From memory, seven out of the 17 players who triumphed in 2010 were Illawarra juniors.
Morris, Cooper, Hornby, Creagh, Young, Prior, Merrin.
If Hunt didn’t wreck his Achilles Tendon (and his career as he was never the same), I dare say he would’ve been an eighth player.
This is an impressive number.
Conversely, St. George juniors numbered two: Gasnier and Nightingale.
So, it’s a total of nine locally bred individuals, Name a single team which can boast a similarly high percentage of juniors from the area it represents.
I hardly think the Illawarra Rugby League would simply fall over and acquiesce its young talent so they can play football under the St. George banner.
Whether or not you like the joint venture arrangement or otherwise, it’s important to remember that since day one St. George has had the finance, and the Steelers has had the playing talent (which is vital for ANY club to remain competitive.
As such, the status quo needs to remain in place with a number of necessary tweaks.