Beagles To Fold Within 24 Hours

[Hass]

Picked this up off the WORL and found it rather interesting- <hr>
Northern Eagles joint venture set to fold
Thu Jul 19, 2:34pm
Written by: Chris Riediger
Although it is unconfirmed, reports are that the Northern Eagles joint venture is set to fold sometime in the next 24 hours.
The Northern Eagles have struggled financially for the most part of the joint venture and have recently asked the NRL and News Ltd to provide financial assistance. Their requests for advances on their funding for next season were rejected and their financial future has become increasingly unstable.
If the joint venture folds it is likely that the NRL license will revert back to the Manly-Warringah club, leaving the Central Coast Bears club in the cold. John Singleton is keen to financially back a club playing from the Central Coast and NorthPower Stadium, but with the current plans for a 15 team competition for season 2002 it may be unlikely.
If there is a club that may benefit from the Northern Eagles folding it would be South Sydney, with an entire first grade team essentially becoming available on the player market.
Watch out for updates on this in the very near future. <hr>
This is probably a good thing for Rugby League, however it can only be capitalised on if Singo's plan for the Central Coast Bears is approved. Either way, we'll soon see if we're going to have our first divorce in Rugby League history. Cheers.

 

[Willow]

Yes Hass, I was just about to start a new discussion on this myself.

It's hitting the fan as we speak.
Manly Warringah have just released a statement to the media that they have demanded a guarantee from the NRL that itwill meet player payments for the Northern Eagles.
Manly have threatened that they will disband the Northern Eagles if the NRL doesn't foot the bill.
Why should the NRL prop up the Eagles? Apparently because the NRL promise to underwrite the new franchise.
Are the NRL going to come to the party? That's the 64 dollar question.
Personally, I doubt it and that means the end of the Eagles.

Things move quickly sometimes.

 

[tigger]

There is such a big difference between financially viable &amp; financially able. This is the boards fault, no one elses.

 

[Hass]

I noticed in today's herald that Piggins has thrown his support behind a 16 team comp. With the NRL trying to bend ver backwards for Souths in an effort to heal wounds, his support behind the Singleton plan is encouraging.

Cheers.

 

[imported_Bigbopper]

The NRL will not pick up any bills. So are we back to 14 teams with nothing on the North Shore? Or are we off to the courts?

I pray for a sixteen team competition but I don't fancy our chances.

Cheers

Bigbopper

 

[legend]

If they fold will they still be in the competition for the remainder of the season or will they cease to exist right away?

My theory is there will still be sixteen teams but the NRL and the clubs don't want to have their hand forced. My bet is after the beagles have folded the NRL and the clubs will come out and say we need sixteen for the good of the game and make themselves look like heroes. If they supported sixteen initially, the momentum for the beagles to fold would have increased. At least it's natural this way. I am disappointed in the Central Coast Leagues club though. They reaped the benefits of having a team up there yet did not contribute a cent to the merger which also makes me think there were forces at work behind the scenes plotting the demise of the franchise.

 

[Hass]

The Central Coast League's Club shouldn't shoulder a lot of blame over it. They desperately wanted to give more money to the Beagles but they simply couldn't. They acknowledged they had recieved increased revenue on nights Beagles games where played up there, but there own financial situation saw them have to tighten purse strings immensely.

I can understand this, however a bigger effort could have been made to squeexe every possible penny that was spare into the struggling club if they were 100% behind it.

Cheers

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

There has to be a team based fulltime at Northpower.
Newcastle have a shitty ground miles from a train station and no club.
Northpower is a fabulous ground with a giant leagues club on one side and a train station on the other. It aslo has a giant and rapidly growing population to call upon for fans.
This great facility must be used.

 

[legend]

I agree Roopy. Surely the NRL and the clubs know that a team based on the central coast will give us exposure all the way from the Gong to Newcastle&gt; it is imperitive that a team be based there that has no affiliation to Manly.

 

[Edwahu]

Good riddance to a very bad idea and a blight on the game and both clubs involved.

If the NRL can actually make a decent decision and re-admit both Manly and a Central coast team, things will be perfect compared to what we currently have.
Both teams would be shithouse come next season, with the Eagles current squad been scooped up by both parties and the Rabbitohs but longterm its the best situation.
The only problem with 16 teams is it leaves no room fornew sidesin Brisbane or Perth or a second side in NZ for some time. If the NRL is reluctant to allow 16 sides then 16+ isnt going to happen for a while yet.

 

[Willow]

According to LeagueHQ, Manly are indeed calling the NRL out into the playground on this issue and are there's a chance that the Northern Eagles will NOT be playing this weekend!

The article I read is here:
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/league/news/200107/20/league1.html

 

[Willow]

<table align=center border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=5 width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td>EAGLES TO FACE SHARKS TOMORROW</td></tr> <tr> <td>20 July 2001

The embattled Northern Eagles will definitely face the Sharks at Toyota Park tomorrow in their round 20 National Rugby League clash.
The Eagles issued a media statement today declaring suggestions the team, which is expected to fold within the week, may not take the field tomorrow were "unfounded and untrue".
"It is an insult to suggest we will not play. We will be at Toyota Park and will turn up ready to play and to get the two vital competition points," Eagles chairman Ian Thomson said today.
"I cannot believe the mistruths flying around at the moment. It is outrageous to suggest we won't play.
"We have trained well and are prepared for the match."</td></tr></tbody></table>
This article is from the NRL site. Another side of the story? It's interesting how according to the NRL site, the rumours are 'unfounded and true'. And now the Eagles find such rumours to be 'insulting' and 'outrageous'. Well, why did the Eagles leak the story to the press in the first place? What a mess!