Telegraph tirade makes Kogarah a victim of its own success

[R2K]

R2K comment

12 May 2009

If rugby league ever needed a good news story it's in 2009.

After just 9 rounds the NRL has endured the Manly season launch fiasco, the Matthew Johns group sex scandal and news of a Club that is reportedly flirting with insolvency and relocation.

On the flipside, the NRL has a welcome distraction from those detrimental issues through Friday night's match between the Dragons and the Bulldogs at the newly refurbished WIN Jubilee Oval.

It is the most anticipated event of the season and much of the hype surrounding the top of the table clash is because it's a local derby being staged at the hallowed Kogarah ground.

St.George supporters love Kogarah! It's not only symbolic of the Club's glorious past but the superbly upgraded facility is now a significant component of the Dragons' future.

Kogarah Jubilee offers the Dragons a high yield return, a significant homeground advantage and has played a key role in ensuring that Red V season memberships reach record levels.

The fact that Friday's clash at Kogarah is almost a sellout is something that the Daily Telegraph journalists should be celebrating with positive press, rather than publishing diatribes that only detract from the success of the code on the field.

Instead, the Daily Telegraph would do better investigating why the Grand Final rematch attracted a mere 10,752 patrons and why there was only a crowd of 8,412 at Gosford last night.

The Daily Telegraph spouted the same nonsense in 2007 when they called for the West Tigers to abandon Leichhardt Oval. Despite the pressure from the Murdoch press, the Tigers stuck to their guns and showed respect for their fans by keeping the game at home.

In the same way, the Dragons have also displayed a higher regard for their fans by keeping Friday's match at the Dragons' spiritual home. While Dragons CEO Peter Doust has received some criticism over the years on various issues relating to Kogarah, on this occasion he only deserves praise for not contemplating a move away from the St.George District.

It would be totally unethical for the Dragons to shift the match, as the Club's Red V members have paid money in advance on the guarantee that the match will be staged at WIN Jubilee Oval. Why should the St.George-Illawarra management sacrifice the loyalty displayed by those Dragons' supporters on the hope that they attract 20,000 additional Bulldogs fans?

It's a certainty that St.George supporters will not be upset if the Bulldogs fans stay away. At the time of the Daily Telegraph's article, there were still 3,000 seats available and therefore the Daily Telegraph article is just a beat-up.

Perhaps those Bulldogs supporters that are worried about missing out on a ticket should contact Ticketek directly and buy a ticket rather than providing feedback to the Bulldogs' Club about the prospect of missing out on a ticket.

The Journalist has written a flimsy article by failing to attract any direct quotes from ANZ Stadium, the SCG Trust and St.George-Illawarra. Instead the Journalist relied solely on quotes from the Bulldogs CEO Todd Greenberg, who should know better.

Greenberg is allegedly interested in returning the Bulldogs to Belmore Sports Ground, but his comments about the Kogarah hill are contradictory to his recent pro-Belmore statements that have appeased hardcore Canterbury fans.

Greenberg's statement that the NRL should have the power to determine scheduling is surely not heartfelt and would no doubt be retracted if the NRL directed the Bulldogs to play at a location which didn't satisfy their requirements.

If any supporters miss out on tickets to Friday's match, they can always watch the game on Channel Nine and Foxtel. From memory rugby league in TV-land was the Super League vision which the Daily Telegraph started to propagate just after that memorable Nathan Brown try at Kogarah in 1995.

Related articles:

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25465458-5001023,00.html

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/sport/nrl/story/0,26799,25463312-5016307,00.html

Related poll:

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/sport/nrl/?id=

 

[Cooper-Man]

great article R2K.


I read the CRAP that Josh Massoud made up in the stupid article. Seriously, the NRL want us to grow our season ticket holders. going back to Kogarah has helped us be number 1 in sydney with 10500 ticketed members. So why is it that the club have made the wrong decision. Well done to dousty for sticking to his guns.

 

[Ray Parlour]

Even the Dogs fans on the kennel were saying how stupid Greenberg's comments.

Well done Douche.

Also i know they were saying that they could get 40,000 people to ANZ - thats bullsh*t. I for one (and im sure there are others) would not be attending friday nights game if it was played at that sh*thole homebush.

 

[Jasdragon]

Great article! Go the Dragons!

 

[CreaghzyMark]

i still would of attended fridayz match whereever they played it only for the love for the dragons tho but im glad its staying at KOGARAH.

3 or 4 weeks ago people were saying it was going to be a sell out and everyone knew that every game this yr at oki were gonna mean pre perchasing tickets so i dont get how all the dumb farks complaining they cant get tickets while there is still tickets remaing.....go figure

 

[big pat]

good quote from gallop on page 96 of the tele crap.

 

[muzby]

so what if it sells out?

it means it's a success, it will be a night that fans will remember for ages and the atmosphere will be more electric than death row inmate in texas.

 

[nathanbrown'sghost]

Most doggies fans I talked to want it at Kogarah too. I have been approached by people who do not understand the issue but have read the Telegraph asking why it is not being moved. When I explain that it is a Dragons home game, keeping a promise to members to play there, factoring in the impossibility of logistics moving the game they agree with me that it is too late to be talking about a venue change.

 

[Kogarah4Ever]

It's a pointless argument 4 days until the game anyway, even if Doust wanted to move it, the cost involved would be massive.

I can tell you if it was at homebush it'd struggle to get past 25K, league fans have voted with their feet in the past and shown that they DO NOT like traveling out to homebush.

I do think they could schedule big games like this at SFS but it needs to be done well in advance.

 

[Drain the Dragon]

The Dogs are and have always been con-artists.

The whole idea of moving games for the potential of more gate takings is crap. You might get a few more $$$ out of it, but you hand the home advantage back to the Dogs in the process. And possibly the 2 competition points as well.

The NRL draw is done to accomodate, in most cases, a home game one week, and an away game the next week. Moving it to ANZ would mean we have 3 away games in a row (Cowboys, Dogs & Sharks).

If they are serious about winning a premiership, the club should never sacrifice the home ground advantage. It's a no-brainer.

Winning a grand final will mean more money in the long term interests of the club.

 

[Tanner Ave]

Its HERATIGE ROUND for goodness sake, Where the hell else would you play football except at KOGARAH, this is exactly what the NRL wanted a local derby in a local ground without any empty seats. Bring it on, Listen to all the commentators and the way they will describe the atmosphere on the night and then I better the tele will write an article about how you cant buy the atmosphere of a packed local ground etc etc.
Thanks Dousty!
I reckon it’s the Bennett factor 8)

 

[SaintScotty]

It's typical crap from the telegraph. And I see that Phil Rothfield is going to blog about it at 1pm today.

The media can never just say well done for selling out the ground. If we would have moved it to ANZ then they would be saying how it is only half full and why would you do such a thing.

Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

And these guys own half of the game. All they want to do is keep their foot on its throat for their own self interest.

 

[sting]

Phil Rothfield is a bag of sh*t.

everyone comment on the blog and see if he responds

 

[marty_dragon]

Phil Rothfield is a bag of sh*t.

everyone comment on the blog and see if he responds

I did. lets see what the f**kwit has to say for himself

 

[big pat]

someone give rothfield some epsom salts.

 

[flanker 07]

I'm not a Doust fan (far from it) but I applaud his decision not to look at moving the game. Heritage week What has ANZ Stadium got to do with any teams heritage. It'll be a sellout at Kogarah and that's what we all want to see. Red and white (or scarlet and white) all over the place and a big win for the Dragons.