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bring back arko and quale

Messages
1,186
So culling Sydney clubs or making them merge would have resulted in no pain back then? Arko's ideas of merging North Sydney and Manly , Parra and Penrith etc would have just been magically embraced by people back then? The game was facing the same kinds of challenges.

At least today we have viable gold coast team with its act together. The Crushers were a garbage organization that were headed nowhere.

I'm not saying the league hasn't made mistakes. But I don't believe we're in a worse position than we were back then if you take a realistic appraisal of the situation then and not some sugar coated view.

The Crushers didn't stand a chance!

We've lost expansion clubs AND foundation clubs AND alot of passion for football... and even if you think we're about even now with 1994... that's 14 years ago. Imagine where we could have been by now!
 

DangerMouse_007

Juniors
Messages
347
The Crushers didn't stand a chance!

We've lost expansion clubs AND foundation clubs AND alot of passion for football... and even if you think we're about even now with 1994... that's 14 years ago. Imagine where we could have been by now!

I'm not arguing that we could be a lot further ahead had the war not happened.

I'm pointing out that pre war was not some golden age. People seem to be trying to suggest it was. It was very similar to our position now.
 
Messages
10,970
You bet.
Illawarra had a wealthy Leagues Club behind that bid too. Imagine the 70s with Fulton, Langlands, Cronin etc wearing the scarlet.
Instead they setup at the begining of the professional era without a leagues club, during BHP's mass sackings (27,000 breadwinners without a job) etc...

Would have been great red and white derbies too.

what was the LC behind it.

steelers?
 

Calixte

First Grade
Messages
5,428
I'm not arguing that we could be a lot further ahead had the war not happened.

I'm pointing out that pre war was not some golden age. People seem to be trying to suggest it was. It was very similar to our position now.

I disagree. As has been pointed out, we are still in the process of rebuilding the international game (for example).
 
Messages
1,186
shame.

so they are still around.

why werent they involved in backing the steelers side?
sounds like a missed opportunity

Huge opportunity gone.

By 1980 when we we admitted, the Leagues Club had moved in another direction with the Steelers just one of many looking for $$$. I think it was the club admin's "home" until the Steelers Club was built.

But to add to the stupidity of the duplicated Illawarra Leagues Clubs is the several big rich leagues clubs backing local clubs - had they unified and handed all control to the Steelers we'd have been laughing.

Rugby league is just a collection of mini-empires which can't see the need of the greater good ahead of themselves.
 
Messages
10,970
Huge opportunity gone.

By 1980 when we we admitted, the Leagues Club had moved in another direction with the Steelers just one of many looking for $$$. I think it was the club admin's "home" until the Steelers Club was built.

But to add to the stupidity of the duplicated Illawarra Leagues Clubs is the several big rich leagues clubs backing local clubs - had they unified and handed all control to the Steelers we'd have been laughing.

Rugby league is just a collection of mini-empires which can't see the need of the greater good ahead of themselves.

wow, what a shame

much like canberra have 3 smallish LC behind them.

i agree with that last comment about mini empires.

a strong illawarra club would be massive for the nrl. they need their own team and would be as successful as Newcastle are.

another opportunity missed
 

Frailty

First Grade
Messages
9,450
As much as it would hurt me not to see a lot of sides anymore, we really need to cut the amount of sydney teams to five in my opinion.

North
Manly/North Sydney

South
St George/Cronulla-Sutherland

West
Wests/Penrith/Parramatta

City
Sydney/Souths

Inner West
Balmain/Bulldogs

So ultimately the competition would be:

Western Sydney
Inner Suburbs
City
Southern Sydney
Northern Sydney
Brisbane
Gold Coast
Melbourne
New Zeland Warriors
Nth Queensland Cowboys
Newcastle Knights
Canberra Raiders

That's 12 teams which should then be aimed to expand into Perth, Central Coast, and Illawarra next.

To keep the individual clubs active, the NSW Cup would feature the current Sydney NRL clubs.

I believe this is the best future for the NRL. Again, its my opinion - and it will be difficult to get clubs to accept this, but it needs to be done. Most major sporting competitions have gone through this i.e. the NBA.
 

Frailty

First Grade
Messages
9,450
argh a merger between the sharks and st george?? kill me now.

Whether either side likes it, Cronulla came from the Dragons.

I believe this structure would also help the current financial situations when you consider that each of those clubs would be contributing to the NRL team. Each side would be stable, and a bit more money for each side from the NRL.
 

Frailty

First Grade
Messages
9,450
Not to mention that the St George club would be seperate from Cronulla in NSW Cup still... So for example the NSW Cup comp would include:

Western Suburbs Magpies
Penrith Panthers
Parramatta Eels
Canterbury Bulldogs
Balmain-Ryde Tigers
North Sydney Bears
Manly Sea Eagles
St George Dragons
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Sydney Roosters
South Sydner Rabbitohs
Newtown Jets

All of these clubs would be running clubs that would feed players and funding through to their NRL clubs. It also follows a straight forward Hierarchy.
 

Kiki

First Grade
Messages
6,349
Whether either side likes it, Cronulla came from the Dragons.

I believe this structure would also help the current financial situations when you consider that each of those clubs would be contributing to the NRL team. Each side would be stable, and a bit more money for each side from the NRL.

all valid points but can u really see either fanbase accepting this merger?? it would be anarchy.
 

Frailty

First Grade
Messages
9,450
all valid points but can u really see either fanbase accepting this merger?? it would be anarchy.

I think for the good of the national competition and for both clubs surviving in the long run, this needs to happen. It's not easy and I do think a lot of fans would turn away initially.

But as previously mentioned, these decisions have been needed to be made in most major sporting competitions around the world.

The importance of these new sydney clubs is new identity, so not to be Southern Dragons, or Southern Sharks, but to be something new
 
Messages
10,970
I think for the good of the national competition and for both clubs surviving in the long run, this needs to happen. It's not easy and I do think a lot of fans would turn away initially.

But as previously mentioned, these decisions have been needed to be made in most major sporting competitions around the world.

The importance of these new sydney clubs is new identity, so not to be Southern Dragons, or Southern Sharks, but to be something new

for the good of RL eh?
:lol:

shame cronulla didnt think of that when they went to SL.

the best thing would be for saints to have their own team and illawarra to have their own team
 

Frailty

First Grade
Messages
9,450
for the good of RL eh?
:lol:

shame cronulla didnt think of that when they went to SL.

the best thing would be for saints to have their own team and illawarra to have their own team

And the relevance of that statement to my ideas? Have I said at any stage that Cronulla looked at the game before themselves? No. And to be honest, I think you can hardly blame Cronulla for choosing financial stability.
 
Messages
10,970
And the relevance of that statement to my ideas? Have I said at any stage that Cronulla looked at the game before themselves? No. And to be honest, I think you can hardly blame Cronulla for choosing financial stability.

why not?

other sydney clubs made the opposite choice.

and cronulla still arent stable so its all been a bit of a waste of time then
 

Frailty

First Grade
Messages
9,450
why not?

other sydney clubs made the opposite choice.

and cronulla still arent stable so its all been a bit of a waste of time then

Actually Cronulla are fairly stable thanks to the strength of the clubs assets.

But what really is your point, because your club didn't go to super league? There were plenty of other clubs that went too, but because a person who happens to support a team who went to super league comes up with an idea to help the league it must be disregarded.

I am getting really frustrated with this constant bickering between people and forumers about the ARL-SL war. Both sides had good ideas, both sides screwed up to. Now let's let that go and look to move the game forward. This sense of elitism of boths sides is why the game will not go forward.
 
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