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THis has arguments both ways so I think it fair enough to post. I hadn't seen it before so apologies if it has surfaced.
Packer-backed Easts and the NRL
www.crikey.com.au
Neddy No-Neck
From the Locker Room
Neddy No-Neck versus Three-Quarters-Back, an unsuspecting Easts supporter and Crikey contributor. The latest TQB salvo at the bottom was published on the night of April 21.
20 April 2004
They are a sensitive lot over in Sydney's Eastern suburbs, give 'em a premiership and they think they own the Rugby League. Don't worry they really do!
And now that Bondi Junction is finally getting a shopping centre that even Parramatta has had for years - a Westfield - Easts supporters no doubt think they have hit the big time. And no doubt the fact that Westfield and its retailers have spent an absolute bomb on marble, wood and boutique-like materials, makes the Easties feel at home. Westfield Bondi Junction will be just like the Easts Leagues Club, a place that the rest of Sydney avoids.
Anyway enough of this village-style banter that would please Clover Moore, the new Lord Mayor of the real Sydney and not the place where the Sydney City Roosters, AKA Easts, are to be found by wondering NRL fans.
Crikey ran a small piece in the sealed section the other day about claims the reason referees have to go to the video so much these days is to give sponsors exposure. In the same piece we mentioned how the "Packer-backed" Easts had quite a few TV games so far this year, which we pointed out, was probably due to their high standing.
Well, an Easts supporter (sorry, Sydney City Roosters) took umbrage to the suggestion of special treatment and the Packer involvement. These are some of the comments from 'Three-Quarters-Back':
TQB: I find it quite amusing that Crikey manages to have an opinion on this matter, or almost any NRL matter because for Crikey and its fearsomely boring Melbourne-centric AFL-only-game-in-the-country approach, the NRL apparently doesn't exist unless there is something negative to say about it.
If Billy Harrigan has to prove his comments to "put up or shut up" vis-a-vis his comments about referees being encouraged to use the video ref because of sponsor's concerns, then perhaps Crikey can justify it's allegation that Channel 9 favour the Rooster's because it is "Packer-backed".
The Sydney Roosters formerly Eastern Suburbs, is owned by the Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, aka Easts Leagues.
Easts Leagues is a very large and rich registered club in Bondi Junction *. As Crikey was made aware after one too many dodgy assertion, the Packers once served on the Board of the Football Club (a different board to the Leagues Club) but were asked to leave because of non-attendance to meetings. This was I might add at the height of the Super League war when Easts was one of the clubs that stayed loyal to the ARL, which was being backed by Packer. However, would Crikey care to spell out their current association?
CRIKEY: Well, yes James Packer is no longer associated with either the Easts Leagues Club or the Roosters, but David Gyngell, Kerry Packer's godson, is indeed very big out Bondi Junction way, being a member of the chairman's club and very close to the Big Man of both clubs, Nick Politis, the City Ford owner.
David Gyngell is of course deputy CEO of Channel Nine and the Packers remain highly interested in rugby league, and especially the exploits of Easts. Further, during the Super League wars, the ARL loyal clubs were funded by Optus with a small amount of money from the Packer camp. Remember the Super League way was really a proxy war between Packer and Murdoch through Foxtel and Optus. That's why many of the clubs remained loyal. Some of the ARL loyal clubs claim that Optus still owes them money. Is Easts one of them?
TQB: Second, Crikey should know, if Crikey wants an informed opinion (as opposed to its misinformed one), that Channel 9 picks the games some weeks ahead of the matches. Crikey can probably be excused (being from Melbourne) that Channel 9 has always favoured a small number of teams, such as the Roosters, Broncos, Bulldogs, Knights, (typically the top teams each year) and to a lesser extent, the Eels and Sea Eagles (no doubt due to Fatty and Sterlo's influence) and sometimes the Dragons. This has been their pattern for some years now.
CRIKEY: Yes the reason Channel 9 favours those teams is that they draw good audiences, especially on Friday night. The Melbourne Storm, Canberra, North Queensland and Wests Tigers do not attract viewers like those clubs. The one thing the Packers and Channel 9 do not like is low ratings for matches on which a lot of money has been spent. They are after all a commercial organisation. That is why these teams feature heavily in the matches. Their position on the table, especially late in the season, is often secondary. Remember the run Canberra made for the finals last year and the very long time it took to get a TV game? Why? Because it doesn't draw viewers in Sydney and Brisbane.
TQB: Now no doubt they might have picked the Dragons-Panthers game over the Knights-Roosters. But the Knights hadn't had a home game on TV yet, as they hadn't played there, and in fact if Crikey watched the game, they would have seen Channel 9 pushing a big NEWCASTLE coverage this week - the home game, which was the opening of their new stadium facility, followed by the Footy Show from Newcastle on Thursday, followed by the ANZAC Test match held at the same ground on Friday. Newcastle is a heartland of Rugby League. It deserves some attention from Channel 9.
Perhaps Crikey ought to check in fact where the bias is towards Easts, or perhaps quite rightfully, to another locale, which is having a big week in Rugby League this week. Also the ABC live coverage was of the same game. Are you going to take the ABC to task as well?
CRIKEY: Yes, point taken, but the reason why Newcastle hasn't had a home game so far this season is because of the construction work on the facilities at their ground in Newcastle. Sunday's game showed it remains uncompleted and will be so for the test this Friday. The reason why the Test is being held in Newcastle, because it is the biggest League centre outside of Sydney. Canberra has the Brumbies going well, while Raiders crowds are nothing to write home about this season.
The test could not be held at Telstra because of the Swans game on Saturday night nor at Aussie Stadium because of the Rugby Union Super 12 match, also on Saturday night. That's why Newcastle is the centre of the League world this week. The Footy Show can go to Newcastle and the cost spread over the telecast the night after because Sterlo, Fattie etc will be up there.
TQB: Last, if Crikey had actually watched the game, they might have seen an interesting tussle between two premiership heavyweights, with a game hung finely in the balance for the full 80 minutes (up to the last three minutes of the game), fought bravely by a depleted Newcastle against an equally battling Roosters side coming off a two game losing streak. On the other hand the Dragons lapped the Panthers in a 44-28 drubbing. Now the Dragons put on a good game, and Penrith could have won the match 50 minutes into it, but didn't or couldn't and the Dragons fought back and showed resolve to put the Pennie Panthers to the sword.
Unlike Crikey I actually saw the majority of both games on TV. However, six weeks ago the Dragons would have been seen as the typically perennial underperforming also-rans, as their recent status in the last few seasons might attest, and despite their excellent playing roster. No one has a crystal ball, so six weeks ago how could anyone (except a one-eyed Dragon fan) have foreseen the Dragons playing so well, and Newcastle being without Andrew Johns, the best player in the world? Instead of hatching conspiracy theories maybe Crikey should develop a little understanding of the game for once! You can come and sit with me in the terraces among the fans one evening if you really like!
CRIKEY: Penrith are the defending premiers. They whipped Easts. Newcastle beat them at the start of the season with Andrew Johns. Couldn't do that now. The St George result certainly showed the Panthers are beatable, just like Easts.
Now I don't like Crikey being accused of being the only one to believe that Easts, at times, get a charmed run in Rugby League. Here's some of what Roy Masters, the best writer on League and sport generally in this country, wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald late last year.
SMH: Roy Masters - Ruling the roost
"The power of the east is a perception (David) Gallop (the NRL CEO) resents. He nominates his opposition to attempts by (Nick) Politis to increase the salary cap. (Phil) Gould (Easts director of coaching and a Channel 9 commentator and Fairfax columnist) campaigned for an increase in the $3.25 million cap and Beavis (a player manager) led the opposition to an apparent concession by players' association boss Tony Butterfield to let NRL salary-cap cop Ian Schubert (another former Rooster and a vigilant auditor) peruse players' tax records. (The NRL subsequently withdrew its demand to check tax records).
"The truth is these manoeuvres are mere pawn play to the real power base of the game - the NRL Partnership Committee, which consists of three representatives from News Ltd, three nominees of the ARL and is chaired by Colin Love, who is also ARL boss.
"Politis is one of the three ARL directors and a friend of Love, an eastern suburbs resident. This board makes the key decisions - whether to increase the number of teams to include Gosford or the Gold Coast; the awarding of radio and TV rights; approving key sponsorships.
"Politis, whose investment and control at Bondi Junction is such that the Roosters resemble a privately owned club, is campaigning for the Gold Coast, a move some cynics suggest is designed to curb the power of the Broncos.
"Sydney businessman John Singleton, who has a small shareholding in the Broncos, wants a Central Coast team. Not surprisingly, Singo, an eastern suburbs resident, says he hates the Roosters. But his radio station, 2GB, does hold the League radio rights.
"Channel Nine, owned by long-time "Easts" supporters Kerry and James Packer and run by a director of the Roosters, David Gyngell, holds the free-to-air rights and half-owns Fox Sports, which controls the pay-TV rights.
"A close friend of Politis is Mark Bouris, part-owner of Wizard Home Loans, which sponsors the NSW State of Origin team. Bouris is a key supporter of Gould and has been influential in Fittler's career (Crikey: PBL has a minority stake in Wizard).
"Fans complain that sport is now merely a business, but the reverse may be true at the Roosters. Certainly, the two have merged. Politis-Bouris-James Packer-Gyngell are too straight-talking to lace their speech with sports metaphors, like many other sneaker-wearing businessmen. You never hear them talk about "blue-chip recruits" or "level playing fields."
CRIKEY: There's more at the beginning of Roy's story, but Three-Quarters-Back and other Easts football supporters should have the drift by now that Crikey, while based in Melbourne, has an Australian focus and Rugby League is fair game because of the antics and ambitions of people like the Murdochs and the Packers. And while the infighting and other goings on at the AFL sometimes resemble a cross between Home and Away, Neighbours and McLeod's Daughters, the game is still basically its master. You don't see Murdoch and Packer in there owning and trying to take control. Wait on, sorry, there is Eddie Inc at Collingwood!
Three-Quarters-Back hits back
Neddy No-neck's rebuttal of my piece contains some very valid points, such as Gyngell being on the board of Easts.
However, I think he missed the point; Yes, Easts (or Sydney Roosters as we haven't been Sydney City for five years) do get a lot of coverage on free-to-air. But this is because they pull the ratings in, as do the other teams I mentioned.
That's Channel 9's perogative. Unlike say the AFL where it's my understanding the free-to-air coverage has to give an equal number
of home games to every team. Now there's pluses and minuses in both systems, but this is not about a debate about that.
My point was about the particular game - and I think it fairly obvious that the whole game, indeed the whole week in general was about Newcastle due to the big Newcastle week that Channel 9 are having, with the Test being played there on Friday night. To imply that there is some sort of Easts bias at Channel 9 in this particular case is to miss the fact that the Channel 9 coverage equally favours Brisbane or Newcastle or until recently, the Bulldogs, as it does Easts.
I might remind Ned that two of those teams were formerly Super League teams, so 'Packer' it seems will favour any team that can deliver him ratings over the teams that sided with him in the ARL-Super League war.
Of course, Crikey should investigate matters of import in the NRL, and Packer's and Murdoch's involvement in it and the clubs. But I argue that Packer favours Easts in TV coverage simply because of ratings factors and not any other. Who picks the games to show? Is it Packer himself? Or Gyngell? Can Neddy answer that question because I can't. And that question is central to the accusation of Easts special treatment.
His other jibes at Easts aren't worth rebutting in any detail because generally they are extremely petty. The only example I will mention is the first; mentioning Bondi Junction "getting a shopping centre that even Parramatta has had". Ned, the new shopping centre replaces the old one they knocked down.
As to Easts "controlling league" it is true, as Masters wrote last year, that Easts has a lot more influence than the likes of Penrith.
But is it any wonder, given that Easts is one of only two foundation clubs and the only club to have played every season since 1908. The club itself is littered with the history of a glorious 96 year history, mementos of it's many champions. The award for the season's top player is named after a player who played for Easts.
Without the switch of Dally Messenger (The Master) from Rugby Union to Rugby League in 1908, Rugby League would
probably not exist in Sydney today. Another player who played for Easts, has been described as "The Bradman of League" - and today, 70 years later, Dave Brown still holds many outstanding records that are likely to never be eclipsed. Until the institution of the Clive Churchill Medal in 1986, the award for best player in the Grand Final was known as the Dave Brown Medal in honour of probably the best player to ever lace a boot and play the game.
With this rich history, and more importantly with the acumen, and foresight, of Nick Politis in rescuing Easts from the scrap heap of
inner-city club oblivion in the early 1990s, Easts does exercise great influence within the League it is true. However Easts are not the only club to exercise influence (and before the Super League war it was Manly), and we don't tell Packer what to show on TV, and he does favour other teams, even ones once opposed to his interests. No doubt when Easts appearances on Channel 9 don't rate, Packer will relegate us to the scrap heap of the also rans.
Easts never invented TV ratings, we sure as hell didn't start the Super League war either, so don't blame us for the situation we find
ourselves in now. Especially when the specific accusation isn't true and can't be backed up with anything like objective evidence.
Or shall I await the inevitable salary cap accusations and outrageous speculation that usually follows this sort of discussion?
Regards,
The 3/4s back
PS For more information on the history of The Greatest Game Of All, including details about its formation and early history, Dally Messenger, and Dave Brown, I heartily recommend the site www.rl1908.com. I am not affiliated with this site in any way other than as a keen reader and student of the game.
Neddy pops His Neck Up
Gee, don't you love Easts supporters who live in the past? Especially when their great teams of the past have been bettered by two other more recent teams; the great Jack Gibson coached premiership winning teams of 74 and 75; and the 2002 team wasn't a bunch of slouches either, even if they had to buy Fittler, just like they purchased Big Arfur Beetson back in the 70s.
Gibson (who coached Parramatta to a number of premierships), along with Wayne Bennett are still the best, most forward thinking League coaches I have seen. Rod Macqueen in Rugby Union is the BEST coach I have seen operate in that code and Ron Barasssi in VFL/AFL. Why? Because of the continuing influence on the game of their thinking, tactics and approach to the players.
I always reckoned that the Manly teams of the late 60s and 70s were the 'best' bought premierships, especially 73 and the big brawl with Cronulla, the mere sight of the late John O'Neill in full flight was worth the price of admission or the cost of a TV set. But I think the Easts chequebook always had a special kind of clout when the Leagues and Football clubs were aligned.
That's what Nick Politis has done over the last few years, that happens for every successful team.
And of course TQB does sort of ignore the greatest Rugby League clubs of all. The truly magnificent sides of St George (how many premierships was it again? 11? All in a row.) and South Sydney in the late 60s, taking over from St George. Talk about history!
And, TQB can bang on as much as he is entitled to about the history of Easts in Rugby League. But South Sydney has just as a magnificent history. And where were Easts and its supporters when Souths was done in so cruelly by the Murdoch, Packer and Rugby League gang after the collapse of the super League war?
In fact, I quite like the way Easts have been playing under Ricky Stuart. They continue to impress me, even when hurt badly by injury. Their performance in last year's Grand Final, still the best game of Rugby League I have seen (along with State of Origin 1 last year and the 66 Grand Final), was brilliant and should go down in their club history as a victory.
But they didn't win the premiership and in the winner takes all attitude of modern business and Packer style management, I am sorry that some people over Bondi Junction way might not still fully appreciate that game.
In fact Ricky Stuart could very well be on his way to being a legendary coach. He shows all the hallmarks of understanding the need for change in the game and tactics, as he's proven since 2002. He learned well from Wayne Bennett when he was coaching Canberra to their premierships, with Ricky Stuart as the classiest halfback of his time.
And people continue to amaze me by raving bout the kicking and passing game of Andrew Johns, which is brilliant. So to was Ricky Stuart at the Raiders. One of the great sadnesses of the world of Rugby League is how clubs like Easts are allowed to continue without much in the way of junior development.
The mysterious payments to junior clubs in the east, some in the South Sydney area, have been documented in the Herald over the past few years, with the names of some well-known and talented players involved.
Salary cap breaches are not just to be found at Belmore, or at Bondi Junction, but banging on and on about taking on the NRL on the salary cap wouldn't sound so hollow if Easts put the sort of money into their juniors that say Parramatta or Penrith or the Wests Tigers.
The future of Rugby League continues to be amongst the two to three million people living on the western, northern and southern sides of Sydney and in Queensland. As a long time League supporter from the NSW Country and enjoying my games growing up and then in Brisbane and Sydney over the years, I've seen quite a few very good players.
And if Dave Brown was better than Johnnie Raper, Reg Gasnier or Norm Provan, (or Clive Churchill, who I never saw play) then I'll wash an Easts Jumper.
The trophy NRL teams play for - features Norm Provan and Arthur Summons of Wests, doesn't it? That says something about the talent of both players and the longevity of their reputations.
Packer-backed Easts and the NRL
www.crikey.com.au
Neddy No-Neck
From the Locker Room
Neddy No-Neck versus Three-Quarters-Back, an unsuspecting Easts supporter and Crikey contributor. The latest TQB salvo at the bottom was published on the night of April 21.
20 April 2004
They are a sensitive lot over in Sydney's Eastern suburbs, give 'em a premiership and they think they own the Rugby League. Don't worry they really do!
And now that Bondi Junction is finally getting a shopping centre that even Parramatta has had for years - a Westfield - Easts supporters no doubt think they have hit the big time. And no doubt the fact that Westfield and its retailers have spent an absolute bomb on marble, wood and boutique-like materials, makes the Easties feel at home. Westfield Bondi Junction will be just like the Easts Leagues Club, a place that the rest of Sydney avoids.
Anyway enough of this village-style banter that would please Clover Moore, the new Lord Mayor of the real Sydney and not the place where the Sydney City Roosters, AKA Easts, are to be found by wondering NRL fans.
Crikey ran a small piece in the sealed section the other day about claims the reason referees have to go to the video so much these days is to give sponsors exposure. In the same piece we mentioned how the "Packer-backed" Easts had quite a few TV games so far this year, which we pointed out, was probably due to their high standing.
Well, an Easts supporter (sorry, Sydney City Roosters) took umbrage to the suggestion of special treatment and the Packer involvement. These are some of the comments from 'Three-Quarters-Back':
TQB: I find it quite amusing that Crikey manages to have an opinion on this matter, or almost any NRL matter because for Crikey and its fearsomely boring Melbourne-centric AFL-only-game-in-the-country approach, the NRL apparently doesn't exist unless there is something negative to say about it.
If Billy Harrigan has to prove his comments to "put up or shut up" vis-a-vis his comments about referees being encouraged to use the video ref because of sponsor's concerns, then perhaps Crikey can justify it's allegation that Channel 9 favour the Rooster's because it is "Packer-backed".
The Sydney Roosters formerly Eastern Suburbs, is owned by the Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, aka Easts Leagues.
Easts Leagues is a very large and rich registered club in Bondi Junction *. As Crikey was made aware after one too many dodgy assertion, the Packers once served on the Board of the Football Club (a different board to the Leagues Club) but were asked to leave because of non-attendance to meetings. This was I might add at the height of the Super League war when Easts was one of the clubs that stayed loyal to the ARL, which was being backed by Packer. However, would Crikey care to spell out their current association?
CRIKEY: Well, yes James Packer is no longer associated with either the Easts Leagues Club or the Roosters, but David Gyngell, Kerry Packer's godson, is indeed very big out Bondi Junction way, being a member of the chairman's club and very close to the Big Man of both clubs, Nick Politis, the City Ford owner.
David Gyngell is of course deputy CEO of Channel Nine and the Packers remain highly interested in rugby league, and especially the exploits of Easts. Further, during the Super League wars, the ARL loyal clubs were funded by Optus with a small amount of money from the Packer camp. Remember the Super League way was really a proxy war between Packer and Murdoch through Foxtel and Optus. That's why many of the clubs remained loyal. Some of the ARL loyal clubs claim that Optus still owes them money. Is Easts one of them?
TQB: Second, Crikey should know, if Crikey wants an informed opinion (as opposed to its misinformed one), that Channel 9 picks the games some weeks ahead of the matches. Crikey can probably be excused (being from Melbourne) that Channel 9 has always favoured a small number of teams, such as the Roosters, Broncos, Bulldogs, Knights, (typically the top teams each year) and to a lesser extent, the Eels and Sea Eagles (no doubt due to Fatty and Sterlo's influence) and sometimes the Dragons. This has been their pattern for some years now.
CRIKEY: Yes the reason Channel 9 favours those teams is that they draw good audiences, especially on Friday night. The Melbourne Storm, Canberra, North Queensland and Wests Tigers do not attract viewers like those clubs. The one thing the Packers and Channel 9 do not like is low ratings for matches on which a lot of money has been spent. They are after all a commercial organisation. That is why these teams feature heavily in the matches. Their position on the table, especially late in the season, is often secondary. Remember the run Canberra made for the finals last year and the very long time it took to get a TV game? Why? Because it doesn't draw viewers in Sydney and Brisbane.
TQB: Now no doubt they might have picked the Dragons-Panthers game over the Knights-Roosters. But the Knights hadn't had a home game on TV yet, as they hadn't played there, and in fact if Crikey watched the game, they would have seen Channel 9 pushing a big NEWCASTLE coverage this week - the home game, which was the opening of their new stadium facility, followed by the Footy Show from Newcastle on Thursday, followed by the ANZAC Test match held at the same ground on Friday. Newcastle is a heartland of Rugby League. It deserves some attention from Channel 9.
Perhaps Crikey ought to check in fact where the bias is towards Easts, or perhaps quite rightfully, to another locale, which is having a big week in Rugby League this week. Also the ABC live coverage was of the same game. Are you going to take the ABC to task as well?
CRIKEY: Yes, point taken, but the reason why Newcastle hasn't had a home game so far this season is because of the construction work on the facilities at their ground in Newcastle. Sunday's game showed it remains uncompleted and will be so for the test this Friday. The reason why the Test is being held in Newcastle, because it is the biggest League centre outside of Sydney. Canberra has the Brumbies going well, while Raiders crowds are nothing to write home about this season.
The test could not be held at Telstra because of the Swans game on Saturday night nor at Aussie Stadium because of the Rugby Union Super 12 match, also on Saturday night. That's why Newcastle is the centre of the League world this week. The Footy Show can go to Newcastle and the cost spread over the telecast the night after because Sterlo, Fattie etc will be up there.
TQB: Last, if Crikey had actually watched the game, they might have seen an interesting tussle between two premiership heavyweights, with a game hung finely in the balance for the full 80 minutes (up to the last three minutes of the game), fought bravely by a depleted Newcastle against an equally battling Roosters side coming off a two game losing streak. On the other hand the Dragons lapped the Panthers in a 44-28 drubbing. Now the Dragons put on a good game, and Penrith could have won the match 50 minutes into it, but didn't or couldn't and the Dragons fought back and showed resolve to put the Pennie Panthers to the sword.
Unlike Crikey I actually saw the majority of both games on TV. However, six weeks ago the Dragons would have been seen as the typically perennial underperforming also-rans, as their recent status in the last few seasons might attest, and despite their excellent playing roster. No one has a crystal ball, so six weeks ago how could anyone (except a one-eyed Dragon fan) have foreseen the Dragons playing so well, and Newcastle being without Andrew Johns, the best player in the world? Instead of hatching conspiracy theories maybe Crikey should develop a little understanding of the game for once! You can come and sit with me in the terraces among the fans one evening if you really like!
CRIKEY: Penrith are the defending premiers. They whipped Easts. Newcastle beat them at the start of the season with Andrew Johns. Couldn't do that now. The St George result certainly showed the Panthers are beatable, just like Easts.
Now I don't like Crikey being accused of being the only one to believe that Easts, at times, get a charmed run in Rugby League. Here's some of what Roy Masters, the best writer on League and sport generally in this country, wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald late last year.
SMH: Roy Masters - Ruling the roost
"The power of the east is a perception (David) Gallop (the NRL CEO) resents. He nominates his opposition to attempts by (Nick) Politis to increase the salary cap. (Phil) Gould (Easts director of coaching and a Channel 9 commentator and Fairfax columnist) campaigned for an increase in the $3.25 million cap and Beavis (a player manager) led the opposition to an apparent concession by players' association boss Tony Butterfield to let NRL salary-cap cop Ian Schubert (another former Rooster and a vigilant auditor) peruse players' tax records. (The NRL subsequently withdrew its demand to check tax records).
"The truth is these manoeuvres are mere pawn play to the real power base of the game - the NRL Partnership Committee, which consists of three representatives from News Ltd, three nominees of the ARL and is chaired by Colin Love, who is also ARL boss.
"Politis is one of the three ARL directors and a friend of Love, an eastern suburbs resident. This board makes the key decisions - whether to increase the number of teams to include Gosford or the Gold Coast; the awarding of radio and TV rights; approving key sponsorships.
"Politis, whose investment and control at Bondi Junction is such that the Roosters resemble a privately owned club, is campaigning for the Gold Coast, a move some cynics suggest is designed to curb the power of the Broncos.
"Sydney businessman John Singleton, who has a small shareholding in the Broncos, wants a Central Coast team. Not surprisingly, Singo, an eastern suburbs resident, says he hates the Roosters. But his radio station, 2GB, does hold the League radio rights.
"Channel Nine, owned by long-time "Easts" supporters Kerry and James Packer and run by a director of the Roosters, David Gyngell, holds the free-to-air rights and half-owns Fox Sports, which controls the pay-TV rights.
"A close friend of Politis is Mark Bouris, part-owner of Wizard Home Loans, which sponsors the NSW State of Origin team. Bouris is a key supporter of Gould and has been influential in Fittler's career (Crikey: PBL has a minority stake in Wizard).
"Fans complain that sport is now merely a business, but the reverse may be true at the Roosters. Certainly, the two have merged. Politis-Bouris-James Packer-Gyngell are too straight-talking to lace their speech with sports metaphors, like many other sneaker-wearing businessmen. You never hear them talk about "blue-chip recruits" or "level playing fields."
CRIKEY: There's more at the beginning of Roy's story, but Three-Quarters-Back and other Easts football supporters should have the drift by now that Crikey, while based in Melbourne, has an Australian focus and Rugby League is fair game because of the antics and ambitions of people like the Murdochs and the Packers. And while the infighting and other goings on at the AFL sometimes resemble a cross between Home and Away, Neighbours and McLeod's Daughters, the game is still basically its master. You don't see Murdoch and Packer in there owning and trying to take control. Wait on, sorry, there is Eddie Inc at Collingwood!
Three-Quarters-Back hits back
Neddy No-neck's rebuttal of my piece contains some very valid points, such as Gyngell being on the board of Easts.
However, I think he missed the point; Yes, Easts (or Sydney Roosters as we haven't been Sydney City for five years) do get a lot of coverage on free-to-air. But this is because they pull the ratings in, as do the other teams I mentioned.
That's Channel 9's perogative. Unlike say the AFL where it's my understanding the free-to-air coverage has to give an equal number
of home games to every team. Now there's pluses and minuses in both systems, but this is not about a debate about that.
My point was about the particular game - and I think it fairly obvious that the whole game, indeed the whole week in general was about Newcastle due to the big Newcastle week that Channel 9 are having, with the Test being played there on Friday night. To imply that there is some sort of Easts bias at Channel 9 in this particular case is to miss the fact that the Channel 9 coverage equally favours Brisbane or Newcastle or until recently, the Bulldogs, as it does Easts.
I might remind Ned that two of those teams were formerly Super League teams, so 'Packer' it seems will favour any team that can deliver him ratings over the teams that sided with him in the ARL-Super League war.
Of course, Crikey should investigate matters of import in the NRL, and Packer's and Murdoch's involvement in it and the clubs. But I argue that Packer favours Easts in TV coverage simply because of ratings factors and not any other. Who picks the games to show? Is it Packer himself? Or Gyngell? Can Neddy answer that question because I can't. And that question is central to the accusation of Easts special treatment.
His other jibes at Easts aren't worth rebutting in any detail because generally they are extremely petty. The only example I will mention is the first; mentioning Bondi Junction "getting a shopping centre that even Parramatta has had". Ned, the new shopping centre replaces the old one they knocked down.
As to Easts "controlling league" it is true, as Masters wrote last year, that Easts has a lot more influence than the likes of Penrith.
But is it any wonder, given that Easts is one of only two foundation clubs and the only club to have played every season since 1908. The club itself is littered with the history of a glorious 96 year history, mementos of it's many champions. The award for the season's top player is named after a player who played for Easts.
Without the switch of Dally Messenger (The Master) from Rugby Union to Rugby League in 1908, Rugby League would
probably not exist in Sydney today. Another player who played for Easts, has been described as "The Bradman of League" - and today, 70 years later, Dave Brown still holds many outstanding records that are likely to never be eclipsed. Until the institution of the Clive Churchill Medal in 1986, the award for best player in the Grand Final was known as the Dave Brown Medal in honour of probably the best player to ever lace a boot and play the game.
With this rich history, and more importantly with the acumen, and foresight, of Nick Politis in rescuing Easts from the scrap heap of
inner-city club oblivion in the early 1990s, Easts does exercise great influence within the League it is true. However Easts are not the only club to exercise influence (and before the Super League war it was Manly), and we don't tell Packer what to show on TV, and he does favour other teams, even ones once opposed to his interests. No doubt when Easts appearances on Channel 9 don't rate, Packer will relegate us to the scrap heap of the also rans.
Easts never invented TV ratings, we sure as hell didn't start the Super League war either, so don't blame us for the situation we find
ourselves in now. Especially when the specific accusation isn't true and can't be backed up with anything like objective evidence.
Or shall I await the inevitable salary cap accusations and outrageous speculation that usually follows this sort of discussion?
Regards,
The 3/4s back
PS For more information on the history of The Greatest Game Of All, including details about its formation and early history, Dally Messenger, and Dave Brown, I heartily recommend the site www.rl1908.com. I am not affiliated with this site in any way other than as a keen reader and student of the game.
Neddy pops His Neck Up
Gee, don't you love Easts supporters who live in the past? Especially when their great teams of the past have been bettered by two other more recent teams; the great Jack Gibson coached premiership winning teams of 74 and 75; and the 2002 team wasn't a bunch of slouches either, even if they had to buy Fittler, just like they purchased Big Arfur Beetson back in the 70s.
Gibson (who coached Parramatta to a number of premierships), along with Wayne Bennett are still the best, most forward thinking League coaches I have seen. Rod Macqueen in Rugby Union is the BEST coach I have seen operate in that code and Ron Barasssi in VFL/AFL. Why? Because of the continuing influence on the game of their thinking, tactics and approach to the players.
I always reckoned that the Manly teams of the late 60s and 70s were the 'best' bought premierships, especially 73 and the big brawl with Cronulla, the mere sight of the late John O'Neill in full flight was worth the price of admission or the cost of a TV set. But I think the Easts chequebook always had a special kind of clout when the Leagues and Football clubs were aligned.
That's what Nick Politis has done over the last few years, that happens for every successful team.
And of course TQB does sort of ignore the greatest Rugby League clubs of all. The truly magnificent sides of St George (how many premierships was it again? 11? All in a row.) and South Sydney in the late 60s, taking over from St George. Talk about history!
And, TQB can bang on as much as he is entitled to about the history of Easts in Rugby League. But South Sydney has just as a magnificent history. And where were Easts and its supporters when Souths was done in so cruelly by the Murdoch, Packer and Rugby League gang after the collapse of the super League war?
In fact, I quite like the way Easts have been playing under Ricky Stuart. They continue to impress me, even when hurt badly by injury. Their performance in last year's Grand Final, still the best game of Rugby League I have seen (along with State of Origin 1 last year and the 66 Grand Final), was brilliant and should go down in their club history as a victory.
But they didn't win the premiership and in the winner takes all attitude of modern business and Packer style management, I am sorry that some people over Bondi Junction way might not still fully appreciate that game.
In fact Ricky Stuart could very well be on his way to being a legendary coach. He shows all the hallmarks of understanding the need for change in the game and tactics, as he's proven since 2002. He learned well from Wayne Bennett when he was coaching Canberra to their premierships, with Ricky Stuart as the classiest halfback of his time.
And people continue to amaze me by raving bout the kicking and passing game of Andrew Johns, which is brilliant. So to was Ricky Stuart at the Raiders. One of the great sadnesses of the world of Rugby League is how clubs like Easts are allowed to continue without much in the way of junior development.
The mysterious payments to junior clubs in the east, some in the South Sydney area, have been documented in the Herald over the past few years, with the names of some well-known and talented players involved.
Salary cap breaches are not just to be found at Belmore, or at Bondi Junction, but banging on and on about taking on the NRL on the salary cap wouldn't sound so hollow if Easts put the sort of money into their juniors that say Parramatta or Penrith or the Wests Tigers.
The future of Rugby League continues to be amongst the two to three million people living on the western, northern and southern sides of Sydney and in Queensland. As a long time League supporter from the NSW Country and enjoying my games growing up and then in Brisbane and Sydney over the years, I've seen quite a few very good players.
And if Dave Brown was better than Johnnie Raper, Reg Gasnier or Norm Provan, (or Clive Churchill, who I never saw play) then I'll wash an Easts Jumper.
The trophy NRL teams play for - features Norm Provan and Arthur Summons of Wests, doesn't it? That says something about the talent of both players and the longevity of their reputations.
