Simply the best! Tina Turner set to be honoured with moving tribute at NRL grand final in October
Just the best! Tina Turner will be honored with a touching tribute at the NRL Grand Final in October
The late great Tina Turner will be honored at the NRL Grand Final in October for her huge contributions to the game.
Turner was recruited by NSW Rugby League (NSWRL) in 1988 to lead a campaign for the iconic Winfield Cup and bring new fans to the game.
During the iconic marketing campaign, Turner became the face of the NRL and her hit (Simply) The Best became the anthem of the sports code in 1990.
Rumor has it that Ruva Ngwenya, who played Turner in the Australian production of Tina The Musical, will headline the pre-match entertainment and pay a touching tribute to the Queen of Rock and Roll.
The tribute also marks the 30th anniversary of Tina’s iconic performance at the 1993 NRL Grand Final where she inspired the crowd by singing her national anthem.
The late great Tina Turner (pictured) will be honored at the NRL Grand Final in October, for her huge contributions to the game
During the hugely successful campaign, Tina re-recorded the song with Jimmy Barnes in 1992 when she traveled to Australia to film an advertising campaign.
Turner passed away on May 24 at the age of 83, following a long illness that sparked a flood of public tributes around the world.
She first changed the direction of rugby league with the 1989 campaign with her hit What You Get Is What You See, which she filmed in Britain alongside Manly Great Cliff Lyons and ex-Cronulla hardman Gavin Miller.
Turner was recruited by NSW Rugby League (NSWRL) in 1988 to lead a campaign for the iconic Winfield Cup and bring new fans to the game. Pictured: Tina with Jimmy Barnes in 1992
But it was her 1990 advert, filmed in Australia and featuring all of the game’s top players, that is now forever in NRL folklore.
Known for hits like Nutbush City Limits, Proud Mary and River Deep – Mountain High, it was (Simply) The Best that competition fans Down Under will fondly remember.
(Simply) The Best is now synonymous with rugby league for many Aussies, as it changed the game forever.
Turner, who is famously from Nutbush, Tennessee, would go on to become a footy icon.
During the iconic marketing campaign, Turner became the face of the NRL and her hit song (Simply) The Best became the sport’s anthem in 1990.
The tribute also marks the 30th anniversary of Tina’s iconic performance at the 1993 NRL Grand Final where she inspired the crowd by singing her national anthem.