It's clear that people here are seeing this as a Wests Magpies v West/Balmain Tigers thing.
In reality, its 3 clubs.
Balmain - Home Ground Leichhardt
Magpies - Home Ground - Campbelltown
Wests Tigers - Home Ground SFS
The problem here isn't at all with Balmain, its with the Wests Tigers.
Since Sheens arrival, he's been hell bent on removing the Wests Magpies and Balmain 'sides' and having it all under the Wests Tigers umbrella.
Buts its a JV, that would never happen. We should stop trying to force something that can't exist onto the two parties that created it.
Would magpies really be any happier if they got 1 or 2 games more per year?
Really?
Of course not, because its hardly any different to the current arrangement.
They'd be lying if they said they didn't want at least 75% of home games at Campbelltown.
Juniors isn't the issue here.
The issue as it appears to me, is that the Magpies feel insignificant. And to some extenet they are right to feel that way. But I also feel that Balmain is just the same. By coming out and being aggressive and making threats, they are trying to sway the JV in their favour by more than 50%. They need to realise that their issue is with WT not Balmain.
Given the situation of Balmain and Wests Clubs, neither can afford to abandon the JV now, as it would be a surefire death. They are too heavily dependant on the NRL side.
A compromise needs to be met. Get a new home ground, halfway between Campbelltown and Balmain, play half the home games there and the other half at SFS
Players train at Campbelltown and Leichhardt.
NSW Cup contains teams from Wests and Balmain.
Keep the Magpies and Balmain seperate from the NRL side.
WT need to stop trying to please both sides, its never going to work. Just give them both the same hard deal where they can both be treated the same, equally, and be told to live with it.
The two clubs need WT more than WT needs them.
