ARL v Super League War in Drama-Mini Series

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Aetna

Reserve Grader
There have been rumours of a new drama-miniseries being made around the ARL-Super League war of 1994-1997. This comes about after the success of the "Howzat! Kerry Packer's War" two part miniseries earlier this year.

What memories do you have most of the ARL-Super League war?
For me it was the post ARL-Super League war forced mergers to try to get a 12 team NRL competition from 23 teams (12 ARL) (10 Super League) plus Melbourne Storm.
The original merger idea's were:
Souths & Cronulla= South Sydney Sharks.
Parra & Balmain= Parramatta Tigers.
Canterbury & Wests= Wests Bulldogs.
Manly & Norths= North Sydney Sea Eagles.
 
Aetna said:
There have been rumours of a new drama-miniseries being made around the ARL-Super League war of 1994-1997. This comes about after the success of the "Howzat! Kerry Packer's War" two part miniseries earlier this year.

What memories do you have most of the ARL-Super League war?
For me it was the post ARL-Super League war forced mergers to try to get a 12 team NRL competition from 23 teams (12 ARL) (10 Super League) plus Melbourne Storm.
The original merger idea's were:
Souths & Cronulla= South Sydney Sharks.
Parra & Balmain= Parramatta Tigers.
Canterbury & Wests= Wests Bulldogs.
Manly & Norths= North Sydney Sea Eagles.
This is fantastic news!, now we can get a dramatised version of how duplicitous the Bulldogs, their coach and CEO were at the time, especially their CEO who was on the ARL committee.
 
I remember one of Sydney's newspapers also having Manly & Balmain merge at one stage with Manly Tigers written across the back sports pages. I hope someone can find some of these articles?

Dennis Fitzgerald the boss of the Parramatta Eels at the time returned from a trip to the USA with hats made up of the Parramatta Tigers merger. He tried to convince the Eels supporters that the Tiger is more marketable than a Eel.

There was also talks of the Parramatta Panthers merger.

The Bulldogs & Magpies merger WESTS BULLDOGS was going to be around the big Stadium complex on the Hume Hwy in Liverpool which collapsed.
 
Although I will watch it, I think it will hurt the League again. We still have not really recovered from it as a sport. It will only line the pockets of Nine and add nothing to the ARLC. It will not be an accurate account if any circumstances as it is all dramatised for the entertainment. If they want to do a mini series on League I would think the conception of SOO would be better suited and to pay tribute to Beetson, Lewis, Raudonikis and co. Play this before the SOO next year and it will be a ratings killer.
 
eagleE said:
Although I will watch it, I think it will hurt the League again. We still have not really recovered from it as a sport. It will only line the pockets of Nine and add nothing to the ARLC. It will not be an accurate account if any circumstances as it is all dramatised for the entertainment. If they want to do a mini series on League I would think the conception of SOO would be better suited and to pay tribute to Beetson, Lewis, Raudonikis and co. Play this before the SOO next year and it will be a ratings killer.
I agree but unfortunately in the modern big bad world of media, controversy sells.
Why do you think reporters are breaking into closed door Mad Monday celebrations & are not at the Children's Hospital to see all the good work the players do?
The ARL-Super League war, the Bulldogs 2002 Salary Cap Scandal followed by 2004 Premiership or Storm 2010 Salary Cap Scandal followed by 2012 Premiership is controversial & will sell.
Channell Nine could of done a miniseries on Greg Chappell or Ian Chappell but Kerry Packer's War on Cricket would sell better. In fact there would be more of a chance that the less famous Trevor Chappell would get a miniseries called the "Under Arm".
 
I remember the Big League magazine having a spread on the Sydney City Dragons, and that the merger was close to a done deal.

The Super League years overshadowed what was a great Manly side 1995 to 1997.
 
I just remember that in 1996 we beat them all where as in 1997 it was a half strength joke competition. Didn't really count so get stuffed Knights and Broncos. Should be wiped from the history books like Storm 07 09. Oh yeah and Ribot was and always will be a c@#* head.
 
Hopefully all the two faced pricks are portayed correctly, in particular Meneniga and his quote that ARL had done nothingn for him
 
It should be pretty favourable to us if they go ahead with it. Nine won't allow them to create something that puts them in a bad light, or as the bad guys. As we were on the side of good, Arko will be front and centre in the story.

Would be good to watch as Ribot, Arthurson and Murdoch are still alive to tell their parts of the story. Bullfrog is dead unfortunately. Would have been interesting to see him squirming while being asked some tough questions by the producers.
 
Which actor would they use for the role of Ribot?
John%20Ribot.jpg
 
3 biggest memories for me were

Meninga and his statement about the ARL as already mentioned. no one begrudges him going but he lacked class kicking sand in the faces. He was the most capped test player ever and while he had some good years he had many lazy years and was selected many times because of the qld/nsw policy of picking test teams. Without doubt he benefited from many circumstances other than his ability

Brisbane Easts wanted to merge with the gold coast and the balmain tigers but a 5 year exclusivity contract that was handed to the broncos didnt allow it. They were rumoured to be called the East coast tigers which would have been a great fit, and provide brissie with another team after News ltd killed the crushers


And brisbane's realisation they would never have competed with the manly machine so they started another comp to avoid being bitch slapped


Notable memories included kerry bousted qitting his association with the cowboys when they turned. Obviosly he believed footy had been good enough to him to give his loyalty.

E. T retiring in circumstances that created much speculation

And souths fighting the establishment

Michael o conners love of the coin

The birth of harrigan the media bitch,

And luke priddis being switched from canberra to brisbane as he was surplus and was distributed as they saw fit
 
Super League Royalty:

Count Ribot
Count Moore
Count Daley
Count Stuart

... and all the Counts from Cronulla, Penrith, Canterbury, NZ, Canberra and Queensland.

Every time of think of you, i think you are all Counts.
 
My lasting impression of the era is of the hypocrisy and hyperbole.

And in the end we went from a 'vision' of dominating the world, to a national competition that was actually smaller then when hostilities began, and a heartland full of supporters ignored as their clubs were pushed to extinction based on the flawed Criteria.
 
You could actually make another series with the Humphries thing in the 80s and the resulting ****fight that also caused the game.
It would have a happy ending with Kevin Humphries cleared of any wrong doing


Maybe not fully rl orientated but love to see either a movie or tv show based on Frank 'Bumper' Farrell it'd be Underbelly crossed with the Final Winter
 
Remember John Ribot's quote that "Andrew Ettingshausen will become a household name in China" once his Super League vision takes effect?

In 1997 there was that Super League World Club Challenge in which we had over 50 points scored by one team in 16 occasions.

How about teams like the Western Reds, Auckland Warriors & Adelaide Rams which the ARL brought into the competition in 1995 & in 1996 they announced that they are going Super League?

Didn't the Canberra Raiders have points deducted in 1996?
 
Adelaide Rams were a sl team due to the Dragons not crossing over.
Reds jumped ship because the ARL wouldn't cover costs of the opposition, many fans actually stopped following them then.
Warriors at the time I think were owned by the nzrl and they signed with super league.
 
eagles2win said:
Adelaide Rams were a sl team due to the Dragons not crossing over.
Reds jumped ship because the ARL wouldn't cover costs of the opposition, many fans actually stopped following them then.
Warriors at the time I think were owned by the nzrl and they signed with super league.

Correct.

On the Reds, their fanbase came largely from the fans of traditional ARL clubs and the jump by the club so early in their existance meant their supporters hadn't yet developed the connection to go with them.

Most walked from them after 1995 and got back into their first supported team.

News' decision to cut their funding and scrap them after '97 was one of the two worst decisons non-Criteria based, with the other being the clearing out of SE Qld to appease the Broncos.
 
Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
4 3 1 28 6
3 2 1 10 6
4 2 2 39 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
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