Up the Milk? Canberra Raiders' major sponsor hunt begins

While no formal discussions have taken place with the Raiders, it's believed Canberra Milk have discussed the possibility internally and there's the potential for more formal discussions to occur in the coming weeks.

Social media lit up on Monday calling for the return of one of the most iconic jersey's in rugby league history, with Canberra Milk stoking the fire themselves on Facebook.

Their sponsorship gave birth to the famous war cry that lives to this day: "Up the Milk".

They're one of three premiership major sponsors for the Green Machine, appearing front and centre on the jersey for the 1994 grand final triumph over the Canterbury Bulldogs.

They were also on the front the previous year.

Canberra Milk are currently the Raiders second major sponsor, appearing on the sleeves of the 2020 jersey, and have been with the Green Machine from the start as a foundation partner.

Huawei announced they were pulling out as Raiders major sponsor a year early on Monday, which comes to an end after nine years with the club at the end of the season.

They'll still remain as a minor sponsor for 2021 and will appear on the back of the jersey, while also retaining naming rights for the Raiders' centre of excellence in Braddon.

Plus they were open to staying on with the Raiders beyond next year if Australia's economic climate for Chinese businesses changed.

But Huawei said the federal government banning them being part of Australia's 5G network rollout forced their hand.

Canberra Milk responded to the announcement on social media.

"Thank you to Huawei Mobile for your ongoing support to the club," they said on Facebook.

"Canberra Raiders - happy to have a chat over an ice cold glass of Canberra Milk. #UpTheMilk"

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Raiders chief executive Don Furner said they would initially talk to their existing sponsors to see if any of them would be willing to step up as major sponsor.

He said Canberra Milk would naturally be great given their long history with the club - approaching nearly 40 years - having been there since the club's inaugural season in 1982.

But he said they would also talk to their other sponsors.

It's believed they've had preliminary talks with a couple of other external possibilities as well.

Furner said they were unlikely to get an international sponsor this time, given the pandemic's affects have been felt worldwide.

"One of the first things we do is to speak to our incumbents and we've got a few that are there," he said.

"First thing we would do is ask them if they'd be interested in stepping up.

"There's McDonald's, Denman Prospect, Canberra Milk, ActewAGL. So we'll speak to them.

"Canberra Milk obviously would be fantastic, but we've just got to go through that process."

Furner said the only timeline pressure they faced was meeting the NRL's strict retail guidelines.

If they're not adhered to then monetary penalties apply.

First the jersey's need to be designed and then approved by the NRL.

Then they're sent off for manufacture - which can face delays in the current coronavirus climate - before they finally make their way into stores.

While Furner was confident the Raiders would find a new major sponsor, he admitted it might not be for the same amount as their current Huawei deal - which was for more $1 million per season.

He also said there was the possibility they might not have one by the time they run out for round one in 2021.

If that's the case then retailers would only order a small number of Raiders jerseys until a sponsor was landed.

"Apart from the timelines of getting all the gear ticked off for next year's range, we're not in a massive hurry apart from meeting those timelines," Furner said.

"All the designs have got to get approved, then they've got to go into manufacture and they've got to get into the stores.

"There's strict guidelines in meeting the timelines required for the retail program.

"If we did have [a blank jersey] retailers would buy a small amount, they wouldn't put massive orders in until we secured a sponsor."

NRL ROUND 17

Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Sydney Roosters at Canberra Stadium, 7.35pm.