Our research established that while most Australians had deep connections to the game, whether through family or grassroots participation - many had drifted from interest in the Premiership season. By tapping into club identity, connecting it to place and personal history, and giving fans something they could be proud of, we realised that large scale murals were key to bridging pre-season above-the-line advertising and grassroots advocacy.

We commissioned a series of permanent murals that tackled timely, controversial, and iconic stories in the game, among them this one in Sydney’s beachside suburb of Cronulla.

In 2016, the Cronulla Sharks broke a 50 year drought to win their first NRL premiership, but a lacklustre 2017 season had left fans uninspired. We set out to remind them how good it feels to win.

We wanted a mural that celebrated victory’s true face. Not bold athleticism, or tough guy attitude, but heartfelt emotion.

Bringing to life Grant Trouville’s photo ’50 Years of Tears’- which had just won the country’s top news photography prize - artist Sid Tapia captured the tearful embrace of Sharks captain Paul Gallen and club legend Andrew Ettingshausen after their Grand Final win.

The mural, executed in the club heartland is a popular spot.

With over 22,000 engagements on social, seen by thousands every day, and with millions of total impressions both online and off, the mural took on a life beyond the immediate neighbourhood. It was covered by national media and, most importantly, gave fans something to be proud of again, with overwhelmingly positive social sentiment.

Club membership was even up in 2018, with the Cronulla Sharks seeing a year-on-year improvement of 11%.

Led by the ‘This Is How We League’ campaign and club murals like ‘UP, UP’, the 2018 NRL season has seen attendance, viewership and club membership trending upwards across the competition.

Round One attendance in particular increased by 41,709 YoY (a 41.3% increase YoY), making it the biggest season launch since 2011.