NRL: Drug scandal looms over season launch

Wade Graham of the Cronulla Sharks attends the 2015 NRL advertising campaign launch at Sydney Opera House. Photo / Getty Images.

The NRL today kicked off the 2015 season with the unveiling of their bright new television advertising campaign but the spectre of the Gold Coast Titans drugs scandal loomed large over the glitzy affair at Sydney's famous Opera House.

Warriors captain Simon Mannering joined players from each of the other NRL clubs, bar injured North Queensland prop Matt Scott, along with NRL chief executive Dave Smith, as the new commercial, set to Robbie Williams' song 'Let Me Entertain You', was revealed on a giant television.

Afterwards, however, all the attention fell on Titans fullback Will Zillman, as he spoke publicly for the first time about the impact the six arrests of past and present players on drugs charges has had on the beleaguered club.

"Obviously it's been quite a tough week for us," Zillman said. "Training has been as per usual but it has been tough for us. We don't have a game this week but in nine days' time we do and that's something we need to start preparing seriously for."

Zillman would not comment specifically on the allegations against teammates Greg Bird, Dave Taylor, Beau Falloon, Kalifa Faifai Loa and Jamie Dowling, and former squad member Joe Vickery, but said they were all struggling with the events of the past week.

"I have spoken to them. Obviously they're going through a tough time."

When asked whether the rest of the Titans players were concerned that their reputations could be damaged by association, he said: "The club is bigger than a couple of players.

"Basically what we're doing is looking forward to round one, we need to move on from this and prepare for a rugby league game.

"Our mentality is sticking together and coming out on the other side of this whole thing a better club and that's what we're going to do."

Smith, meanwhile, found himself defending the use of pop star Williams' song, after the singers well documented struggles with cocaine addiction.

"I reckon there's a few rock stars who have had problems with cocaine," Smith said. "But Robbie did a Violence Against Kids [campaign] last year and he raised $10 million for little kids around the world so I think he's a reformed star."

The up-tempo ad features more than 50 NRL club members and fans in a range of scenarios that include a Maori boy performing a Haka on a Sydney train and highlights of Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson and Rabbitohs captain Greg Inglis' trademark post-try 'Goanna' celebration.

"The ad is not about him (Williams)," said Smith. "The song is about entertainment, it's about how great our game is, about how inclusive the game is, how warm the game is and the sheer talent we've got."

The poor timing of the drugs scandal, together with Canterbury Bulldogs recruit Jacob Loko pleading guilty to high-range drink driving today, could not be helped, Smith said.

"These events you've got to keep in perspective. Every single day of our lives things happen and you've got to deal with those things."

The NRL season gets underway next Thursday with the Brisbane Broncos hosting reigning premiers, South Sydney, at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.