NSW Blues training: Panthers winger Brian To’o trying to grab a loose ball. (Image courtesy of Joshua Davis)
So, to celebrate the start of the new year, prominent Penrith Panthers winger Brian To’o was spotted sporting a Canterbury Bulldogs jersey.
On New Year’s Day, word spread that To’o had been photographed wearing a Canterbury Bulldogs shirt, and the picture had been posted to social media. This caused the platform to explode in popularity.
However, I doubt that I’m the only rugby league fan who thinks “who cares?
Really, it’s as easy as that.
According to certain media sources, it’s a case of odd choices and poor optics. One even suggested that the Panthers might make To’o apologize to the team’s supporters.
That was the disaster that befell Daine Laurie a few years ago when, while playing for the Tigers, he put on a Penrith shirt to commemorate his junior club’s premiership—the team he had grown up rooting for.
But then again, who gives a damn?
The players are currently on their off-season, so supporters who think that players only have affection for the teams they play for in the tournament must definitely have their eyes closed.
Players were once fans of this sport growing up, just like you and me. The distinction is that they continued to play, frequently not for the youth team they had supported. But as supporters, we end up rooting for the same team our entire lives and expect nothing less from the athletes who don our beloved team’s uniform.
And it makes sense during the season as well. In the perspective of both the fans and the club management who give these players hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, anything less than complete commitment to the cause that supporters invest their hard-earned money in will not do.
But once more, anyone who thinks that players might not harbor feelings for other teams is completely delusional.
To’o wearing the jersey would never have made it outside his immediate circle in a world without social media—an idealistic one that we don’t live in and haven’t for a while, but one that is worth addressing none the less.
Furthermore, it’s not like To’o’s professionalism or commitment to the Panthers can be called into doubt on the field
For some years now, he has been one of the top wingers in the league. One could argue that the star, who was selected among the first players selected for the Blues and represented Australia in the State of Origin, is one of Penrith’s most significant players and has been for the all of the team’s three-premiership, four-grand final run.
To’o’s consistency in gaining ground from the back of the park has been unmatched by any winger in the tournament, and his play has significantly improved Ivan Cleary’s team.
