Australia's big improvers the Melbourne Rebels will be looking to take the next step in 2014 and take their Super Rugby campaign well into finals time.
Lance Franklin with mate James O’Connor last year. Source: News Limited
FORMER Wallaby Drew Mitchell has hit out at Melbourne Rebels for their latest advertising assault on AFL superstar Lance Franklin.
The Rebels have gone after one of the AFL’s biggest names following Franklin’s criticism (on Twitter) of the Super Rugby club last year when they released his Wallaby mate James O’Connor.
Lance Franklin with mate James O’Connor last year. Source: News Limited
It all kicked off with a prickly Valentine’s Day message to Franklin in the Herald Sun last week.
And the Super Rugby club has ramped up the attack further with another ad aimed at Franklin, which takes a thinly veiled swipe at the former Hawk’s supposed lack of loyalty for leaving AFL premiers Hawthorn to join the Sydney Swans.
The second Rebels ad reads: “ Dear Buddy, Last year, we weren’t the best of mates. You thought we treated a ‘buddy’ of yours like a #scapegoat, and took to Twitter to ‘unload’ on the Rebels.
It’s taken a while for us to respond to you because we wanted to show you that it wasn’t so much #PoorForm to have the Club coming out hands clean but that we needed to put the Club, its Members and fans, before the individual.
In 2014 we at the Rebels are seeking #REBdemption. We’re about righting the wrongs of our past on and off field performances and make the news for the right reasons.
The Melbourne Rebels’ ad. Source: Twitter
“We’re about winning more games. We’re about playing for each other. We’re about our Members, and making Melbourne proud of their international Rugby Union team.
Anyway, we don’t need to discuss loyalty any further. No doubt you’re up there enjoying Bondi Beach a lot more than the Yarra but if you are visiting Melbourne on Friday, 28th February come to AAMI Park and check out #biggerandbetterthings for yourself.
The Rebels.”
Mitchell — soon to be a teammate of O’Connor’s at Toulon when the ex-Rebel joins the French club next season — didn’t see the funny side today, describing it as a “disappointing tactic” and urging Melbourne to “just play footy”.
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