Pop star Tones and I could not resist a cheeky swipe at the NRL after turning down the chance to perform at the grand final.
Tones and I, real name Toni Watson, was initially lined up as the pregame entertainment.
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But following a reported dispute over the NRL’s request she play her hit single Dance Monkey, the artist decided to pull out.
The official line shared by Tones and I’s representatives stated scheduling conflicts ruled her out of performing.
Yet Tones and I instead played an intimate pop-up show in Victoria over the weekend, which included a meet and greet with fans.
She also headlined at Deni Ute Muster Festival in New South Wales, where she performed Dance Monkey.
And the artist could not resist a cheeky swipe at the NRL as she shared the performance on social media.
“We love to see it,” read the caption, alongside an emoji of a smirking face.
It comes after many fans felt the NRL sent a not-so-subtle dig at Tones and I by playing Dance Monkey at the Accor Stadium after the first try of the grand final.
The Daily Telegraph’s Dave Riccio posted: “Cheeky play from the @AccorStadium DJ for choosing Tones I “Dance Monkey” for the first post-try song of the grand final.
Tones and I has previously admitted she “loathes” singing the track, despite it being the song she is best known for.
“A lot of the time I don’t want to sing it.” the Aussie said of the hit in 2022.
Despite a late change to the pregame entertainment, with the NRL instead choosing to honour Jai Arrow and Nathan Charles, the show attracted millions of viewers.
Channel 9 figures reveal 2.2 million people tuned in for the entertainment – beating Kylie Minogue’s AFL grand final performance by almost 400,000 viewers.
Amy Shark led a rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone as Arrow and Charles performed a lap of honour in a car, before being joined by Screaming Jets frontman Dave Gleeson, Peking Duk’s Reuben Styles and members of Grinspoon, also singing Tina Turner’s iconic song The Best.