At the Super League Grand Final held yesterday at Old Trafford in Manchester, a huge mural of Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow was unveiled.
In 2019 Rob was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, and since then he has been raising funds to help the fight against the disease. That effort culminated a few days ago when last Sunday, 8 October, Rob along with his wife Lindsey and friend Kevin Sinfield received a special Daily Mirror ‘Pride of Britain' Award.
Rob's family will be alongside him on the pitch for the unveiling of the mural, which is called ‘Brothers In Arms'. It was designed by Jimmy Thwaite from East Yorkshire, whose design was one of eight shortlisted as finalists in the competition. Runners-up in the competition were all awarded prizes that included signed rugby shirts, rugby balls, and weekend train tickets.
The competition was run by the train operator, Northern, which is an official partner of the Super League, and has sponsored the Community Stand at today's final.
Northern has also sponsored murals at some of its stations, including at Salford Central where earlier this month an existing mural was updated to show the company's latest trains, and at Halifax in West Yorkshire where a mural depicts the town's culture, history and wildlife.
Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “Our long-standing partnership with Super League has always been about enabling children and families across the North of England to get involved with rugby and benefit from the community spirit of the game.
“Many of the designs submitted as part of the competition featured Rob and I think everyone agrees that he exemplifies the spirit of the game and the positive connection between its teams.”
Commenting on his artwork, Jimmy Thwaite said: “I called it ‘Brothers In Arms' because what Kevin Sinfield has done for Rob Burrow is everything that is good about rugby league.
“For me, rugby league is about community and brings together work ethic, charity, places and people. We're not the biggest, but we can be the best.”
