Hunter Mariner Revival

[Gibbo]

With a top crowd of around 7000 it can be assumed that the hunter mariners were possibly the least popular national footy side of recent times.
I want to know if any users on LU went to a mariners (home) game, and if so what was it like. Did you dress up as a sailor? Did they have a mascot? Did the PA pump out sea shanty's at half-time for the marinettes? Any details would be much appreciated

 

[Perth Red]

7,000 would have made them comparable to Sth's, Penrtith, Sth Q'land, St George. Think they had less than that though. Nearer 6,000. One season wonders!

 

[Dogaholic]

7,000 would have made them comparable to Sth's, Penrtith, Sth Q'land, St George. Think they had less than that though. Nearer 6,000. One season wonders!

and twice as many as the roosters

hth

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

Most useless thread of the year?

Early front runner IMO.

 

[Gibbo]

Most useless thread of the year?

Early front runner IMO.

Hey i'm just intrigued thats all. I know quite a few Newcastle fans and all of them swear on their Grandmas grave that they never ventured out to Topper stadium for a mariners game. I'd just like to know what went down at home games of 'the most hated team of all time' (quote Ian heads not me)...it is the off-season after all

 

[innsaneink]

Nick Zisti immortalised for eternity.

 

[tiger_nick]

super league made many horrible ideas, but the mariners were up their with the worst. the hunter area was never going to leave the knights, probably the most passionate and loyal supporter base there is. they may have got 6,000 to a game, but i bet less then 2,000 of them paid to get in.

 

[JW]

Went to games against the Cowboys and Broncos.

The stadium at Birmingham Gardens (Breakers Stadium as it was back then I think) is/was a bit of a dump. A dodgy western stand housing a few thousand, and an even worse eastern "stand" housing a few hundred accompanied small hill areas around the ground. Parking was incredibly easy though given the small capacity.

Plenty of free Superleague merch handed out which was fairly cheesy.

Speaking of cheesy, the attempts at entertainment weren't all that flash. Although before the game against the Broncos they had a bloke riding a motorbike up and down the stairs on the main grandstand and he went arse up a few times which was mildly amusing.

Don't remember much about the actual games themselves, apart from the fact that we got absolutey belted 24-6 from memory. Alfie had a terrible night.

Overall the experiences (what I remember of them anyway) weren't that bad, without being anyhwere near great. The club itself certainly tried their hardest to make things work from what I saw, but given the rough stadium, sharing the same city with the Knights as well as what was going on in the game at the time, it was never going to work.

 

[roopy]

A girl i knew at the time told me she went to a game and when i mocked her for it she said they got free tickets and about $50 worth of free stuff.

 

[Dutchy]

I took a piss on breaker stadium tbh

 

[Hanscholo]

I can remember fondly a "kick the mariners the f**k outta newcastle" rally drew about 13k supporters. more than double that of their highest home game gate. Quite funny actually. It never pays to try and mess with Novo's and their RL enjoyment.

 

[Dogs Of War]

I went to the first Mariners game, it was vs the Dogs. Top day out in a very piss poor stadium. Can't remember if I paid for the tickets or not.

 

[Jobdog]

Must admit I ventured out to one of the Mariners games

Mighta been the 24-6 smacking they gave the Broncos, but I must admit I saw the grass on the hill grow about 3 millimetres in the 80 minutes of the game, such was the entertainment.

Oh and I didn't pay to get in ;-)

 

[Dutchy]

NOTE : JD didnt pay because he lives under the grandstand..sneaks up through the holes

 

[Moffo]

didnt they water the ground before the game? i always remember the surface being f**king soaked

 

[KalgoorlieRed]

Why can't they bring the Mariners back and get them in the Jim Beam Cup?

 

[Perth Red]

Why would they? There are plenty of areas without RL teams at all. Adelaide, CC, Darwin, Port Moresby, Sunshine Coast etc that could all be in a 2nd tier comp before Mariners

 

[coolumsharkie]

That was the first time I heard the word "Franchise" about a RL team.

They were the days.

 

[roopy]

Why can't they bring the Mariners back and get them in the Jim Beam Cup?

The Newcastle comp is stronger than the JB cup.

 

[The Electric Horseman]

I went to games at Topper Stadium V Paris, Castleford and Sheffield.

The Mariners had some good players on show. Noel Goldthorpe, Tyran Smith, Tony and Kevin Iro, Scott Hill and Brett Kimmorley. Brett Finch, Kurt Gidley, Ryan O'hara and Willie Mason were in lower grades. Funny that Hill, Kimmorley, Marquet and Swain all won a premiership with the Storm only two years later.

I remember towards the end of 1997 there was talk of a possible merger with the Gold Coast to form the Gold Coast Mariners. The Gold Coast council were even going to renovate Carrara to support it but the Gold Coast decided to stick it out alone.

I also wonder if things would have been different had the Mariners won the World Club Challenge and the Knights lost the 97GF.

I remember the song they had going whenever they were on the attack, no idea what it was called just kept going "come on, come on, come on, come on"