“I know Charlie well. He’s the South Sydney mascot, dresses up in that very hot suit of Reggie the Rabbit every week,” Albanese said. “He’s a very small man. He certainly wouldn’t have hurt anyone by intention.”
Gallico apologised for the bad publicity the incident had caused the club and said it wouldn’t happen again.
Flashpoint: The altercation between Reggie the Rabbit and a young Sharks fan.Credit: TikTok/Michael Brombal
“I love this club and would not mean to do anything to hurt the club, but unfortunately, this time my actions have hurt the club,” he said.
“I will do everything I can to represent South Sydney in the best way possible from now on. Nothing like this will ever happen again. Once again, I know what I did was wrong, and I apologise for my actions.”
‘A wonderful, gentle guy’: PM reveals Reggie the Rabbit will apologise
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended Charlie Gallico, otherwise known as long-time South Sydney mascot Reggie The Rabbit, after he was accused of pushing a nine-year-old boy at Shark Park on Saturday, and revealed Gallico will apologise for the incident.
The Cronulla and South Sydney clubs are investigating after the mother of the child posted on social media claiming Gallico, 80, had assaulted her son, who she said was in shock after the incident.
Albanese – the Rabbitohs’ No.1 ticketholder – revealed in a radio interview with ABC Brisbane that Gallico will meet the boy and his mother on Tuesday.
“I know Charlie well. He’s the South Sydney mascot, dresses up in that very hot suit of Reggie the Rabbit every week. He’s 81 years old. He’s a very small man. He certainly wouldn’t have hurt anyone by intention,” Albanese said.
“The young boy was obviously shocked by this incident. My heart goes out to him as well. And the good news is that Charlie, this wonderful, elderly, gentle guy, will meet this young boy and his mum tomorrow in order to apologise. And I just hope that they have a hug and that the young boy grows up loving rugby league as much as Charlie does.”
The mother said her son had been reprimanded by a nearby security guard following the incident, but insisted he had done nothing that might have provoked hostility from Gallico.
Albanese was a director at South Sydney in the 1990s, when Gallico first became the Rabbitohs mascot.
“Charlie is just a lovely human being who wears that suit. People would think that, you know, he’s a big fellow. He’s not. He has that big head. Whether he could see out or what occurred, didn’t matter, but it shouldn’t have happened quite clearly,” Albanese said.
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“He’ll apologise tomorrow and I hope that that apology is received in the spirit in which I’m sure Charlie will give it because he is a gentle fellow … I just hope that it ends well tomorrow. And I wish him well, and I wish this young boy and his mum well, as well.”
Gallico addressed the matter for the first time on Monday, telling Nine News he had been heckled by a group of boys during the match.
“He grabbed me, he didn’t go for a high five … no,” Gallico said. “The job means a lot to me. I’m sorry if I done something wrong.”
The NRL is aware of the incident and was making further inquiries.
Garrick eyes all-time Manly record after scoring spree against Raiders
Reuben Garrick’s new No.1 fan might have slept through his bumper haul against Canberra on Sunday, but she should be front and centre in his personal cheer squad if and when he breaks Manly’s all-time points scoring record.
Barely 24 hours after becoming a father for the first time, when fiancée Riley Wishart delivered baby daughter Elsie, Garrick went on a scoring spree against the Raiders at Brookvale, crossing for four tries and kicking six goals for a 28-point contribution.
The Sea Eagles celebrate one of Reuben Garrick’s four tries against Canberra.Credit: Getty Images
That lifted the 27-year-old to 50 points for the season – 16 points clear of his nearest rival, Brisbane skipper Adam Reynolds, after three games.
It also took him to a career tally of 1214 points, third on Manly’s all-time list behind Jamie Lyon (1410) and Graham Eadie (1917), who are both squarely in his sights.
If Garrick can maintain his current scoring average of 8.7 points per outing, he will need approximately 80 games to reach Eadie’s 42-year-old record – by which time little Elsie should be the best part of four years old, and quite possibly sitting on her mum’s knee in the grandstand.
Reuben Garrick is one of the game’s most prolific pointscorers.Credit: AP
A prolific scoring machine since his 2019 debut, Garrick smashed the NRL record for most points in a season in 2021 with a remarkable 334 – from 23 tries and 121 goals – becoming the first player in history to post a triple-century in a single campaign.
He is the fifth-highest scorer among current NRL players, behind Brisbane’s Adam Reynolds (2378), Penrith’s Nathan Cleary (1559), Parramatta’s Mitchell Moses (1301) and St George Illawarra’s Valentine Holmes (1248).
The NRL’s all-time leader is former Melbourne, Queensland and Kangaroos maestro Cameron Smith (2786).
And while breaking records is not Garrick’s priority, he’s happy to collect them if they come his way.
“Obviously those personal milestones are a nice achievement but, if I do get there, it’ll be on the back on great club success,” Garrick told this masthead.
“I’d love to [break the record], but at the same time it’s about turning up every week, working hard and doing my job for the team.
“If I keep doing that, the points should come. If I narrow my focus to that, hopefully I can get there one day.
“We’ll see how we go.”
On Sunday, Garrick came within a goal of Manly’s record for most points in a game by an individual – a 30-point mark that he has reached twice before and shares with Matthew Ridge and Ron Rowles.
He was left ruing his one wayward conversion attempt – which didn’t miss by much – but was more disappointed that he couldn’t sneak over for a fifth try, which would have equalled the club record held by winger Les Hanigan since 1967.
It was the second four-try haul of Garrick’s career, after also scoring a quartet against Gold Coast in 2021.
“I tried to tip ‘Brooksy’ [five-eighth Luke Brooks] up,” Garrick said with a smile. “We ran a shape out on the right and he kicked it over the top, and I said: ‘No, pass it mate.’
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“I was trying to get a fifth try, because I knew that was a club record, too.”
As much as he savoured his dream game against Canberra, Garrick said it came “nowhere near” the euphoria he felt after becoming a father.
“The feeling I had yesterday was out of this world,” he said. “To bring a little girl into the world, we’re just over the moon. It’s been a real rollercoaster. A very raw experience, but I’m absolutely stoked.
“I’m so proud of my fiancee, for what she went through, and so appreciative of how she’s looking after our little baby girl.”
Manly coach Anthony Seibold said it was “really special” to have a player of Garrick’s capabilities in his squad, capable of regularly putting large numbers on the scoreboard.
While Tom Trbojevic is widely viewed as Manly’s primary strike weapon, it’s worth noting that Garrick has outscored him 82 tries to 66 since they have been teammates.
Seibold, meanwhile, was disappointed to lose prop Taniela Paseka to a likely season-ending Achilles injury but was confident Manly have the depth to cope.
Experienced Toafofoa Sipley played in NSW Cup on Sunday, while rugged Nathan Brown is expected to be available for his first game this season after overcoming a foot injury.
