IT may surprise regular readers to hear that Janet Jackson and Luther Vandross aren't on high rotation in Kickoff's Spotify account; to be honest Cold Chisel doesn't have a lot of company in that list.
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What does Janet Jackson have to do with rugby league? Not much, but neither did Tina Turner right. Jackson and Vandross' 1992 collab The Best Things in Life are Free ironically featured in the soundtrack to the 1992 film Mo' Money.
It'll probably still run second to Cold Chisel at most venues, but it should be the soundtrack to the 2020 Illawarra Rugby League season.
The revamped competition, that will begin on July 18, got the rubber stamp on Monday, a credit to all involved, in particular general manager Chris Bannerman who only officially returned to work this week, but spent the best part two months working around the clock to get the comp up.
Four of seven teams put their hand up. A lot has and will be said about that, but this column will not sit in judgement of any club, certainly not with benefit of hindsight.
These are unprecedented times and challenges. The IDRL made the right move in taking one big decision - barring player payments - out of the hands of clubs. The clubs then had to make a myriad of other decisions based on their own circumstances.
Had all teams decided not to go ahead, this column would have applauded them for making a difficult call. We're not about to sit here now and criticise those that ultimately did make that call.
However, what this column also won't cop, is any suggestion the 2020 premiership will somehow mean less or that the eventual premiers will have an asterisk next to their title.
In many ways, this year's crown will be more special. Think about the players that can sit at the pub in 10-20-30 years time and say 'we won it the year we played for free'.
That sentiment has proved enough for former NSW Origin prop Tim Grant - who was playing in the NRL just last year - to reaffirm his commitment to the Thirroul this year.
Butchers coach Jarrod Costello didn't have to twist any arms to get his squad back at training last week and told Kickoff that whoever gets their hands raised in September will have well and truly earned it.
"It's not something I've spoken to the players or anyone else about but it'd be pretty special, just for the fact you've got everyone there for the right reasons, they want to represent the club and represent sponsors," Costello said.
"We had a hundred per cent buy-in. We got in contact with all our players and every one of them, to a man, said they'd play for nothing. I've always been proud to coach the Butchers but that was probably as proud as I've been when I rang them all that day.
"I think it says a fair bit about the club's culture and the club's values to have those guys come on board and say they're prepared to play for nothing, they were emphatic.
"With some additional things you've got to do around training and game day, if we were to win it, it's a massive reward for not just players but everyone who contributes, your volunteers and committee.
"Just because there's four teams there, there's a heap there to play for and some things we'll look at down the track and be really glad we made the call to make this work."
Helensburgh will also be putting a total of five teams on the park and, despite inevitably losing a few players as the process became drawn out, top-grade coach Gav Lennon echoed the call that this year's premiers will have done it the right - some might say old school - way.
"Obviously some people are going to say it's a cheapened season because we've lost some quality players out of the competition but, as a club, this is the year you want to win a comp," Lennon said.
"It would show we've been doing things the right way and our clubs built on a rock solid foundation. Our model's working to some degree because we're still able to attract players without the coin.
"We've had few blokes pull the pin but the ones we've been able to get, they're here for all the right reasons. Everyone's coming in on a level playing field and we probably don't know what to expect.
"It's going to be interesting to see how it pans out but, this year, everyone's got a puncher's chance. To me, if you win this year, you'd probably hold it up a little higher than a normal premiership."
A puncher's chance is all perennial battlers Corrimal have ever asked for and, in a roundabout way, they'll finally get it this year. Of the four clubs to throw their hat in the ring, the Cougars could've been most forgiven for opting out.
Under the likely season structure - a nine-round season and four-team, two-week finals series - they'll play finals this year by default, but don't try and tell anyone they haven't earned a free swing at it over recent seasons.
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Clubs with far more resources have opted out of far lesser competitions. It'll still be a hard slog again this season, but the club wasn't about to just throw out the rebuilding efforts of coach Sean Maloney without a fight.
"We've had about 14 players pull out so we've got a fair few missing from the team we put together over the off-season," Maloney said.
"We've got an [under] 18s this year and we haven't had one for five years. That's something we've been trying to achieve. Hopefully that'll put us in good stead over the next three or four years but, for the the moment we just need to keep competing against some of these bigger teams.
"We had a lot of meetings with players and coaching staff, the guys I've had involved since I've taken over, and they've have been very good and just wanted to play.
"They're attitude's fantastic and they're all mates, they just like having a beer and bet after the game. They've never been about the money, it was a bonus for them, but it's been nothing compared to the big four clubs.
"They're happy to put the body on the line for Corrimal week in week out. That's all we can ask of them."
Wests coach Pete McLeod will also be running out a different team to what he envisioned in February. Despite what people may say or hear to the contrary, the Devils recent success has been built on local juniors.
The abbreviated season will give him the chance to give the next crop their shot at a title that would be as sweet as any they've claimed in the previous decade.
"We had so many young juniors that wanted to play footy and I needed to get them a game," McLeod said.
"Other clubs have made decisions early on for whatever reason, but the reality is, our local kids are playing footy this year and theirs aren't. It shows the culture of the four clubs that are playing now that they're players are willing to strap them on for nothing.
"We've got most of the core blokes we've had over the last couple of seasons so I think we'll be as strong as anybody, but it wasn't about how strong we were going to be, it was about getting a team on the field.
"Footballers are competitive and that's why they play. Once they get on the field it's all background noise, once we're on the park and were playing Thirroul, Helensburgh, Corrimal, our guys will be just as excited to win as any other year."
As always, there's a different narratives at play for all clubs involved, but anyone who thinks it doesn't mean as much as previous seasons is missing the point entirely. Like the Coke Zeros in the Parrish Park media box, the best things in life - and rugby league - are free.