News: Stadium stoush could kill off cash-strapped Knights

[ManlyBacker]

<p>NEWCASTLE'S fate is in the hands of retired High Court judge Michael McHugh. Justice McHugh has been appointed as arbitrator in the club's protracted dispute with the State Government over EnergyAustralia Stadium.</p>

<a href="http://www.silvertails.net/news/4050-stadium-stoush-could-kill-off-cash-strapped-knights.html">Read the full article</a>

 

[ManlyBacker]

I have been following this one for some time. It is really hard to know who is actually in the right, but at least the arbitration has got an expert involved.

My gut instinct is that the Knights have used the massive redevelopment of EnergyAustralia Stadium, which has been paid for by all us taxpayers to the tune of something like $100M, to reneg on rent owed to the Hunter Venues Authority without a lot of justification.

At least a level head will look at all the pros and cons in denying the HVA their due and whether the Knight's brinkmanship has been justified. No-one seriously wants to see the Knights collapse as it would be a death knell for RL in the region. Maybe a good compromise can come out of it whereby the Knights are given some latitude in payments now but offset by substantial increased payments contractually committed for when the redevelopment is completed.

 

[Jethro]

It doesn't look good for Drugcastle going by that article.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

It would have to be in the Stadiums best interests to keep Newcastle playing there as well wouldn't it ? I would assume they would bring the majority of people through that stadium

 

[DSM5]

Who could we buy from the wreckage?

 

[Jethro]

Who could we buy from the wreckage?

Gidley.........Pffft...Nah. Just kidding.

 

[Canteen Worker]

The irony of all this is that the News Ltd traitors who sold their souls for the quick money, dumping the others clubs have generally come out of that debacle okay, with the exception of the Sharks.

Clubs like Wests, Balmain, Illawarra, Norths have all died and teams like Manly, Newcastle and Souths have gone to hell and back in the meantime.

We are fortunate that a 'white knight' and then very good admin have managed to keep us afloat and then drag us slowly back up the top of the tree.

If only news could get their mitts off the game and allow it to be run for the good of the code rather than the good of a media company, things would be much better off.

I hope Newcastle survive as it is a big League city who deserve a team.

 

[DSM5]

I always thought we should have gone to super league. 

 

[Canteen Worker]

Sell off our souls to survive. Dump on the other clubs that had supported us in our formation. Not my style.

 

[joshw]

Sell off our souls to survive. Dump on the other clubs that had supported us in our formation. Not my style.

Really ?

Sell off our souls to the Penns to survive.  Dump on Max who supported us in our re-formation.

 

[Zep]

[quote author=DSM5 link=topic=180946.msg230727#msg230727 date=1246674032]

Who could we buy from the wreckage?

Gidley.........Pffft...Nah. Just kidding.
[/quote]

not even close to being funny.