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Au revoir....

LESStar58

Referee
Messages
25,496
Sadly, this is to be my last ever post on League Unlimited.

The events have transpired on the 22nd of April 2010 (and in the weeks months and years preceeding) have left me gutted, infuriated and disillusioned to the point where 30 years of supporting a game that gave me so many great moments, has come to an end.

For 5 years a man who put on a façade of acting in the best interest of the Melbourne Storm, the team I supported since its inception and been paid up as a member since 2003, and his staff has robbed the players and the fans of the glory years that the Storm experienced from 2006 to now.

The high times, and low points, of the last 4 years now mean nothing. I cried in 2006 when we lost and in 2008 when we were humiliated; now my tears were just a waste. The exact opposite emotions that I felt in our 3 premiership years are now replaced with a pit of emptiness in my stomach.


Never mind the game’s governing body, the administration deliberately and blatantly deceived me and any other person in Melbourne who supported the Storm by signing up as a member, purchasing merchandise or forking out admission to home games at Olympic Park.

I take the deception of the staff at Melbourne Storm as a personal insult. The only thing that gives me comfort is that, at the very least, certain members of the club have ruined their careers in sports administration.

The betrayal of my support, and that of the other members of the Melbourne sporting public, has ripped my heart from my chest and sadly my lifelong passion for rugby league is over and I hope that anyone involved in this gets their just desserts!


My dillema now is what I'm going to do for 6 months every year....
 

Knightmare

Coach
Messages
10,716
You could follow AFL. That has no shady business or ror......oh, hang on a moment....

Do you own a wetsuit and a surfboard?
 

Loudstrat

Coach
Messages
15,224
Les, that's a soft reaction.

I don't think Canterbury lost many fans in 2002. In fact, they banded together and won their remaiing games.

How about Souths fans in the wilderness years? Or Norths fans currently? Or Sharks fans after last year? Or Parra fans under the dismal Fitzgerald decades?

Believe me - it is VERY possible to love your club and despise your admin. I rejoiced when we won the 1986 premiership. Then genius Fitzgerald replaced the great Mick Cronin with the useless Ken Woolfe - and proceeded to spend the next 23 years making similarly terrible and soul destroying decisions.

Stick with it. I know that I couldn't ditch my mob under those same circumstances.
 

simostorm

Bench
Messages
4,511
haha.. it sucks.. i know.. as fans we gotta take this rubbish because of some idiot
who put into place something that was vile and pathetic..

but at the end of the day.. i love rugby league.. and Storm are my team..

You get a reletive with cancer.. and you'll soon relise how none of this will matter.. and any worrying done about it.. you will view it as ridiculous.

Take some time champ.. have a holiday.. enjoy your life.. come back.. try again.
 

Hindyscrack

Bench
Messages
3,433
Thats very sad to hear Less...

I hope you take sometime out, sit back and reflect that the actions of a few don't ruin the experience of what is a great game. I'm sure the great times that you have had and will continue to have (regardless of whether its the storm, internationally or at grass roots) will over-ride this one day.
 

Noa

First Grade
Messages
9,029
Lesstar mate, I know your hurting now, but we need to keep supporting the club.

Any sporting comp in the world deals with corruption like this so its not an isolated thing.
 

I Bleed Maroon

Referee
Messages
25,770
Sadly, we'll be seeing a lot more of this.

I don't blame the players at all, although I'll be interested to see if they knew anything.
 

natheel

Coach
Messages
12,137
Sadly, we'll be seeing a lot more of this.

I don't blame the players at all, although I'll be interested to see if they knew anything.

its very sad that they got away with it for so long! and sadly this probably isnt the end of it, so much more will transpire from this
 

Dragon_Taylor6

Juniors
Messages
724
A true fan of the Melbourne Storm and the game of rugby league would not turn there back now after this. Melbourne is going to need all the support it can get now.
 

joshreading

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
1,720
We are all hurting. Don't make any binding decisions yet. Let it play out.

The Storm is more than the administration. It is US the fans.

Turn the Pain into Passion. Don't let them steal our team
 

Scarves

Juniors
Messages
612
It's a hard game made for hard men. Toughen up, be like those Bears supporters, we gave them a knife and they killed themsleves with it, then we killed them some more but their supporters (all 9 of them) remained staunch... You need to pump up princess.
 

byrne_rovelli_fan82

First Grade
Messages
7,477
Well if you are willing to leave after this you ain't a fan at all. Harsh but true. One of my friend's has been a massive Dogs supporter for years and he stuck through them thick and thin and still supports them. I watched the horror of the Warriors for years and I still love watching them (despite feeling like I'm growing grey hairs early!), and I love the Storm (maybe not as much as my Warriors) and will still support them. I wouldn't leave them dry, this iis a time to show support not give up and run away!
 

Hanscholo

Bench
Messages
4,818
Sadly, this is to be my last ever post on League Unlimited.

The events have transpired on the 22nd of April 2010 (and in the weeks months and years preceeding) have left me gutted, infuriated and disillusioned to the point where 30 years of supporting a game that gave me so many great moments, has come to an end.

For 5 years a man who put on a façade of acting in the best interest of the Melbourne Storm, the team I supported since its inception and been paid up as a member since 2003, and his staff has robbed the players and the fans of the glory years that the Storm experienced from 2006 to now.

The high times, and low points, of the last 4 years now mean nothing. I cried in 2006 when we lost and in 2008 when we were humiliated; now my tears were just a waste. The exact opposite emotions that I felt in our 3 premiership years are now replaced with a pit of emptiness in my stomach.


Never mind the game’s governing body, the administration deliberately and blatantly deceived me and any other person in Melbourne who supported the Storm by signing up as a member, purchasing merchandise or forking out admission to home games at Olympic Park.

I take the deception of the staff at Melbourne Storm as a personal insult. The only thing that gives me comfort is that, at the very least, certain members of the club have ruined their careers in sports administration.

The betrayal of my support, and that of the other members of the Melbourne sporting public, has ripped my heart from my chest and sadly my lifelong passion for rugby league is over and I hope that anyone involved in this gets their just desserts!


My dillema now is what I'm going to do for 6 months every year....

you see my club to me is mine. its not someone elses. No matter how much they f**k up, or cheat or do drugs or bash people or whatever its still my club. Nothing could ever make me stop following my side. if your going to let some idiot business men take that away from you then you were bound to go sooner or later anyway.
 

The Tank

Bench
Messages
4,562
you see my club to me is mine. its not someone elses. No matter how much they f**k up, or cheat or do drugs or bash people or whatever its still my club. Nothing could ever make me stop following my side. if your going to let some idiot business men take that away from you then you were bound to go sooner or later anyway.

Couldn't have put it better myself.
 

MsStorm

Bench
Messages
2,714
Les, that's a soft reaction.

I don't think Canterbury lost many fans in 2002. In fact, they banded together and won their remaiing games.

How about Souths fans in the wilderness years? Or Norths fans currently? Or Sharks fans after last year? Or Parra fans under the dismal Fitzgerald decades?

Believe me - it is VERY possible to love your club and despise your admin. I rejoiced when we won the 1986 premiership. Then genius Fitzgerald replaced the great Mick Cronin with the useless Ken Woolfe - and proceeded to spend the next 23 years making similarly terrible and soul destroying decisions.

Stick with it. I know that I couldn't ditch my mob under those same circumstances.

Thank you Loudy for those encouraging words to Les. I really hope he heeds your advice.
I am sure most Storm fans will stick with the club. A few bad merkins at admin level have caused a lot of grief and heartache and I hope they are punished severely for that.
 

Bulldog Force

Referee
Messages
20,619
Sadly, this is to be my last ever post on League Unlimited.

The events have transpired on the 22nd of April 2010 (and in the weeks months and years preceeding) have left me gutted, infuriated and disillusioned to the point where 30 years of supporting a game that gave me so many great moments, has come to an end.

For 5 years a man who put on a façade of acting in the best interest of the Melbourne Storm, the team I supported since its inception and been paid up as a member since 2003, and his staff has robbed the players and the fans of the glory years that the Storm experienced from 2006 to now.

The high times, and low points, of the last 4 years now mean nothing. I cried in 2006 when we lost and in 2008 when we were humiliated; now my tears were just a waste. The exact opposite emotions that I felt in our 3 premiership years are now replaced with a pit of emptiness in my stomach.


Never mind the game’s governing body, the administration deliberately and blatantly deceived me and any other person in Melbourne who supported the Storm by signing up as a member, purchasing merchandise or forking out admission to home games at Olympic Park.

I take the deception of the staff at Melbourne Storm as a personal insult. The only thing that gives me comfort is that, at the very least, certain members of the club have ruined their careers in sports administration.

The betrayal of my support, and that of the other members of the Melbourne sporting public, has ripped my heart from my chest and sadly my lifelong passion for rugby league is over and I hope that anyone involved in this gets their just desserts!


My dillema now is what I'm going to do for 6 months every year....
You're throwing in the towel? Why? Because a couple of merkins f**ked the club up? A true supporter sticks by his team through thick and thin. What cannot kill you can only make you stronger. Your club will bounce back from this and be a success, and if you're going to throw in the towel just because the going gets tough, then it shows that you were truly never part of the supporter base of the club. You should be out at Princes Park wearing your Storm supporter gear and be ready to turn a new page in the clubs history with the rest of the fans. As a Bulldogs supporter, I know, the results of sticking with your team through thick and thin can be very rewarding.
 

JW

Coach
Messages
12,657
Give it a chance Les, Loudy and co. are right.

I have no idea what you guys are going through at the moment but once this initial period of emotion dies down a touch, I'd hope that you'll be able to have a bit more of level-headed/logical take on things and be a part of the club's rebuilding by rallying behind the players like the Doggies of '02.

Granted, the Dogs punishment may not be quite comparable (although unprecedented at the time) but despite the huge anger towards their admin, the rest of the club in the end got on with the job. Now, post salary cap and other alleged incidents, they are hugely professional on and off the field. Guys like you can and will be a part of helping the Storm reach that point again.

Be as pissed as you want mate and take your time - I can't imagine how I'd react. But at the same time don't be too hasty to just pull up stumps, quit and leave it all. The team needs diehards to stick around and build the joint up again.

Best wishes to all you blokes by the way.
 

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