Panthers v Broncos preview
4 hours ago | Rhys Sullivan
Fans Use The Force in Star Wars Jersey Auction
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs supporters have helped the Club raise nearly $40 thousand dollars for community initiatives through the auction of limited edition Star Wars jerseys worn against the Canberra Raiders in round 26 of the 2011 NRL season.
In total, the auction - run with the assistance of Grays Online - raised $39,000, which will be directed towards the Club's involvement with premium community partner Camp Quality as well asĀ other selected community activities.
Not surprisingly, the number 12 of retiring captain Andrew Ryan fetched the largest amount at auction, selling to a buyer from western Sydney for a phenomenal $5,519.
The jerseys were worn in the match to mark the release of Star Wars : The Complete Saga on Blu Ray disc, the second such time the Bulldogs Club and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have joined forces for a joint promotion of this kind following the ultra-popular Avatar jersey of 2010.
The Bulldogs set the tone for the Star Wars release both here and overseas, with the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets and the Mother Energy Drinks backed Ford Falcon of V8 Supercar driver Jonathan Webb all running special events in the weeks since the Bulldogs-Raiders match on September 4.
Second to Ryan was the jersey of fullback Ben Barba, who crossed for four tries in the 36-22 victory, seeing him finish equal top of the competition's try scoring list for 2011 with 23 for the season.
Barba's jersey sold for $4,019 to a buyer in the ACT.
Young prop Sam Kasiano was a surprise third placing, with his number 10 going for $2,509, ahead of centre Josh Morris (#3, $2,239), lock David Stagg (#13, $2,209), and interchange half Ben Roberts (#19, $2,109).
In total, all but four of the 17 jerseys auctioned sold for in excess of $2,000, with the smallest amount raised for an individual jersey coming in at $1,309, while purchasers came from across city and country NSW, the ACT, and Queensland.