Gallop pleads with Saints to move Home Final - $250k carrot

[Willow]

Or to Flemington Racecourse. They can fit 130,000 in there.

It's all about capacity... right?

 

[simmo1]

No big surprise... week one finals games are always played at the appropriate team's home ground, however small or dodgy that ground might be.

Week 1 2005. Tigers played the Cowboys at Homebush. Ideally it would have been played at Leichhardt or Campbelltown. I guess the Cowboys were lucky it wasn't, because they could have lost by 100 instead of 50 if it was.

 

[ME SO HORNBY!]

In the future this is something we are going to have to look at, i dont blame Saints for not moving the game and they deserve to hold it at Kogarah but in the future the NRL should have the power to move games to the SFS or whatever if the capacity at the home venue is too small. It is just a better look for the game.

100% agree. Shouldnt be moved because they were the rules and we earnt it. However it should be looked at by the NRL and new rules made for next year to avoid this problem.

For example: The NRL makes a decision regarding REGIONAL FINALS the week before the first week of the finals, depending on each individual match up. A match between two Sydney teams eg. (Dragons v Eels) or two QLD teams eg. (Broncos v Titans) would be played at ANZ and Suncorp respectively. However if a match up is Dragons v Warriors then the match can be played at Kogarah.

In the end the venue should be decided by the NRL not the clubs and be subject to how many fans the match will attract.

 

[lockyno1]

Who said anything about Telstra Stadium?

They asked them to move to the SFS. The SFS is fantastic to watch footy!

Might be so but the City or CBD is nowhere near St George or Illawarra where the joint venture plays out of. The team deserved to play out of their home ground. Manly played out of Brookie last year against the Dragons..no complaints there..

SFS is only good when it is full, and as much as we think so I doubt there would be 40K at this game.

 

[meltiger]

I recall the arguments against Kogarah Jubilee and the efforts to destabilise R2K after 1999. One argument was that no one wanted to go to Kogarah.
Good times in the here and now.

Agree Willow. Given how hard R2K had to fight, it's been very pleasing to see some of the crowds over the last few years in at Kogarah.

 

[El Diablo]

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/nrl/story/0,27074,26036709-14823,00.html

Eels boss Paul Osborne challenges Dragons CEO over decision not to move semi to SFS

By Nick Walshaw | September 07, 2009 12:00am

ST GEORGE Illawarra boss Peter Doust runs the risk of being labelled a "chicken" after refusing to take the 2009 NRL finals away from Kogarah Oval.

Parramatta CEO Paul Osborne last night unloaded on Doust and his Dragons board after they voted to keep Sunday's final at their suburban home.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal the decision to forgo either the SFS or ANZ Stadium as an alternative venue has robbed the game of a $1 million gate.

Some 28,000 fans will also be locked out of the most anticipated match of the year as Doust's Dragons give up a guaranteed $250,000 from the NRL.

But Osborne last night challenged his Kogarah counterpart to reconsider, even offering Doust a list of 10 things he could buy with his NRL bounty in a special "Chicken list".

So is it fair to say you're calling Dousty, ahem, chicken?

"Oh, no, not at all," Osborne told The Daily Telegraph with a laugh. "I love St George Illawarra and the great Kogarah Oval.

"I played 150 games there. Captained the club. So I would never, ever call anyone there chicken. Well, anyone except for my good mate Justin Poore ... "

The Daily Telegraph revealed last Saturday that Doust was against moving the game from Kogarah because of his club's horrendous 37 per cent finals success rate at the two big venues.

"But, mate, they beat us by 37 points last Friday night, so what's he worried about?" Osborne said of the Dragons.

"And just think of all those Dragons fans he could feed by moving the game.

"In all honesty, his decision is madness. Instead of having 42,000 fans at the Sydney Football Stadium we'll have 17,000 in seats and a few poor buggers squashed on the hill.

"God help us if it rains."

Doust last night failed to return calls from The Daily Telegraph.

Asked about the Dragons' decision to stick with playing the match at Kogarah, NRL boss David Gallop last night said: "The home final system is part of the season schedule which was set in place months ago.

"Unless the Dragons were agreeable we wouldn't overrule them. That would've been unfair to the team and to the many fans who are looking forward to helping their team win on Sunday.

"But having said that, obviously it is disappointing more fans won't get to see the game."

In five finals matches at ANZ Stadium and the SFS, the Dragons have had limited success.

In all games played at both grounds, they still don't manage a pass mark at just 44 per cent.

In comparison, the Red V have won 61 per cent of matches played at Kogarah - including last Friday night's final-round thrashing of the Eels.

 

[Y2Eel]

Why would St George want to move the game? Home ground advantage is a huge bonus they deserve to have it played at their home ground.... Would Parra move it to the SFS if they were hosting it? Hell No..

 

[miguel de cervantes]

The NRL should have told St G Ill that they would donate 50% of the extra gate takings to the Red Cross or something, then there would be no way they could have backed down.

 

[Willow]

The NRL should have told St G Ill that they would donate 50% of the extra gate takings to the Red Cross or something,

LOL. Why would they do that? To play the guilt card? Kind of puts a stopper on the notion of it being a huge financial boost for 'the game'.

then there would be no way they could have backed down.

Saints never backed down.

 

[Ridders]

Jeez it would be nice if the NRL could organize these things by the start of the season, not, you know, like right before the Finals when it would be a logistical nightmare to try and move games. I'm still pissed by Gallop going public with this and trying to make St. George seem like the bad guys.

 

[Rockin Ronny]

I'm still pissed by Gallop going public with this and trying to make St. George seem like the bad guys.

Gallop's job is to get the most amount of money for News Limited as possible. He really doesn't give a toss about the game being at Kogarah. He's a nuffy.

 

[Sleep]

Good on the Dragons for sticking with Kogarah. They worked hard all year to earn a home final so why should they have to move it.

 

[legend]

Small minded fans are and a weak administration are why this game will struggle to grow.

Playing a finals match at a venue with 18k capacity is an embarrassment to the sport.

 

[meltiger]

El-D without going back through the thread ... Is that the same Parra official who stated Parramatta would most likely not move the game had roles been reversed?

 

[Firey_Dragon]

Small minded fans are and a weak administration are why this game will struggle to grow.

Playing a finals match at a venue with 18k capacity is an embarrassment to the sport.

So set the guidelines BEFORE the season. Don't change the rules and give some teams an unfair advantage and force others to relinquish what they've worked all season for.

 

[meltiger]

Small minded fans are and a weak administration are why this game will struggle to grow.

Playing a finals match at a venue with 18k capacity is an embarrassment to the sport.

& if they were playing an out of town side?


It's only first week finals, once we get down to the real business from week 2 onwards, it's home state and out of the suburbs.


Melbourne would be playing a final in a stadium with a lesser capacity than Kogarah if Olympic Park was available.


St George have earnt their home final.

 

[Sans Souci Sainter]

tbh, its week 1 of the finals, who gives a f**k anyway, play it at Oki Choki. Week 2 is where the fun begins.

Not for the Wooden Spooners it's not.

LOL @ Rorters.

 

[hellteam]

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/spo...-14823,00.html -- SEPTEMBER 7

"And just think of all those Dragons fans he could feed by moving the game.

"In all honesty, his decision is madness. Instead of having 42,000 fans at the Sydney Football Stadium we'll have 17,000 in seats and a few poor buggers squashed on the hill.

"God help us if it rains."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26027753-5013406,00.html --- SEPTEMBER 5

Parramatta chief executive Paul Osborne said his club would consider the offer, but would more than likely remain at Parramatta Stadium.
"We'd probably stay at home because I wouldn't want to give away our home advantage," Osborne said.

Changed his tune a bit there hasn't he?

In my opinion, NRL should have moved it. I know the home ground advantage blah blah blah but the finals should be played in the big stadiums, not suburban grounds. Home city finals are good enough for me.

 

[meltiger]

^ Thanks mate. So it was the same twit :lol:


What a hypocrite. Though what more would one expect from Parramatta.

 

[taxidriver]

Small minded fans are and a weak administration are why this game will struggle to grow.

Playing a finals match at a venue with 18k capacity is an embarrassment to the sport.

so so wrong in regards to the fans.

weak administration is administration on the fly.

the rules should be set in stone at the start of the year and be the same for everyone.

either everyone is eligible for a home final in week one or nobody is.

let me ask you this, next season Raiders finsish first and The Dogs finish eighth.

Are you ok with that game being played at ANZ?