a bit of a jab at us, and symptomatic of the way our desire for us to return to what is a public asset has been viewed by Venues NSW. 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.”

Officials confirmed it was the Roosters who requested the name change on the scoreboard.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was one of thousands of punters to take to Allianz Stadium to celebrate Alex Johnston’s try.

“If indeed it was the Roosters who made this bizarre request, it shows yet again how weak-kneed Venues NSW are to the whims of the Roosters,” Pappas said.

Last week, this masthead revealed the Roosters had fired off a legal letter to Souths late last season after CEO Blake Solly referred to them as “petty” in an interview with News Corp.

Had Johnston reached the try-scoring milestone in round 27 last year, Souths had asked the Roosters if they could celebrate the achievement after full-time.

It was a Roosters home game, and they told Souths their preference was to honour their departing players, and if they wanted to acknowledge Johnston, they could do so in one corner of the ground.

Politis and Roosters CEO Joe Kelly did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday.

Roosters players were split when asked about the club’s cheeky ploy to refer to Souths as “visiting team”.

Winger Mark Nawaqanitawase said, “That was quite funny; it was a nice little touch”.

Representative prop Lindsay Collins said: “I saw it, but I wasn’t a fan of it, myself. 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.”