Hunter Mariner Revival

[Jobdog]

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

What a stupid thing to say. It would have still stayed the same.

 

[macavity]

Brett Finch, Kurt Gidley, Ryan O'hara and Willie Mason were in lower grades.

no.

 

[The Electric Horseman]

I must of been smoking something in 1997, the way i remember it Newcastle was almost broke and the Broncos received $1 million for winning the WCC.

I also remember Kurt Gidley being a Newcastle Wests Junior.

But im probably wrong there too.

 

[strewth_mate]

I remembered being surprised reading about Kidley being a Mariners junior a while ago, it was from http://www.rl1908.com/Clubs/Hunter-Mariners.htm:

A number of the Mariners' lower grade players were picked up by NRL clubs and gained 1st grade honours including Adam Brown (Manly), Kurt Gidley (Newcastle), Julian Bailey (Roosters and Knights) Willie Mason (Canterbury), Brett Finch (Canberra and Roosters), Ryan O'Hara (Canberra) and Leigh McWilliams (North Queensland).

 

[katestar676]

I remember getting free tickets in the mail every time they played but never went. Also if you joined the kids club thing you got a free playstation or x-box one of my friends from school joined.

 

[macavity]

I remembered being surprised reading about Kidley being a Mariners junior a while ago, it was from http://www.rl1908.com/Clubs/Hunter-Mariners.htm:

say it aint so

wests hasalot to answer for....

 

[The Electric Horseman]

Sorry mate,
http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/about/profile.asp?id=11

 

[bluesbreaker]

Kidley wasn't a Mariners junior, that site is wrong.

 

[strewth_mate]

Well you go with what you know I spose, and I know I'm quite a lot more satisfied now. Odd though, it's not the only time I've heard it mentioned that he was a Mariners junior, wonder what happened there.

 

[mightybears]

http://stats.rleague.com/rl/games/hunter.html
1997
R1 Canterbury 16 (2-4-0) 20 (4-2-0) L 02-Mar-1997 Topper 6579
R2 Auckland 14 (3-1-0) 18 (3-3-0) L 08-Mar-1997 Mt_Smart 20300
R3 Adelaide 8 (1-2-0) 10 (1-3-0) L 14-Mar-1997 Adelaide 27435
R4 North Queensland 38 (7-5-0) 10 (2-1-0) W 22-Mar-1997 Topper 6090
R5 Canberra 12 (2-2-0) 18 (3-3-0) L 30-Mar-1997 Bruce 15650
R6 Penrith 24 (4-4-0) 36 (5-8-0) L 04-Apr-1997 Penrith 8926
R7 Auckland 18 (4-1-0) 10 (2-1-0) W 12-Apr-1997 Topper 7719
R8 Perth Reds 36 (7-4-0) 16 (3-2-0) W 18-Apr-1997 Topper 4139
R9 Cronulla 0 (0-0-0) 26 (4-5-0) L 26-Apr-1997 Endeavour 12284
R10 Canterbury 36 (7-4-0) 48 (8-8-0) L 12-May-1997 Belmore 7126
R11 Penrith 30 (6-3-0) 6 (1-1-0) W 16-May-1997 Topper 2198
R12 Brisbane 24 (5-2-0) 6 (1-1-0) W 30-May-1997 Topper 7124
R13 Canberra 16 (3-2-0) 12 (2-2-0) W 27-Jun-1997 Topper 7404
R14 Adelaide 10 (2-1-0) 2 (0-1-0) W 05-Jul-1997 Topper 2345
R15 North Queensland 14 (3-1-0) 33 (6-4-1) L 13-Jul-1997 Willows 11480
R16 Perth Reds 22 (5-1-0) 30 (5-5-0) L 10-Aug-1997 W.A.C.A. 5083
R17 Brisbane 16 (3-2-0) 34 (6-5-0) L 18-Aug-1997 QE_II 13830
R18 Cronulla 16 (3-2-0) 28 (5-4-0) L 24-Aug-1997 Topper 5122

 

[Nuke]

I loved reading every article about the Mariners hatred in Newcastle. All the ones about bomb threats, rocks being thrown through their office windows, ect. It's never been in my nature to do so, but I would have loved to have joined the rock-throwing brigade! Geez I hated them!

I flew across to NSW for the 1997 ARL Grand Final (awesome day, by the way!), and I remember very clearly the anti-Mariners t-shirts I saw a few times at the Knights tickertape parade on the Tuesday after we won. They had on the back:
Many
Arseholes
Residing
In
Newcastle
Encouraging
Rupert's
Super-greed

Kinda sums it all up!

 

[RL1908]

Kidley wasn't a Mariners junior, that site is wrong.

Thanks for raising the query re Gidley - I hate having anything wrong, so I always welcome it when someone questions what I've written.

I compiled a list of Mariners lower graders from the 1997 Super League match programs. I've had a quick look over my old notes from the 1997 SL programs this morning and Gidley isn't listed. I also originally looked at RL Week in 1995 (for signings) and early 1996 (for the Super League trial games), so I will have to look at those again. There were quite a few players who were at the Mariners for the start of the 1996 season, but failed to return in 1997 when SL started (in 1996 SL held trial matches in the weeks just before the Court injunction stopped News Ltd). I'll also check re Gidley with someone who was part of the Mariners staff.

While looking for Gidley's name this morning, I also checked each of the other Mariners lower graders named, and they are all listed as playing during 1997 (Adam Brown, Julian Bailey, Willie Mason, Brett Finch, Ryan O'Hara, Leigh McWilliams). Also picked up another from the Mariners' U'19s: Michael Hodgson (played for Canberra and was with the Titans in 2007).

Finch and Mason (possibly other NRL players) are the Mariners photo on this page here:
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22415156-5001023,00.html?from=public_rss

 

[RL1908]

Confirmed with a former Mariners staff member today - Kurt Gidley played in the Under 15s Hunter Mariners team in 1997.

 

[Dazraider]

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

i went to there home game and watched kimmorly and scott hill together , they kicked ass against the bulldogs that game
my mate went onto the feild being calle dup only to get rejected hehehe eh would of killed the defense dril they had , well i think it was defense drill

 

[Cranky]

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'haraand 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 think you're leaving out the former Australian fullback Robbie Ross there buddy....

 

[sherrinator]

The NRL will never be the same without the mariners.

 

[sherrinator]

I loved reading every article about the Mariners hatred in Newcastle. All the ones about bomb threats, rocks being thrown through their office windows, ect. It's never been in my nature to do so, but I would have loved to have joined the rock-throwing brigade! Geez I hated them!

I flew across to NSW for the 1997 ARL Grand Final (awesome day, by the way!), and I remember very clearly the anti-Mariners t-shirts I saw a few times at the Knights tickertape parade on the Tuesday after we won. They had on the back:
Many
Arseholes
Residing
In
Newcastle
Encouraging
Rupert's
Super-greed

Kinda sums it all up!

The Mariners were 10 times the club the Knights were.

 

[Medievalknight]

The Mariners were 10 times the club the Knights were.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

[NthKnight]

The Mariners were 10 times the club the Knights were.

:lol: Worst troll ever!

 

[sherrinator]

:lol: Worst troll ever!

So's ya face