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Gold Coast-Tweed Giants/Seagulls & Chargers

axl rose

Bench
Messages
4,936
My recollection is the Chargers were punted and didn’t go of their own accord. I remember the questions being asked as to why, when they had something like $2.5m in the bank and had just had what I am pretty sure was their most successful season.[/SIZE]
As a side note I have a Gold Coast Dolphins jersey shown in that clip that’s never been worn!



Trade off. Rupert shut down the broke Reds/Rams so the ARL killed off the Chargers. They had a chance the merge with the Crushers but for some reason it never came to fruition.

Gotta respect Wally, gets smashed up with a full beer can and just shrugs it off after the match. AFL player gets called a name by a schoolgirl and crys like a baby for a week. Off to the fight club for me.

I don't even remember this particular jersey. A Seagulls card but a Giants jersey with the Seagulls leagues club as sponsor.

30vc95h.jpg
 
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Jason Maher

Immortal
Messages
35,977
Trade off. Rupert shut down the broke Reds/Rams so the ARL killed off the Chargers. They had a chance the merge with the Crushers but for some reason it never came to fruition.

Gotta respect Wally, gets smashed up with a full beer can and just shrugs it off after the match. AFL player gets called a name by a schoolgirl and crys like a baby for a week. Off to the fight club for me.

I don't even remember this particular jersey. A Seagulls card but a Giants jersey with the Seagulls leagues club as sponsor.

30vc95h.jpg

They wore the grey jersey in 88-89 as the Giants, then changed in 1990 to Tweed Seagulls jersey of white with black butcher's stripes, to which thin red stripes were added (presumably for differentiation purposes). That is a 1990 footy card, which would have used photos from the 1989 season, hence the old jersey but the new logo on the card.
 
Messages
13,776
It was the Seagulls, round 2, 1994.

I remember that game, I went to it. Was stoked to have the Broncos play down the street from me. My dad always tells me he was very fearful that night as I went verbal jab for verbal jab with gold coast drunk bogans in the crowd....as an 11 year old. Wendell had a shocker, he dropped the ball a million times and one time he caught the ball with no pressure and then just ran over the sideline for some reason, would love to see that again. After the game, people were allowed to run onto the ground and the Seagulls for just one night were f**king rock stars. The crowd around Peter Gill was incredible.

As for Wes Patten, I saw him about 2 years ago at Jupiters Casino at 1am on a Saturday and he was in boardshorts and sneakers!
 

axl rose

Bench
Messages
4,936
They wore the grey jersey in 88-89 as the Giants, then changed in 1990 to Tweed Seagulls jersey of white with black butcher's stripes, to which thin red stripes were added (presumably for differentiation purposes). That is a 1990 footy card, which would have used photos from the 1989 season, hence the old jersey but the new logo on the card.

Main was a different variation of black and silver. This must have been a one off clash/away jersey.
 
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juggalo

Juniors
Messages
69
Main was a different variation of black and silver. This must have been a one off clash/away jersey.

Yeah I'm guessing this was their 1989 Sevens jersey. White ball and looks like could be the Parra stadium hill in the background
 

Rhino_NQ

Immortal
Messages
33,045
had a juniors pass as a kid growing up on the coast and went to a fair few chargers games. I remember them beating both 97 grand finalists at home that year and had guys like sattler, wes, bella, graham mackay and marcus bai.

Anyone remember the drunken idiot in the safari suit that stole the golf buggy?
 

axl rose

Bench
Messages
4,936
had a juniors pass as a kid growing up on the coast and went to a fair few chargers games. I remember them beating both 97 grand finalists at home that year and had guys like sattler, wes, bella, graham mackay and marcus bai.

Anyone remember the drunken idiot in the safari suit that stole the golf buggy?

After they beat Manly the Munster did a lap of honour. Great atmosphere at that match.
 

Tweed Titan

Bench
Messages
3,205
I remember the Chargers winning a couple of games at the back end of the 1997 ARL season to make it to the finals, vs. Illawarra Steelers (next team I'll touch on). I also remember them being pumped by Melbourne Storm in 98, might've been a 60 to whatever scoreline.

The Seagulls, I remember Wally as captain coach and them being generally rubbish. I didnt mind them because they used a variation of a North Sydney Bears 1970's jersey. They didnt have much luck.

Giants were diabolical. Nothing positive to say except they tried hard? Didnt mind their colours actually, it's a shame that they are one incarnation which has all but disappeared much like Glebe, Annandale and Cumberland as far as merchandise is concerned. Sure there are a few knock offs available on eBay but I'm guessing a genuine Giants jersey would be worth a fair bit?

I saw a couple of legit looking Giants/early Seagulls jerseys in good condition going for around $250 lately on Ebay.
 

davi

Juniors
Messages
1,932
I still own a Gold Coast Charger jersey and I went to a Broncos game last year with it on. After the game I went to the Caxton and I got approached by former Gold Coast Charger/ Seagulls player Robert Campbell. He was really nice and he gave me some great insight into the team. He is now a school teacher these days.

The Chargers would find players that were diamonds in the rough- but would always lose them to teams with more cash.

After their first season Dave Watson, Shane Kenward and Lee Oudenryn left to more cashed up clubs. Happened after their 2nd season as well with Brendan Hurst and Jeremy Schloss leaving despite making the finals.

Also I remember when Gold Coast Chargers coach Phil Economidis won coach of the year in 1997. The presenter said when presenting the award "If the club had any money he wouldn't have got the job Phil Enconomidis!!!" Yes I'm serious, that is really what happened.
 

madunit

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
62,358
They "punted" themselves to be fair. They decided at the end of '98 that they weren't going to be viable even though they had a bit of cash in the bank that not many other clubs would have had. In hindsight the worst thing that happened was the possible merger between them and the Crushers at the end of '97 didn't happen. The GC said no to that and then only lasted another 12 months. A South Qld Chargers (or whatever) could have provided a second Brisbane team and a GC team in one go that might have been a better scenario than we have now.

Even crazier was Gold Coast's refusal to take-over the Hunter Mariners (including their players) at the end of 1997.

They went into administration so many times in their short life. The owners of the club rarely ever got on well with the coaches.

I think Seagulls Leagues Club bought the club twice.

Talk of a team on the Gold Coast was hastened when Christopher Skase's company Qintex started building a sports ground in the area with the plan of having the Brisbane Bears playing from the venue.

The Giants were born, Skase's building didn't get close to being finished in time then the Bears AFL side merged with Fitzroy, which they believed would instantly double their crowd size, so they turned their back on the Gold Coast move and stayed at the GABBA.

Then Skase got found out when he tried to buy MGM (I think, it was some big movie company in the US) packed up his shit and fled to Spain.

The Giants changed their name after 1 season when the Seagulls Leagues Club bought them.
 

Trollhammaren

Juniors
Messages
2,016
I remember Round 1 in the first season of the new NRL in 1998, and Balmain carved up the Chargers at Leichhardt 40-6. This put us on top of the NRL ladder, and I can safely say that is the only time in my lifetime I can remember the Tigers (WT or BT) being on top of the ladder.

I remember Preston Campbell having a man-of-the-match performance in a losing side (to Cronulla I think). Junior Pearce went on a scouting mission in the off season for outside backs, but didn't land Preston. I really wanted him to join the Tigers...
 

davi

Juniors
Messages
1,932
RIP Gavin Whittaker are very underrated forward. I remember in the ARL comp in the 1997 finals for the Chargers against the Roosters, he chased down a Roosters back. Didn't prevent the try but he showed how much pace he had for a front row forward.

"THE local rugby league community is mourning the death of former Gold Coast Chargers front-rower Gavin Whittaker.

Whittaker passed away peacefully at his Parkwood home surrounded by family on Friday – seven days before his 47th birthday – after losing a battle with stomach cancer. Whittaker played in the Super League-ARL war days, firstly for the Sydney Bulldogs (Canterbury), where he had seven games, then with the Chargers at the old Gold Coast Stadium, where he played 30 games from 1996 to 1998.

Whittaker was born at Pittsworth on the Darling Downs.

Burleigh Bears football chief executive Damian Driscoll played with the Chargers in the same era and described Whittaker as pretty solid and a player who just gave it his all. “He was a good old-fashioned front rower and did not shirk it at all,” Driscoll said.

Another former Gold Coast NRL player, Peter Gill, formed a close friendship with Whittaker and described him as “a big human”.

“He was happy-go-lucky and always had a smile on his face,” Gill said.

After his days playing with the Chargers ended, Whittaker set up an electrical service and later on he spent some time working in his trade out at the mines.

He is survived by widow Trudi, sons Shai, 21, and Jesse, 18, and daughter Keely, 15.

His family will hold a private funeral service this morning followed by a public wake at the Parkwood International Golf Club starting at 11am."

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au...r/news-story/00396f2adb60c846c8f03dd0fd42485f
 

axe&smash&crush

Juniors
Messages
380


Trade off. Rupert shut down the broke Reds/Rams so the ARL killed off the Chargers. They had a chance the merge with the Crushers but for some reason it never came to fruition.

Gotta respect Wally, gets smashed up with a full beer can and just shrugs it off after the match. AFL player gets called a name by a schoolgirl and crys like a baby for a week. Off to the fight club for me.

I don't even remember this particular jersey. A Seagulls card but a Giants jersey with the Seagulls leagues club as sponsor.

30vc95h.jpg
The change to seagulls from Giants was very confusing for a nine year old.

Had a chance to buy a giants Jersey back in 1994 (cheap stock, old sponsors rack) bought a raiders one instead. Bummer.

Last year a whole lot of "new old stock" Gold Coast tweed Giants jerseys were on eBay for sale.
 

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