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18th club, whose next?

reanimate

Bench
Messages
3,862
I`ve heard this stated a few times, I suppose the up-side maybe that due to the initial excitement and extra investment in the North Sydney region we may see a resurgence in junior playing numbers, now yeah sure as Western Australia starts to gain independence through developing their own pathways in WA and North Sydney teams may seem a little irrelevant but a) the extra playing numbers will be a boon to the game overall, and b) I`m sure other clubs will only be too happy to take advantage of any resurgent North Sydney junior League. So win-win really.
It’s better than the status quo, but the benefits will fade over time as the Sydney fanbase numbers start to fall. If the Bears retain the area on a permanent basis, the question will be how to get future kids on the North Shore who don’t have existing ties to the Bears through playing or family to care about a WA team as their own.
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,542
It’s better than the status quo, but the benefits will fade over time as the Sydney fanbase numbers start to fall. If the Bears retain the area on a permanent basis, the question will be how to get future kids on the North Shore who don’t have existing ties to the Bears through playing or family to care about a WA team as their own.
They haven’t faded after 30 years without an nrl team

a foundation club has generational support

they have kids who will follow the tradition

the fact that 30 years on without norths manly haven’t managed to cross the spit bridge shows it’s never going to happen
 

Iamback

Referee
Messages
20,266
I`ve heard this stated a few times, I suppose the up-side maybe that due to the initial excitement and extra investment in the North Sydney region we may see a resurgence in junior playing numbers, now yeah sure as Western Australia starts to gain independence through developing their own pathways in WA and North Sydney teams may seem a little irrelevant but a) the extra playing numbers will be a boon to the game overall, and b) I`m sure other clubs will only be too happy to take advantage of any resurgent North Sydney junior League. So win-win really.

The big bonus is those exclusive schools on the North Shore. I am sure there are plenty of potential recruits that would like that before moving across to Perth.

That is a huge bonus in recruiting the best kids as opposed to having to move to Perth at 15
 

Canard

Immortal
Messages
35,597
The big bonus is those exclusive schools on the North Shore. I am sure there are plenty of potential recruits that would like that before moving across to Perth.

That is a huge bonus in recruiting the best kids as opposed to having to move to Perth at 15
Pity none of those schools play RL.

Also, the days of any NRL players coming from the suburb the club is named after are gone.

f**k, the Dolphins have only 8 QLDers (who are mostly from outside Brisbane Metro) in their entire top 30.
 

Matt_CBY

Juniors
Messages
1,481
It’s great for the Bears and their old Sydney fans in the present, once they’re gone you’re left with the North Shore feeding into Perth without the people/fans there in Sydney that made the arrangement have the appearance of making some kind of sense in the past.

It’s an arrangement that will make little sense to kids from future generations on the North Shore that don’t have ties to the Bears and will leave the area a poor cousin of the areas covered by full-time Sydney teams.
Don’t underestimate generational support.
 

Matt_CBY

Juniors
Messages
1,481
It’s better than the status quo, but the benefits will fade over time as the Sydney fanbase numbers start to fall. If the Bears retain the area on a permanent basis, the question will be how to get future kids on the North Shore who don’t have existing ties to the Bears through playing or family to care about a WA team as their own.
True but it’s not something that can’t be overcome.

Manly will benefit from the players who don’t want to move to Perth.
 

Vlad59

Bench
Messages
4,048
There is a small part of me which wonders whether an initial partnership with a moribund old failed club like the Bears might suit Perth. Gets them the ride they need into the comp and then they can discard them when the club is fully established. It would be nice and somewhat appropriate for a Perth Club to abolish an old useless Sydney Club once their use has ended. I like that.
 

reanimate

Bench
Messages
3,862
They haven’t faded after 30 years without an nrl team

a foundation club has generational support

they have kids who will follow the tradition

the fact that 30 years on without norths manly haven’t managed to cross the spit bridge shows it’s never going to happen
They haven’t faded? You think they have loads of fans from the later end of Gen Y, Gen Z, Alpha etc?

There’s kids from that time period who are now adults who have never seen the Bears play as a first grade team. Other than the odd fully inculcated child of Bears fans, the boat has been completely missed with them.

Little has happened with the North Shore because of this exact dumb scenario. Clubs haven’t been spending on the North Shore because the hypothetical Bears re-entry has continually been discussed and bounced around as a possibility that could happen very soon.
 

horrie hastings

First Grade
Messages
7,927
I remember Newtown losing the 1981 NSWRL GF to Parramatta, the Eels first ever GF win and Brett Kenny’s first GF hat trick.
I remember Newtown and Steve Bowden beating the crap out of Manly and Mark Broadhurst, I remember Newtown drawing twice with the Bulldogs in 1982 0-0 and 1-1 and I remember Newtowns’ final season being 1983.
Is that a typo Centy ? true there were two draws between Newton and the Dogs, one was 0-0 and the other was 12-12, As far as i can see there has never been a 1-1 scoreline in the Sydney rugby league comp or NRL
 

Iamback

Referee
Messages
20,266
Pity none of those schools play RL.

Also, the days of any NRL players coming from the suburb the club is named after are gone.

f**k, the Dolphins have only 8 QLDers (who are mostly from outside Brisbane Metro) in their entire top 30.

A huge part of the reason Rugby is stuffed in this country is because those schools are being filled with RL guys.

Fittler's son is a perfect example. Katoa from Dolphins when he was at Penrith was put in those schools, Pensini at Parra and so on.

Where did I say they had to be from the suburb? Flegler was able to stay in Brisbane, Farnsworth too and so on.

Trae Fuller has been decent backup.
Max Plath is now starting

These guys were in QCup before Dolphins come in. They aren't in the NRL if the team is based somewhere else.

Having Redcliffe have a link directly to an NRL side allowed guys like that. Stay at home or their wives/girlfriends continue working and so on.

As such they have more depth then if there was no direct pathways in via Brisbane or QCup.

While I think any of the new teams will be bottom 4, A direct link will increase the chance they go well
 

Centy Coast

Juniors
Messages
1,745
You don’t want the Northern Beaches or North Shore not being covered by a first grade team. The wealth on offer in both areas is something that needs to be tapped into.

It could have all been handled a lot better with some planning and foresight from the game’s governing bodies. What was the plan when the joint venture was allowed to dissolve? We now know after two decades of observation that there was no plan in place. It’s been 20+ years of dithering, contemplating this or that idea, sitting on their hands and only now saying let’s maybe let them back in over in Perth.
You’d better get on the blower to your club then, they haven’t cared about the Northern Beaches for years.
I remember years ago when local Manly families were up in arms because buses of Blacktown kids were coming across to play in their local competitions so that they would qualify to play for the local rep teams.
Manly could’ve sent an olive branch to the Bears (not sure how it would have been received) to be their NSW Cup feeder club but they went out to Blacktown instead.
 

Canard

Immortal
Messages
35,597
A huge part of the reason Rugby is stuffed in this country is because those schools are being filled with RL guys.

Fittler's son is a perfect example. Katoa from Dolphins when he was at Penrith was put in those schools, Pensini at Parra and so on.

Where did I say they had to be from the suburb? Flegler was able to stay in Brisbane, Farnsworth too and so on.

Trae Fuller has been decent backup.
Max Plath is now starting

These guys were in QCup before Dolphins come in. They aren't in the NRL if the team is based somewhere else.

Having Redcliffe have a link directly to an NRL side allowed guys like that. Stay at home or their wives/girlfriends continue working and so on.

As such they have more depth then if there was no direct pathways in via Brisbane or QCup.

While I think any of the new teams will be bottom 4, A direct link will increase the chance they go well
A huge part of the reason Rugby is stuffed in this country is because those schools are being filled with RL guys.

Fittler's son is a perfect example. Katoa from Dolphins when he was at Penrith was put in those schools, Pensini at Parra and so on.

Where did I say they had to be from the suburb? Flegler was able to stay in Brisbane, Farnsworth too and so on.

Trae Fuller has been decent backup.
Max Plath is now starting

These guys were in QCup before Dolphins come in. They aren't in the NRL if the team is based somewhere else.

Having Redcliffe have a link directly to an NRL side allowed guys like that. Stay at home or their wives/girlfriends continue working and so on.

As such they have more depth then if there was no direct pathways in via Brisbane or QCup.

While I think any of the new teams will be bottom 4, A direct link will increase the chance they go well
Flegler is from Tully, which is about 1600km from Brisbane.

Farnworth is from Lancashire.

Amazing how those players were fine in moving long distances to follow their dreams.

On an unrelated note Flegler career is in doubt.

 

Centy Coast

Juniors
Messages
1,745
A huge part of the reason Rugby is stuffed in this country is because those schools are being filled with RL guys.

Fittler's son is a perfect example. Katoa from Dolphins when he was at Penrith was put in those schools, Pensini at Parra and so on.

Where did I say they had to be from the suburb? Flegler was able to stay in Brisbane, Farnsworth too and so on.

Trae Fuller has been decent backup.
Max Plath is now starting

These guys were in QCup before Dolphins come in. They aren't in the NRL if the team is based somewhere else.

Having Redcliffe have a link directly to an NRL side allowed guys like that. Stay at home or their wives/girlfriends continue working and so on.

As such they have more depth then if there was no direct pathways in via Brisbane or QCup.

While I think any of the new teams will be bottom 4, A direct link will increase the chance they go well
Most of these guys have mostly been Union lads and league poached them e.g. Joseph Suallii, Will Penisini, Angus Crichton.
Connor Watson was signed from Joeys by the Roosters, Connor had never played Union in his life lol.
 

Centy Coast

Juniors
Messages
1,745
On an unrelated note Flegler career is in doubt.

It’s tragic, such a good player, imagine if the Dolphins had both Flegler and Tom Gilbert fit atm, they would be near unbeatable.
Both Flegler and Gilbert are two of the best forwards in the game.
I hope they can both eventually recover and make successful comebacks.
 
Messages
14,822
There is a small part of me which wonders whether an initial partnership with a moribund old failed club like the Bears might suit Perth. Gets them the ride they need into the comp and then they can discard them when the club is fully established. It would be nice and somewhat appropriate for a Perth Club to abolish an old useless Sydney Club once their use has ended. I like that.
You support an "old useless Sydney club" that drew just 8,035 fans through the gate the other night.
 

Canard

Immortal
Messages
35,597
It’s tragic, such a good player, imagine if the Dolphins had both Flegler and Tom Gilbert fit atm, they would be near unbeatable.
Both Flegler and Gilbert are two of the best forwards in the game.
I hope they can both eventually recover and make successful comebacks.
It sucks.

This is Gilbert's 5th season since coming to grade, and he has only played more than 12 games in a season once.
 

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