Piers Morgan is slammed by NRL players and fans after complaining about ‘shameful’ try celebration that mocked English Ashes stumping scandal
Polarising broadcaster Piers Morgan has been roasted by a host of NRL identities after complaining about a post-try celebration that mocked the infamous Ashes stumping of Jonny Bairstow.
Morgan tweeted his displeasure that Raiders star Elliott Whitehead – who is from Yorkshire – was happy to take part in the playful scenes on Friday in Wollongong that followed Jordan Rapana scoring an early four-pointer against the Dragons.
Backrower Whitehead pretended to be Bairstow on-field, with Morgan left seething.
‘Just found out the batsman in this shameful spirit-of-the-game mocking stunt is not only English, but a Yorkshireman,’ Morgan tweeted.
‘What on earth are you doing Elliott Whitehead? Are you a closet Australian?’
Piers Morgan has been roasted by a host of NRL identities after moaning about a post try celebration that mocked the infamous Ashes stumping of Jonny Bairstow
The Raiders mocked the England cricket team during their NRL match on Friday in hilarious scenes (Englishman Elliott Whitehead is pictured, middle)
It didn’t take long for Morgan to attract an avalanche of criticism online.
Channel 7’s Jim Wilson tweeted in response: ‘No he’s [Whitehead] a fair and reasonable man, unlike you,’ before labelling Morgan a ‘serial pest’ and a ‘whinger.’
Jelisa Apps from Channel 10 continued the pile on, tweeting ‘could it get any better than triggering Piers. This is a truly great day.’
Whitehead’s teammate Zac Woolford – who took on the role of Aussie wicketkeeper Alex Carey in the post try celebration antics – fired back: ‘Why wouldn’t he want to be an Aussie? Greatest country on earth.’
What Morgan presumably didn’t know was that Sportsbet are offering NRL teams $5000 for imaginative post try celebrations as part of their annual Try July campaign.
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Players from the Canberra Raiders after their clever post try celebration on Friday in Wollongong which incensed Piers Morgan
Bairstow’s dismissal against Australia has divided opinion among cricket fans and pundits
The gambling company were said to be so impressed by the Raiders on-field skit they are going to hand over $10,000, according to Fox Sports presenter Yvonne Sampson.
The accumulated funds will be donated towards the recovery efforts of former Sharks winger Nathan Stapleton and ex-NRL coach Daniel Anderson.
Stapleton was left a quadriplegic after suffering a spinal cord injury while playing rugby union in country NSW and Anderson – who coached the Warriors and Eels between 2001 and 2010 – faces the same uncertain future following a freak accident when bodysurfing last December on the NSW central coast.
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