It is surprising to say the least to see a SuperLeague defender on a Manly forum.
To live up to my forum name, you do remember who was running the ARL at the time?
Ken Arthurson, perhaps Australia's finest sports administrator.
The game had structural problems, which came to the fore at the time because of its tremendous success. The code was expanding, had the cash to invest into grass roots and was the envy of rivals for its innovative marketing.
Why was that? We had a genuine league lover in charge with nous, integrity and guts. He and Quayle were attempting to rationalise Sydney clubs in the least disruptive fashion, mindful of the fact that the real league lover loves the club as well.
SuperLeague was a hostile (in every sense of the word) takeover bid by the purely self-interested greedy monopolistic Broncos and pay TV pushers News who only will ever see league as product to be exploited for maximum gain from minimum input. It was headed by Ribot who has always struck me as someone whose grandiose opinion of himself far exceeds his capabilities. I note he has gone from job to job since.
I note also karma is visiting the Sydney clubs stupid enough to jump to SuperLeague. Canterbury, Cronulla and Penrith are all going from once farce to another. Even the 90s marquee club Canberra has never regained the lustre it had under the ARL.
SuperLeague was an unloveable concept pushed by unloveable and frankly inferior individuals.
Manly is much more than money or a franchising concept. Love of Manly, whether by the Delmege sons that convinced the dad to invest (actually donate) or by good and faithful servants who rebuilt the club from desolation is worth far more than the quick dollars painfully since extracted by News or a frankly ridiculous "vision". We were right to stay with the ARL and have been vindicated.