Dragons Squad June 30 Deadline

[muzby]

LOL

That link has as much credibility as Wikipedia. I bet you’re one of many simpletons who doesn’t understand the difference between joint ventures and mergers.

You’re an embarrassment. Thank you for the laugh though.

You’ve either gone full pigeon or are just trolling..

Either way, damn.. This is a new low for you..

 

[Saints Forever]

Just a quick response to this. I know you know the history of this quote. And I think it’s important to remember that this quote pre-dates the JV. I hate the quote but the stench that is referenced is entirely about St George. The greatest protective factor that St George currently has that is ensuring that it doesn’t go the way of the Jets is the relationship with the Illawarra. The NRL are ruthless, they have proven time and again that they will ignore tradition in the interest of profit, but there is no way they are going to leave NSW 3rd largest city without top grade representation.

I hope you are right SD82

 

[Saints Forever]

I’d say that the juniors continue to flow. The Illawarra league remains strong.

What we are lacking is the good administration that ensures that the talent is retained, and we are also lacking the high performance expertise to put the final polish on the juniors that is necessary to ensure that their talent translates to NRL quality. This comes back to administration. People can create whatever narrative they want around Illawarra influence, but the fact is that McGregor and Price were both appointed and retained by a majority St George board. (To their credit, Bennett was appointed too).

Your list is actually a damning indictment that lends support to my point. It’s absurd that instead of having a roster littered with home grown talent that is cheaper to employ and retain, we are almost exclusively recruiting externally for NRL talent.

Look at our last premiership.
1. Boyd (external)
2. Morris (Illawarra)
3. Cooper (Illawarra)
4. Gasnier (St George)
5. Nightingale (St George)
6. Soward (external)
7. Hornby (Illawarra)
8. Weyman (external)
9. Young (Illawarra)
10. Costigan (external)
11. Creagh (Illawarra)
12. Scott (Illawarra)
13. Smith (external)
14. Fein (external)
15. Merrin (Illawarra)
16. Prior (Illawarra)
17 Saffy (external)

Bennett gave us the blueprint. But our administration is too poor to implement it. The junior talent didn’t suddenly cease to exist, but the JV has ceased taking advantage of it.

SD82,

We are all grateful that we have a tremendous junior base.

It remains undeveloped and under-utilised, hence my commentary that it does us little good.

The Roosters and Melbourne certainly don’t have significant junior bases, however they don’t need it as they have a superior selection and recruitment process.

I am not blaming Illawarra for this mess.

I am blaming the administrators of both sides of the joint venture.

If I were to blame anyone, I would be blaming Peter Doust.

He had the chance to find a stronger and more proactive JV partner than WIN.

STGI is merely a hobby or toy to the Gordon’s.

We need professional commercial acumen and more capital.

At the moment we have tweedle dee and tweedle dum.

 

[SBD82]

I hope you are right SD82

Me too Saints Forever.

SD82,

We are all grateful that we have a tremendous junior base.

It remains undeveloped and under-utilised, hence my commentary that it does us little good.

The Roosters and Melbourne certainly don’t have significant junior bases, however they don’t need it as they have a superior selection and recruitment process.

I am not blaming Illawarra for this mess.

I am blaming the administrators of both sides of the joint venture.

If I were to blame anyone, I would be blaming Peter Doust.

He had the chance to find a stronger and more proactive JV partner than WIN.

STGI is merely a hobby or toy to the Gordon’s.

We need professional commercial acumen and more capital.

At the moment we have tweedle dee and tweedle dum.

Sounds like we agree on a lot.

Where our saviour administrator is going to come from I can’t see right now, but I’m hoping they are coming very soon.

 

[SGMax]

Along with yourself, I have never forgotten Smith’s “smells like Newtown” remark but I don’t agree with your statement that he reneged on his coaching contract. If you recall at the time of the so called merger with (the now defunct Eastern Suburbs), it was Phil Gould who was promised the helm of an hybrid side.

Two into one doesn’t go.

Talk of a merger was pretty early at that point. The other options were to jump ship and take either the Adelaide or Melbourne framchise. Either way, we were being pressured into losing our identity and needed to staay solid and loyal.
It was so early that Saints replaced Smith with Rod Reddy who didn't feel enough loyalty to honoiur his newly signed contract even though he had little pedigree as a first grade coach to that date.

No wonder we are not respected by the NRL when our famous favourite stars see us as a mere stepping stone for personal gain and neptosm at the expense of the club's success.

I also remember Smith giving preference to his brother at 5/8 and keeping Phil Blake on the bench.
The fans and the talented Blake deserved better as Tony Smith was little more than a McCrone type player who offered very little in creativity and ball skills.

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

Talk of a merger was pretty early at that point. The other options were to jump ship and take either the Adelaide or Melbourne framchise. Either way, we were being pressured into losing our identity and needed to staay solid and loyal.
It was so early that Saints replaced Smith with Rod Reddy who didn't feel enough loyalty to honoiur his newly signed contract even though he had little pedigree as a first grade coach to that date.

No wonder we are not respected by the NRL when our famous favourite stars see us as a mere stepping stone for personal gain and neptosm at the expense of the club's success.

I also remember Smith giving preference to his brother at 5/8 and keeping Phil Blake on the bench.
The fans and the talented Blake deserved better as Tony Smith was little more than a McCrone type player who offered very little in creativity and ball skills.

TBF, the club has a reputation of dispensing with long term players once they’re deemed obsolete. Examples of this (off the top of my head) include Stone, Johnson, Thompson, Steve Morris and Wynn.

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

You’ve either gone full pigeon or are just trolling..

Either way, damn.. This is a new low for you..

Your “standards” barometre resembles the inside of a doughnut.

 

[taxidriver]

Exactly.. It’s rather amusing to watch the old guard still having tantrums, even after 20 years..

They say they want to get rid of the south coast connection, yet what they don’t realise is that without it, the Dragons would have folded..

what's your evidence for this?

 

[muzby]

what's your evidence for this?

The evidence for St George not being able to survive came from the mouth of the St George chairman at the time:

https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/nrls-dragons-and-steelers-to-merge/

The evidence of the tantrums are all around us..

 

[TruSaint]

The evidence for St George not being able to survive came from the mouth of the St George chairman at the time:

https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/nrls-dragons-and-steelers-to-merge/

The evidence of the tantrums are all around us..

Muz, out of interest, were you for or against the merger ?

 

[Old Timer]

TBF, the club has a reputation of dispensing with long term players once they’re deemed obsolete. Examples of this (off the top of my head) include Stone, Johnson, Thompson, Steve Morris and Wynn.

"Sticks" still holds the record for St George at 256 games all in the time of a 10 team comp and when anyone mortal looked like getting close they were shuffled off to buffalo.
Smith & Langlands had the benefit of a 12 team comp and whilst they got close not close enough.
Hornby, Creagh and co all benefited from a much larger comp and IMO any one who played for St George & St GI should have their record read x games for St G & Y games played for St GI.

 

[muzby]

Muz, out of interest, were you for or against the merger ?

Whilst it’s a shame to see your childhood club have to merge (JV, sorry Willow ) it would be more of a shame to see them disappear all together..

So when it’s a choice of merge and stay around or to fold, I’ll merge & embrace the team..

And what a lot of folk may not realise is that the JV has been around for longer than the Steelers ever were..

 

[taxidriver]

The evidence for St George not being able to survive came from the mouth of the St George chairman at the time:

https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/nrls-dragons-and-steelers-to-merge/

The evidence of the tantrums are all around us..

where does it say St George would not be able to survive on their own?

it doesn't, this is your interpretation/opinion

you're quick to call out others and make a habit of it when in reality, you post a lot of shit yourself

stop spruiking it like it's truth


The Sydney-based St. George Dragons will merge with the Illawarra Steelers in 1999. The new club will be known as the St. George-Illawarra Dragons and will play its home matches out of both Kogarah and Wollongong.

St. George chairman Doug McClelland said the clubs had agreed to merge in order to guarantee their long-term survival in the NRL.

“This joint venture will ensure the future of these two clubs and will maintain the historical links, tradition and legend that has been built up over a period of time,” McClelland said.

The NRL has said that it plans to reduce the number of its teams from 20 to 14 by the turn of the century and has offered financial incentives and long-term contracts in an effort to persuade other clubs to form mergers.

The NRL is particularly keen to reduce the numbers of teams in Sydney, the game’s traditional heartland, even though most clubs have said they want to stand alone.

The plans have angered many of the game’s traditionalists, including many St. George supporters.

The Dragons are not only one of Australia’s best-known sporting teams but also one of the most successful.

They have won the first grade premiership 15 times since they were admitted to the competition in 1921, including 11 in a row between 1955 and 1965.

Illawarra, by contrast, are a relatively new club. The Steelers joined the competition only in 1982 and have never won the premiership.

 

[taxidriver]

Whilst it’s a shame to see your childhood club have to merge (JV, sorry Willow ) it would be more of a shame to see them disappear all together..

So when it’s a choice of merge and stay around or to fold, I’ll merge & embrace the team..

And what a lot of folk may not realise is that the JV has been around for longer than the Steelers ever were..

and what do they have in common?

in my opinion, the steelers stench of mediocrity and failure.

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

where does it say St George would not be able to survive on their own?

it doesn't, this is your interpretation/opinion

you're quick to call out others and make a habit of it when in reality, you post a lot of shit yourself

stop spruiking it like it's truth


The Sydney-based St. George Dragons will merge with the Illawarra Steelers in 1999. The new club will be known as the St. George-Illawarra Dragons and will play its home matches out of both Kogarah and Wollongong.

St. George chairman Doug McClelland said the clubs had agreed to merge in order to guarantee their long-term survival in the NRL.

“This joint venture will ensure the future of these two clubs and will maintain the historical links, tradition and legend that has been built up over a period of time,” McClelland said.

The NRL has said that it plans to reduce the number of its teams from 20 to 14 by the turn of the century and has offered financial incentives and long-term contracts in an effort to persuade other clubs to form mergers.

The NRL is particularly keen to reduce the numbers of teams in Sydney, the game’s traditional heartland, even though most clubs have said they want to stand alone.

The plans have angered many of the game’s traditionalists, including many St. George supporters.

The Dragons are not only one of Australia’s best-known sporting teams but also one of the most successful.

They have won the first grade premiership 15 times since they were admitted to the competition in 1921, including 11 in a row between 1955 and 1965.

Illawarra, by contrast, are a relatively new club. The Steelers joined the competition only in 1982 and have never won the premiership.

He’s always struggled with rudimentary comprehension...there’s nothing new there.

 

[muzby]

where does it say St George would not be able to survive on their own?

it doesn't, this is your interpretation/opinion

you're quick to call out others and make a habit of it when in reality, you post a lot of shit yourself

stop spruiking it like it's truth


The Sydney-based St. George Dragons will merge with the Illawarra Steelers in 1999. The new club will be known as the St. George-Illawarra Dragons and will play its home matches out of both Kogarah and Wollongong.

St. George chairman Doug McClelland said the clubs had agreed to merge in order to guarantee their long-term survival in the NRL.

“This joint venture will ensure the future of these two clubs and will maintain the historical links, tradition and legend that has been built up over a period of time,” McClelland said.

The NRL has said that it plans to reduce the number of its teams from 20 to 14 by the turn of the century and has offered financial incentives and long-term contracts in an effort to persuade other clubs to form mergers.

The NRL is particularly keen to reduce the numbers of teams in Sydney, the game’s traditional heartland, even though most clubs have said they want to stand alone.

The plans have angered many of the game’s traditionalists, including many St. George supporters.

The Dragons are not only one of Australia’s best-known sporting teams but also one of the most successful.

They have won the first grade premiership 15 times since they were admitted to the competition in 1921, including 11 in a row between 1955 and 1965.

Illawarra, by contrast, are a relatively new club. The Steelers joined the competition only in 1982 and have never won the premiership.

See the bit in bold.

Not my words. Not my interpretation on words. Not my opinion.

It’s a statement in the article.

If you have your own ‘evidence’ to prove that St George would have been guaranteed survival in the NRL as singular entity I’m happy to hear it in the spirit of healthy debate..

Otherwise all I’m seeing is just another tantrum..

The funny part about it all is that any home team supporter from Wollongong under the age of 21 is a dragons supporter..

Is that a bad thing? Why would we be wanting to cast them aside?

But as I’ve said, in a choice between being a merged entity and not being an entity at all, I’ll take the merge..

And if we did split at some point and only one was to carry the 1st grade licence, they’d be the ones to get my cheer..

 

[muzby]

He’s always struggled with rudimentary comprehension...there’s nothing new there.

Pipe down you.. You don’t even know that the Eastern Suburbs Rugby League Football Club are the reigning premiers..

 

[taxidriver]

See the bit in bold.

Not my words. Not my interpretation on words. Not my opinion.

It’s a statement in the article.

If you have your own ‘evidence’ to prove that St George would have been guaranteed survival in the NRL as singular entity I’m happy to hear it in the spirit of healthy debate..

Otherwise all I’m seeing is just another tantrum..

The funny part about it all is that any home team supporter from Wollongong under the age of 21 is a dragons supporter..

Is that a bad thing? Why would we be wanting to cast them aside?

But as I’ve said, in a choice between being a merged entity and not being an entity at all, I’ll take the merge..

And if we did split at some point and only one was to carry the 1st grade licence, they’d be the ones to get my cheer..

the bit in bold is not evidence of your statement

you categorically said saints WOULD HAVE folded

you're making stuff up, i don't need to provide evidence, you're the one making outlandish claims

stop it with the tantrum stuff, it doesn't help with your argument and in fact makes you look churlish

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

Pipe down you.. You don’t even know that the Eastern Suburbs Rugby League Football Club are the reigning premiers..

You’ll find the premiers are (in reality) called the Sydney Roosters.

 

[Saints Forever]

See the bit in bold.

Not my words. Not my interpretation on words. Not my opinion.

It’s a statement in the article.

If you have your own ‘evidence’ to prove that St George would have been guaranteed survival in the NRL as singular entity I’m happy to hear it in the spirit of healthy debate..

Otherwise all I’m seeing is just another tantrum..

The funny part about it all is that any home team supporter from Wollongong under the age of 21 is a dragons supporter..

Is that a bad thing? Why would we be wanting to cast them aside?

But as I’ve said, in a choice between being a merged entity and not being an entity at all, I’ll take the merge..

And if we did split at some point and only one was to carry the 1st grade licence, they’d be the ones to get my cheer..

The “brand” and I hate the term was one of the strongest and most successful brands in the country together with South Sydney.

The St George Board took the conservative view that by joining with Illawarra, the new club would be exempt from the prospect of being excluded from the NRL because there were too many Sydney Clubs.

The political will to go it alone was weak at the time.

It is ironic that the “weak link” in the JV is now perceived by many in the media as its strongest asset.