Manly's survival

[fLIP]

I detest the man's opinions on most things but on this issue he's right. Sydney has way too many clubs and everywhere else in the country doesn't have enough. Doesn't matter how you go about it someone is going to get the raw end of the deal on this issue but it needs to be done.

And on a lighter note, I reckon we're safe. You don't move a club to a new location to build popularity when everyone hates it.

 

[Fluffy]

I have always been an advocate that relocation wouldn’t work as the new region /team would want to identify with its team and not buy into an old relocated franchise.

But heard an interesting discussion on ABC grandstand and I’m not so sure now.

Those against relocation and/ or mergers tend to talk about the years just post super league years where let’s face it the game was an absolute mess after the truce and the demise of the crushers, rams, reds, etc and the Souths legal battles.Decisions were made on the run with no real thought.

In fact we’ve really only had partial relocations and split home grounds with the Northern Eagles fiasco , West Tigers and St Merge etc.

I think the AFL may give us some insight into this.
The Swans have thrived and had great success, The Lions won 3 GFs in a row and although not a powerhouse like Sydney could be regarded as a success. Both these clubs were relocated. Swans from South Melbourne, Lions from Fitzroy.

On the other hand the brand new franchises GWS and Suns have been an absolute disaster financially ( despite GWS decent efforts on the field). The AFL has ploughed more than a 150 mill into these teams.I know it is slightly different in that they were thrust into non AFL country but the Swans have shown there is an appetite for AFL in Sydney and there was a big AFL following on the Gold Coast prior to the Suns arriving.

One of the benefits of relocation is that there is a small but solid fan base in Brisbane at least for Sydney sides ( plenty hate the broncos) to kick the team off and the admin of the relocated side would have been doing it for years as opposed to a new outfit.

I think it could work if the playing strip remains the same and the emblem. Northern Sharks , Northern Sea Eagles etc playing in traditional jerseys. You would need something like “ Northern” in the name to satisfy and attract new fans from the region.One of the things that NSW people probably don’t realise ( and I’m sure some Northern ST posters will agree) is the hatred for all things Bronco by a lot of punters up here. There are thousands wanting to grab on to something new.

I definitely don’t want that and the Brookie hill remains one of Gods great joints but if it meant that it was the ONLY way we could survive I’d support it.

Not much of an AFL fan (not bad live to watch but awful on TV) but recall swans were struggling for a decade or more after moving and needed propping up by the AFL (probably VFL at the time) as well as salary cap benefits and draft benefits to stay afloat. Probably 5 years more needed to judge the GWS as a comparison.

 

[Fluffy]

There’s an idea, we should relocate the Jets!

Would work at Ipswich

 

[Fluffy]

It's an indictment on the people that have run our club from 1970 to now to be in what I consider such a weak position. The most successful club since 1970 (premierships,finals) and I would argue has less fans now than then. What have we done since 1970? we should be a powerhouse club of the league, yet we have terrible member numbers a ground that is a dump and no political power in the nrl on top of not much money. Frankly we have ourselves to blame the people involved in our club have never been forward thinking and I fear for our future.

I have been going to Brookvale since 1982 and see the crowd get older and older, even when we dominate the comp we struggle to pull a crowd and I really wonder who would care if we were dumped (except for us on this forum) Most locals couldn't give a **** or they would be members and go to games in bigger numbers. Other clubs are in a similar situation but other clubs havn't been the powerhouse we have been since 1970 also I don't care about other clubs I care about us.

I know this opinion won't be popular but 5 years down the track I struggle to see us at Brookvale.

interesting point. I recall in the 90's with Pepsi there was a huge link to the schools.

 

[Harvies elbow]

It's an indictment on the people that have run our club from 1970 to now to be in what I consider such a weak position. The most successful club since 1970 (premierships,finals) and I would argue has less fans now than then. What have we done since 1970? we should be a powerhouse club of the league, yet we have terrible member numbers a ground that is a dump and no political power in the nrl on top of not much money. Frankly we have ourselves to blame the people involved in our club have never been forward thinking and I fear for our future.

I have been going to Brookvale since 1982 and see the crowd get older and older, even when we dominate the comp we struggle to pull a crowd and I really wonder who would care if we were dumped (except for us on this forum) Most locals couldn't give a **** or they would be members and go to games in bigger numbers. Other clubs are in a similar situation but other clubs havn't been the powerhouse we have been since 1970 also I don't care about other clubs I care about us.

I know this opinion won't be popular but 5 years down the track I struggle to see us at Brookvale.

We were pretty much that powerhouse that you speak of till 98 and the peril of super league took it's toll.
The noble but misguided decision not to accept ARL money was a big mistake.
The people who have run the club since are the ones who probably have more to answer for.

 

[Woodsie]

..

 

[Loobs]

What's the use of having a sponsor in "waste management" if they can't make all our problems with HQ disappear..?

 

[Budgie]

Several of the previous posts have mentioned a relocation of The Mighty 'Eagles to the Central Coast; as a born and bred Gosford boy (East Gosford to be specific), I think, IMHO, relocating the team to the Coast will not work; no matter that I'd love it.

It didn't work with the ill conceived and executed North Eagles because we're hated by everybody, however loved by all of those who love Rugby League and the way we've traditional played the game, i.e. Silvertails.

The thing with the Coast, is that as we've never had our own team, people support whichever team they feel an affinity with and don't want to have another team forced down their throats by the NRL. Families often have divided loyalties (mine, Dad-the Chooks mostly, with a soft spot for the old Magpies, Mum- Saints since birth, me-The Mighty 'Eagles, brothers- Souths and Tigers); going through school, etc., everybody was the same and nobody will ever change. People moving to the Coast still follow their old team.

However much people like to think resurrecting the Bears will be a success (I'm looking at you Singo), the only way a fulltime NRL team will work, IMHO, is with a new franchise with its own colours, emblem and culture, even then it will take time, at least a generation, until all the old team loyalties have died out.

Just my 2 cents worth.

If you regularly drive the M1, as I do, you’d be surprised at how many Sea Eagless stickers there are on cars. Way more than any other team.

 

[The '47ers]

Would work at Ipswich

And would double the supporter base, as long as they count heads, not bodies, on the way through the gate!

 

[conanu]

I posted this to fox sports facebook page.

Great Idea Todd! Lets mess around with the fabric of the game and upset the established fan base all in the name of progress!! What we should do is make a truly national and world wide sport out of Rugby League. We could call it Super League!! Wait hold on, I think we tried that already and it nearly killed us.

Typical Rugby League administration always looking for the next bright and shiny thing instead of consolidating and focusing on tradition and creating a game that is impossible to walk away from because it is in your family history and your blood. Instead of bright and shiny plastic throw away clubs that people will chuck away like rubbish when they don’t win every week.

AFL get it, they understand tradition and creating that unbreakable ingrained bond and support for clubs, thats why they have so many members. Because if young fans stop supporting their club their grandfathers won’t talk to them anymore.

Maybe expansion might work but not at the expense of established clubs and the longer this chat of hammering the traditional clubs out of sydney continues, the more fans will simply start to walk early. I know I am sick of Greenbergs ruthless corporate methods. NRL needs to fertilise the soil so the roots and the tree will prosper. He doesn’t get that because he is basically Rupert Murdoch MKII ready to wreck it all over again.

 

[Budgie]

Probably best to relocate the teams with the lowest number of actual local juniors.
That would be last year’s Grand Finalists.
Easy peasy.

 

[niccipops]

I've got an expansion idea for the NRL. Greenberg and Beattie could relocate themselves to the Arctic Circle.

 

[Stevo]

We don’t have the crowd numbers or junior competitors to grow. We need to expand our boundaries. The Central Ciast should be our junior nursery HTF did the rorters get a shoe in? If junior players from the CC go through our juniors into grade then this will generate interest and draw supporters but this takes time. True supporters will travel I saw plenty at Leichhardt on Saturday. We need a long term plan there is no quick fix. Insulating ourselves is a mistake.

We're coming 3rd in Harold Mathews and 4th in SG Ball with 3 rounds to go. We're going well in the Juniors

 

[conanu]

I hate to say it but I believe this will be Todd's final jab to the heart of Manly and he will attempt to kill us off then move on after it. The guy is the re-incarnation of Rupert Murdoch. He pretends to care about the game but it is clear that he is the facilitator of the agendas of the faceless corporate bastards and this group of completely useless commissioners. Make no mistake guys Greenberg is coming for us. No other club has had as much crap thrown at them by a governing body since Souths in 1998. I can tell you now, I am a rusted on league supporter. But I will never watch another Rugby League program or read a story about League if Manly are removed.

And who says the game needs to expand??. That is a corporate mantra that all these dopey league administrators think is inevitable. It isn't and it does not need to expand to stay relevant or become better or more successful. It is not a tech company, so stop treating it like one.

 

[Go manly]

Bit hard when a succession of state governments since 1992 have sold off the states assets one by one, including all operating power stations, in order to try and recover the $3.1 billion debt run up by the collapse of the State Bank of SA. Instead of working their way out of debt, they have all gone for the quick grab for cash.....unfortunately its meant that we have almost noting left to build on because its all controlled by overseas interests which has meant that, surprise surprise, the state is still in considerable debt.

We may talk sense here, but there is little sense in what Government's do.....

I feel your pain mate
Did 2 years in and out of Moomba with weekends in the city and site seeing the joint

Highlife among many us the La Trattioria pizza in King William street and just happens to be next to the barber and peep show shops

I think they own the lot because some of the waitresses look familiar

It is the best of have tasted anywhere in the world( picture pizza maker)

Any way back to funding

Could we raise some capital and auction off any of the Adelaide rams memorabilia?

I still have Rocket Ready’s mouth guard that he was made to wear when it was discovered he was the phantom biter for the dragons

 

[The Who]

I've said it before, and at the risk of boring you I'll repeat that imo there is a great opportunity to strengthen our links with the South Island of NZ. We should be playing more matches in Christchurch and providing a pathway for their promising juniors to train and play with us. Currently the South Island is untapped by the NRL, but it won't be long before a team like Easts starts undercutting the early inroads Manly has made.

 

[Scorpio]

Probably best to relocate the teams with the lowest number of actual local juniors.
That would be last year’s Grand Finalists.
Easy peasy.

How many juniors from Melbourne or Victoria in 20+ years of the Storm's existence have actually become NRL players? 2? 3?

Top junior talent that they buy or recruit from Queensland, 'Queensland' or NZ does not count.

I wonder when that question will actually be asked at NRL HQ.

 

[Mrs D]

What did they let souffs back in.

To make my Dad happy

 

[manlyfan76]

How many juniors from Melbourne or Victoria in 20+ years of the Storm's existence have actually become NRL players? 2? 3?

Top junior talent that they buy or recruit from Queensland, 'Queensland' or NZ does not count.

I wonder when that question will actually be asked at NRL HQ.

And still melb are allowed to have feeder teams in qld. How long do they need proping up.

 

[StuBoot]

I posted this to fox sports facebook page.

Great Idea Todd! Lets mess around with the fabric of the game and upset the established fan base all in the name of progress!! What we should do is make a truly national and world wide sport out of Rugby League. We could call it Super League!! Wait hold on, I think we tried that already and it nearly killed us.

Typical Rugby League administration always looking for the next bright and shiny thing instead of consolidating and focusing on tradition and creating a game that is impossible to walk away from because it is in your family history and your blood. Instead of bright and shiny plastic throw away clubs that people will chuck away like rubbish when they don’t win every week.

AFL get it, they understand tradition and creating that unbreakable ingrained bond and support for clubs, thats why they have so many members. Because if young fans stop supporting their club their grandfathers won’t talk to them anymore.

Maybe expansion might work but not at the expense of established clubs and the longer this chat of hammering the traditional clubs out of sydney continues, the more fans will simply start to walk early. I know I am sick of Greenbergs ruthless corporate methods. NRL needs to fertilise the soil so the roots and the tree will prosper. He doesn’t get that because he is basically Rupert Murdoch MKII ready to wreck it all over again.

Spot on mate.

Funny how there is never any talk out of the AFL that there is too many clubs in Melbourne - they have seven that are all in close proximity, all within about 20mins of each other.

We have the chooks and rabbits next door to each other in an area that has a very rapidly changing demographic to sustain what these clubs need - junors and families.
One of them should be on the agenda for relocation but the have the $$ and power. Will be interesting what the chooks will be like once Uncle Nick falls off his twig.

We have the Dragons, Dogs and Sharks core areas all within 20-30 mins.
The Dogs especially are in a changing demographic also, they pack out Belmore for two games a year but ANZ is a ghost town.
As the Dragons are established in Wollongong they have future proofed themselves very well in my opinion.
The Sharks and/or Dogs should be on the agenda for relocation.

Tigers need to work out if they are from the inner west ( Balmain, Lidcombe, Ashfield ), again a changed demographic in terms of families or the south west ie Campbelltown.
This takes on more importance as the A-League will have a new team there ( Macarthur ) in two years.

Parra whether we like it or not is here to stay - new stadium, is a city unto itself ( kind of ) and easily accessible and identifiable to the masses flocking to the new estates out west.
Penrith safe - juniors, funds, fanbase, geographically well placed.
Manly should be safe - privately owned and the only team north of the city. If the NRL are fair dinkum they'd be nuts to give us up.

To me the Gold Coast doesn't work as most people up there are from NSW - so have their own team they still support - or Brisbane so are begrudgingly Broncos supporters too.
Same reason relocation to the Central Coast won't work and didn't with the Northern Beagles.
People don't generally like to be told who they should support.

In summing up, it should be the Dogs that are candidate no 1 for relocation.