Less than 24 hours after clashing in the NRL arena, Brisbane Broncos coach Wayne Bennett and Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy united for an important cause.
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"If you're part of the rugby league family, you've always got a friend," Bennett reportedly commented at Friday's fundraising lunch for the family of rugby league player James Ackerman.
Ackerman was killed after a tackle in June in a match between Norths and Sunshine Coast - Brisbane and Melbourne's respective feeder teams.
Bennett's words rang true as his Thursday night opponent Bellamy sat alongside him on stage, with roughly 360 people attending.
So far, $340,000 has been raised for Ackerman's wife Saraa and their two children, a significant contribution for the young family.
Cameron Smith has presented the Ackerman family with a cheque for $340,000. Well done to all who donated. #Ackers8 pic.twitter.com/IPkFBjtp3M— Intrust Super Cup (@IntrustSuperCup)
September 4, 2015
One of the organisations involved was Brisbane Bombers NRL bid CEO Nicholas Livermore said the Ackerman cause had brought the local league community together.
"We're just a Brisbane bid team and even to be welcomed in loosely into the NRL community to be fundraising for a day and drop those political boundaries, it was good for rugby league, in hard circumstances," he said.
Almost a dozen members of the Ackerman family were at the lunch, with Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith presenting them with a cheque for the amount raised.
Members of the public can still contribute to the cause at ackers8.com, with an ongoing silent auction running until Monday.
