It sucks for the fans , but really they will just be another in a long line of failed first grade rugby league teams.
North Sydney
Wests
Balmain
Newtown
Glebe
Newcastle (c1908)
Cumberland
Annandale
University
Illawarra
Gold Coast (c1988)
Western Reds
Sth QLD
Adelaide
Hunter
Northern eagles
teams come and go , rugby league will always move forward though.
Im not trying to down play it. I know the hurt the fans are going through , I lost my NBA team last year ( Seattle) and it sucks. But the good news is rugby league will go forward.
Of those the clubs...
North Sydney - never failed, won premierships, a foundation club, and they might be back one day in CC.
Wests - never failed, won premierships, a foundation club, and still exists in the Wests Tigers JV.
Balmain - never failed, won premierships, a foundation club, and still exists in the Wests Tigers JV.
Newtown - never failed, won premierships, a foundation club, and still exists in the NSWRL
Glebe - relative short history, but a notable one. A failed club nonetheless.
Newcastle (c1908) - no way a failure, they left the Sydney comp to form the Northern NSWRL, perhaps the second strongest competition in the country for many decades. For years they resisted coming back into the Sydney first grade.
Cumberland - yep, failed.
Annandale - ditto.
University - plenty of unsung heros here. More like the battlers rather than failures. They had it up against them, trying to play Rugby League in a Rugby Union dominated establishment. Amazing they lasted as long as they did. A different kind of greatness imo.
Illawarra - A League district with a history that goes back to the 1920s, no premierships in the NSWRL/ARL/NRL but like Newcastle they have had their own comps. And the first grade still exists in the St George-Illawarra JV.
Gold Coast (c1988) - should never have been given the flick in 1998. It was politics, post-Super League. They showed a profit and even loaned money to at least one other NRL club despite not having a team in the NRL. Not a failure.
Western Reds - Apparently ran out of money so fair enough. But they'll be back imo.
Sth QLD - Another SL casualty. But probably a failure.
Adelaide - Yep, I agree this was a failure.
Hunter - Well they were a Claytons club to start with.
Northern eagles - Not a failed club, a failed JV.
Seattle NBA? lol. Sorry and no disrespect intended, but I can't feel your pain.