Given the finite resources meaning limited number of teams in the 1997 cull, the 20 had to be cut. So your suggestion is we’d have been better keeping all the Sydney clubs and having no Melbourne and no Auckland and nq? If the new teams Bring more than the cut teams then it’s still a win. It’s hard to argue that the storm haven’t added more to the game than keeping NS or Balmain.
The work then needs to be done so that the next generation isnt lost. You can’t blame a 50year old rusted on bears fan for having less I ter3st but there is no reason at all that a 12 year old when they were cut should have been lost to the game. The real failure wasn’t in cutting the bears, the failure was the arl’s lack of staretegy in making sure the area wasn’t neglected post the bears. There are 6million people in Sydney, to only be getting 350k fta viewers for finals games is a big worry and a sign of the apathy towards the sport in that city at the moment.
Haha trust you to miss the irony of my consultant comment!
Ps nib has sold out 3 times in last few years.
You do know ,then perhaps you don't, in 1995 the ARL had over $20m plus in the Bank.On that basis they expanded into Perth/Nth Qld/Auckland and Brisbane crushednuts.Expanding knowing they had the financials to do so.Where they stuffed up was on the travel /accommodation re Perth.
The question we will never know, with money in the bank and no SL,the code did in fact have financial resources.And perhaps they could have screwed a better Tv deal ,than the Gallop giveaways.And retained 20 teams.
I have repeatedly stated I am for expansion,but you coming in here trolling, whining ,sucking up to AFL turns me and others off .I was for the expansion the ARL did in 1995 ,although I thought 4 teams at once was rushed.2 ,then 2 later after the following TV deal.
The simple facts are this weekend 3 out of the 4 teams in the elimination finals are Sydney teams.Two Sydney teams with strong junior bases, and one with the financial backing .
Sydney is the biggest city in the country with more than 20% of the country's population.Sydney has already had rationalisation post SL.NSW has about 7m.
What Sydney outer area clubs need is better stadiums that is all.Penrith has the largest number of junior in the country.The Sharks have the biggest growth of juniors second only to West Sydney.
Generation was lost in North Sydney because of rationalisation.Once you lose them, you don't get them back.It means they are lost will continue to have little rl interest.Not 50 years olds, but kids now growing up.Yes you'll get some kids.But you need apart from D/Os ,volunteers to help.
Why didn't your mate Smith with all the money at his disposal ,put resources into North Sydney?Ironically he was building a nest egg, \similar to what the current mob are doing.
You don't understand, you lose a team like the Bears,and you can put money in and resources, but the kids don't have an NRL team in that area, to aspire to like their dad.
Maybe a solution is, for another Sydney team to incorporate Nth Sydney in the area and logo.
The demographics could also have changed dramatically.
St George got the sh*ts when Cronulla (part of their area) went solo in 1967.The Illawarra is now the strength of their juniors.
If it's not a growth or large area I can understand a team dropping down ala Newtown.
The very reason the Shark's juniors are growing is because @they have an NRL team B) the team has had marked success in the last few years including being in the top 8 regularly c) females playing the game d)they are well ingrained in the community(I see it first hand every day) covering people 8-80,Flanagan has an academy system with pathways for young players .The only thing missing for that club at the moment is an upgraded stadium.They still get 15,000 plus members not much less than other Sydney clubs.You don't get that when your club is flicked.
You are not a resident of Sydney, you have thus not followed the game in Sydney for along time.You came from a country of over 60m, with one completely dominant code, and rl having promo and relegation.It's a compltely different situation to what we have here.
You chop a team, you either lose fans forever, you get a few who remain stalwarts and jump to another club and now because there are other/more competing codes some jump ship to them as happened when Souths were flicked .
You keep crapping on about FTA.TV ratings for sport has been dropping full stop, the NRL not as much as the others.And you have to take into account Pay TV.Masters noted the NRL over the year(not including the semis) is bigger than the AFL.And you ignore also the growing impact of people streaming on mobile devices.
And who knows the effect of the Sydney media and their criss anti rl stories,I hope Burgess sues one of them for millions.
Knowing the way you genuflect toward Smith ,consultants was his way of getting expensiveyes men/women to support his expensive habits.The same people who appear to have offered little re growth,grassoots etc.
And Sydney clubs have had sellouts, Penrith twice this year,Sharks have had 19-20,000 in recent years.Leichhardt has had 19,000 thereabouts.
There is over 2m in Brisbane,yet can only get 35,000 members.It is what it is.
