- Brendan Cowell says Scott Morrison pretended to be a footy fan
- Actor says Sharks fans won’t miss him waving his scarf
- Former Prime Minister recently returned his status as the number 1 ticket holder
Australian Hollywood film star and Cronulla tragic Brendan Cowell has criticized former Prime Minister Scott Morrison for faking his love of rugby league and making fun of NRL fans.
Last month, Morrison handed back the No. 1 ticket holder status bestowed upon him by the Cronulla Sharks, with the NRL club making the announcement in a brash manner to fans.
Morrison was given the honorary title when he served as treasurer in 2016, the same year the Sharks delivered long-suffering fans a first NRL premiership.
But after announcing his resignation from politics in February, triggering a by-election in his seat of Cook, he decided to return honorary status.
Hollywood movie star and Cronulla diehard Brendan Cowell (pictured) says former Prime Minister Scott Morrison is a fake rugby league fan
Morrison was named the No. 1 ticket holder in 2016, but resigned from the position last month
The ground announcer at PointsBet Stadium made the announcement during the first home game of the season, which was followed by no applause from fans or mention of a replacement.
Speaking to SEN Breakfast on Wednesday, Cowell believes Morrison had been a fake football fan all along.
“Morrison’s gone. He did it on the ground. They have announced that he is stepping down as the No. 1 ticket holder,” the Game of Thrones and Avatar star said.
“And there was a very, what you would call an anticlimactic, reaction to that announcement.
‘It was just a buzz with a bit of ‘oh really, well’. We won’t miss him wrapping his scarf around his head like no one ever does in rugby league, you know what I mean.
‘He did well. He pretended to be a rugby league man very well. I bought it. I think he did the same thing when he was Prime Minister. I think he has also done an excellent job of convincing everyone of this. I don’t know which one he did better.’
Cowell, who was sitting on the floor at the time, joked that he would accept the position.
‘I turned to the Sharks manager and said, ‘Dino (Mezzatesta), I’m wearing a collared shirt, should we just go on the pitch and do it? I look good. We could make the announcement right now,’ and he burst out laughing,” Cowell said.
Cowell says Morrison did a great job convincing people he was a rugby league man
Morrison was a regular face at Sharks matches, pictured with premiership-winning former halfback Chad Townsend
Morrison posted on social media last month about why he has regained No. 1 ticket holder status with the Sharks and vowed to continue supporting the club.
“I look forward to continuing to be a passionate supporter (of the Sharks) for years to come… We are so proud of our history and so excited about our future,” he posted on social media.
Morrison said he was pleased to have his support for the club as the local MP, treasurer and prime minister had “been helpful” but made the decision after leaving politics.