John ribot on sterlo...

[magpie_man]

Not just 14 teams but the selection criteria to get to 14 was farcical. Did not even include juniors, because Souths and Wests would have been so strong with a massive nursery. Part of the 'peace' agreement also gifted Uncle Rupert tens of millions every year directly from the games coffers to pay back his 'investment'/money he pissed down the drain. That while effectively underselling the games tv rights to himself for a decade through his puppet Gallop, savings 100's of millions.

Even the magical number of 14 was so ridiculously arbitrary.
There is no reason why the reunited competition couldn't have fielded 20+ teams for a few more years and allowed a more organic refining process to take place, inevitably reducing the number of teams.
I can't remember all the specific details but I'm pretty sure Wests, Gold Coast and North Sydney were financially ok, they just didn't meet the selection criteria.

 

[axl rose]

I'm pretty sure Wests, Gold Coast and North Sydney were financially ok, they just didn't meet the selection criteria.

Chargers were one of the few teams making a profit. The selection criteria heavily included results, how comical. Should Roosters be kicked out because they finished 14th last year. Should the Bulldogs be considered a weak club because they missed the finals and more than likely will again next few years.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Think the ARL capitulated its strong position after that awesome manly v knights gf. To agree to drop to 14 teams was disastrous! Super league got what they wanted. A weakening of the code in Australia.

You realise that this was the ARLs plan before Murdoch came along, right? (That was actually the reason Murdoch COULD come alone and steal so many clubs, the ARL was only signing clubs up to 1 year licences)

The 14 teams was an ARL idea first. It is just easier to fit the "ARL=good, SL=bad" bad narative to say SL forced it on the poor, helpless ARL.

Not just any weakening. Because so many foundation clubs were killed off, along with St.George, the soul of the game had been ripped out. That alienated more fans than the shit from 1994-1997, because fans still had their team to support.

Yeh. For me, the tragedy of the 90s wasnt SL (that was shit, but not the worst thing); the tragedy was the reconstruction after 1998...

NewsLtd AND the ARL both said "f*ck it" and just left the clubs to sort out the NRLs club spread. To have some terrible mergers like Wests Tigers and Northern Eagles, to give up on territories like GC and Brisbane (while Sydney kept 8/9 teams) and to bring in a new brand like the Storm while older brands were allowed to dies was f*cking madness.

Reducing the number of teams was absolutely necesary, but this was the chance SL and the ARL had been looking for to shape a national RL comp and they suddenly said "who gives a shit"...

 

[LeagueXIII]

John Ribot the man who helped grow AFL

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

John Ribot the man who helped grow AFL

QFT - the split in the 90's is the sole reason the VFL managed to expand at all. They claim it was savvy management etc, but without superleague, they'd be way behind.

 

[LeagueXIII]

Exactly, we'd already had a Perth and second Brisbane team in the comp and here we are 22 years later debating when they will be readmitted.
The biggest thing we have lost is the feel good factor our game had which attracted new fans and sponsors as we were seen as a sport to be associated with. The last 20 years the media has driven the game into the ground and those floating fans no longer come to our sport.

 

[thorson1987]

Even the magical number of 14 was so ridiculously arbitrary.
There is no reason why the reunited competition couldn't have fielded 20+ teams for a few more years and allowed a more organic refining process to take place, inevitably reducing the number of teams.
I can't remember all the specific details but I'm pretty sure Wests, Gold Coast and North Sydney were financially ok, they just didn't meet the selection criteria.

IIRC the Bears were f**ked over by delays in the construction of the Gosford Stadium.

 

[Pedge1971]

The dr says
Now they try to play history's victims "the big bad me were mean to us, we never did nuthin wrong". Thanks to the stupidity of the NSWRL, SuperLeague was practically inevitable. Ribot was just the one who pulled the trigger...

I believe the opposite of you.. and the winners write history.....Ribot is a terrorist loser...
The game is headquartered in Sydney, looks like it always was but with a few throw in's , the games stats are regular quoted back to 1908, pretty sure the old NSW rl won the war but lost a battle or two.

I thought only the Broncos won wars and lost battles?

 

[Life's Good]

The SL war is over 20+ years ago and plenty has been written and discussed about the heroes & villains. Has anyone written a definitive, unbiased account of what went on that is available online for a read? I was early 20's at the time & wasnt too interested in the political shenanigans or potential consequences as a result.
I wouldn't mind taking a trip down memory lane.

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

The SL war is over 20+ years ago and plenty has been written and discussed about the heroes & villains. Has anyone written a definitive, unbiased account of what went on that is available online for a read? I was early 20's at the time & wasnt too interested in the political shenanigans or potential consequences as a result.
I wouldn't mind taking a trip down memory lane.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/633703.Super_League

Superleague: the inside story

A fairly unbiased account from memory. Amazing read, broncos hiding away as Bennet was angry about media leaks and being chased for a few days to nail them down gave the ARL time to get Newcastle signed up.

If that wasn't the case, news ltd would have been there in Newcastle when they were keen to sign up, and that would have changed everything

 

[Perth Red]

Should have started with holding on to the national footprint

Perth
Adelaide
Melbourne
Brisbane x 2
GC
Cowboys
Newcastle
NZ
Canberra

Then decided how many Sydney teams they could afford and which they wanted to keep. Somewhere between 6-10 depending on finances.

 

[Perth Red]

Exactly, we'd already had a Perth and second Brisbane team in the comp and here we are 22 years later debating when they will be readmitted.
The biggest thing we have lost is the feel good factor our game had which attracted new fans and sponsors as we were seen as a sport to be associated with. The last 20 years the media has driven the game into the ground and those floating fans no longer come to our sport.

Tbf crowds during this feel good factor time were nothing to shout about
1993 13.6k
1994 14.2k
1995 (expansion year) 13.9k

 

[Vee]

IIRC the Bears were f**ked over by delays in the construction of the Gosford Stadium.

Yep, that's the way I remember it, cancer in the concrete or some such.

 

[Vee]

Should have started with holding on to the national footprint

Perth
Adelaide
Melbourne
Brisbane x 2
GC
Cowboys
Newcastle
NZ
Canberra

Then decided how many Sydney teams they could afford and which they wanted to keep. Somewhere between 6-10 depending on finances.

Would've been ideal but both sides had blown too much money fighting each other to a standstill and hated each other so much that both would rather go on fighting than make meaningful concessions so a compromise was struck that left everyone unhappy.

 

[Vee]

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/633703.Super_League

Superleague: the inside story

A fairly unbiased account from memory. Amazing read

Tried the link, Amazon had a cop for $217, no Kindle version unfortunately.

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

Tried the link, Amazon had a cop for $217, no Kindle version unfortunately.

$217?!!?

And I picked mine up for a few dollars and gave it away!

 

[axl rose]

Has anyone written a definitive, unbiased account of what went on that is available online for a read? I

George Piggins- Never Say Die was a great read. Obviously George very pro ARL but plenty of facts and figures from various courts cases as well which were rather eye-opening.

broncos hiding away as Bennet was angry about media leaks and being chased for a few days to nail them down gave the ARL time to get Newcastle signed up.
If that wasn't the case, news ltd would have been there in Newcastle when they were keen to sign up, and that would have changed everything

Hard to believe they didn't have the Broncos signed up when Super League was born in their boardroom.

 

[no name]

Chargers were one of the few teams making a profit. The selection criteria heavily included results, how comical. Should Roosters be kicked out because they finished 14th last year. Should the Bulldogs be considered a weak club because they missed the finals and more than likely will again next few years.

The Chargers were, geographically, too close to the Broncos. That was the only reason they were booted.

 

[axl rose]

The Chargers were, geographically, too close to the Broncos. That was the only reason they were booted.

Correct, on the NRL partnership forming the Broncos signed an exclusivity deal as part of their licence. And they are still pissed that the Titans are in the comp. Bennett was especially vocal against the Titans admission. The option for Ash Taylor, Jai Arrow and Jarrod Wallace to go down the road and not take massive unders from Broncos to stay 'home' is very bad for business.

 

[madunit]

Yep, that's the way I remember it, cancer in the concrete or some such.

Bad weather mostly