Last night’s Origin wasn’t merely a disaster for the NSW team (flogged 32-6 by Queensland) and losing the series in just two games, the pre-match entertainment has also been slammed after Shannon Noll opened his set with a KFC jingle leaving fans rather bemused.
Read last night’s Origin numbers and all of Wednesday night’s TV HERE.
‘Nollsy’ – as he’s better known – is currently paying the bills flogging his very own KFC-themed ‘Shannon Dinner Roll’ and singing the ad track called ‘Fried Night Footy’. You can read B&T’s original reporting and hear the song HERE.
Shannon Noll belts one out to last night’s Origin crowd
Last night, the 47-year-old started his pre-match show with a version of ‘Fried Night Footy’.
Strangely, broadcaster Nine decided not to air any of Nollsy’s act despite heavily promoting it on socials, leaving the sold-out Suncorp crowd to be the only ones to suffer it.
Nine had previously copped stick from viewers for not airing pre-match entertainment. It riled up fans when it cut short the Living End’s performance in Adelaide during the first State Of Origin in late May.
None other than Kyle Sandilands called out the Nollsy quandary on his radio show this morning, suggesting Nine may have possibly stuffed-up in ignoring a major sponsor like KFC.
“If you are going to perform, and it’s going to be televised, they don’t get to just choose [not to air it] on the day. Something must have gone wrong,” said Sandilands.
Co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson replied: “You would think if they’re the sponsor, then why wouldn’t they air that?”
“I don’t know. It’s just weird. Why give it to the people there and not the people at home?” she asked.
B&T has contacted Nine for clarification but it declined the invitation to comment.
Nollsy’s fans also took to social media to gripe their man had been forced to sing KFC ads; not that they got to hear or see any of it anyway.
“Did the NRL just make Shannon Noll perform a full song about the KFC Friday Night Footy jingle?” one person tweeted.
Another said: “Shannon Noll singing a KFC ad at Origin has to be as low as things could ever get #RIPTina.”
“Who needs Taylor Swift when you’ve got Shannon Noll at Suncorp Stadium singing a song about footy and chicken,” said another.
ABC Sport’s Nick Campton chimed in with, “If I wasn’t seeing Shannon Noll open his pre-game set with a KFC jingle I’d refuse to believe it happened.”
Another journalist, Kathy McCabe, noted that Nine didn’t play the performance, while it did air on ABC radio – a network known for its no-ad stance.
McCabe said: “So Nine doesn’t broadcast Shannon Noll’s ‘performance’ because he was singing the theme song of the sponsor. Which would be a free ad. But ABC sport radio accidentally did cuz they were broadcasting pre match stuff. Funny.”
You can watch some of Nollsy’s performance below:
