INTERIM ASSOCIATION OF RUGBY LEAGUE SUPPORTERS

[Mighty Tiger]

We are working on getting a rep for Wests Tigers who is completly unbiased. Phil was gunna do it but thinks he leans too much towards Balmain. At the moment I'm doing Wests and Brook is doing Balmain. As I said when we are doing work with providing information to the NRL we can show them what supporters who were originally Wests or Balmain want.

Um Westie nothing has been arranged as yet! Please before saying names find out from those people firstly before saying they are doing something!

True I won't be the representative because I am very biased to Balmain and to be honest I do beleave in some of the views both Gobbs and B_Tiger have expressed and thats why I won't do the job.

However in saying this I will be attending the meetings to see what is going on and I will help out with the supporters group because I feel thats something we should really get up off the ground.

Also Gobbs I agree exactly about the Wests Tigers member and at the meeting this is what I was trying to tell these people because they just thought it would be simply when really its far from that.

 

[westie]

I know nothing has been arranged which is why I said 'at the moment'. We said that temporarily I would be Wests, you would be Wests Tigers and Brook would be Balmain. Obviously that will change and already has with you saying you dont want to do the JV.

I agree gobbso we wont find anyone 100% JV for another generation. But we can find someone who has the JV's best interests at heart and really all the rep has to do is present the views of supporters to the association.

 

[B_Tiger]

I know nothing has been arranged which is why I said 'at the moment'. We said that temporarily I would be Wests, you would be Wests Tigers and Brook would be Balmain. Obviously that will change and already has with you saying you dont want to do the JV.

I agree gobbso we wont find anyone 100% JV for another generation. But we can find someone who has the JV's best interests at heart and really all the rep has to do is present the views of supporters to the association.

you're not catching on westie and to be honest your involvement in the FA doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. I don't want to be critical but on what basis do you represent wests? any sort of election? It seems like you agreed to nominate yourself, run your own election that polled your own opinion and have succesfully won your own election against zero competitiors. Congratulations!

You aren't representing anyone westie except your own voice. Which is what pisses me off most about this FA. It seems like an excuse for fans to fill themselves with self-importance on the basis that they claim to represent a group of people that they don't really represent at all. You don't represent the views of wests magpies supporters westie. You represent yourself, nothing more. To claim above that, to claim "complete unbias" is only showing your own inflated view of yourself. Your age excuses your idealistic view of issues but you must realise there is no such thing as someone who is "completly unbiased". They just don't exist. As gobbs stated, you'll have particular trouble finding a neutral wests tigers supporter because what is a wests tigers supporter westie? Either Balmain or Magpies and there is no middle ground. To have a wests tigers only supporter is to isolate both the views of Balmain minded wests tigers fans and wests minded wests tigers fans therefore you are only representing a very very small minority of wests tigers fans. No middle ground. I say again that we already have representation from our football club boards. If you don't like them, if you want more of a voice then vote them out. They are trully accountable to the fans. You are accountable to no one westie.

 

[Bald Tiger]

This is tricky and I feel stuck on a paling fence. I share a lot of the reservations outlined by B_Tiger and Gobbs. The FA project is fraught with problems especially in the case of JV clubs. But I do have some sympathy for Westie et al because they are trying to do something. For mine I am keen to build a Balmain Tigers Fan Group (see the announcement at the top of the page). I assume what B_Tiger is saying is that we have club annual general meetings and can elect the Board of Balmain or Wests and that is the place to make our voices heard. The only problem with that is the club membership. It takes three years before you can vote and are all the keen fans who go week in, week out even members. That means, if they are not, then we have to encourage them to join their respective clubs and then we have to organise so that our views are represented on the Board. But look at the Balmain board for example - do those blokes truly represent the fans? I think not.

 

[westie]

Who was going to elect us B_tiger? We had to elect ourselves because there was no one else to elect us. After 6 months when we have this thing up and running then people can elect us. If they believe we've done a shit job fair enough we dont get elected again.

 

[Mighty Tiger]

Who was going to elect us B_tiger? We had to elect ourselves because there was no one else to elect us. After 6 months when we have this thing up and running then people can elect us. If they believe we've done a shit job fair enough we dont get elected again.

Westie thats not the case!

No one has been chosen as yet to represent any club!

The meeting last week, and this week are unofficial meetings and the board will not be elected until a complete structure has been finalised!

 

[westie]

Who was going to elect us B_tiger? We had to elect ourselves because there was no one else to elect us. After 6 months when we have this thing up and running then people can elect us. If they believe we've done a shit job fair enough we dont get elected again.

Westie thats not the case!

No one has been chosen as yet to represent any club!

The meeting last week, and this week are unofficial meetings and the board will not be elected until a complete structure has been finalised!

Im not talking about the board, im talking about the people who represent the clubs at the moment.

 

[westie]

I know nothing has been arranged which is why I said 'at the moment'. We said that temporarily I would be Wests, you would be Wests Tigers and Brook would be Balmain. Obviously that will change and already has with you saying you dont want to do the JV.

I agree gobbso we wont find anyone 100% JV for another generation. But we can find someone who has the JV's best interests at heart and really all the rep has to do is present the views of supporters to the association.

you're not catching on westie and to be honest your involvement in the FA doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. I don't want to be critical but on what basis do you represent wests? any sort of election? It seems like you agreed to nominate yourself, run your own election that polled your own opinion and have succesfully won your own election against zero competitiors. Congratulations!

You aren't representing anyone westie except your own voice. Which is what pisses me off most about this FA. It seems like an excuse for fans to fill themselves with self-importance on the basis that they claim to represent a group of people that they don't really represent at all. You don't represent the views of wests magpies supporters westie. You represent yourself, nothing more. To claim above that, to claim "complete unbias" is only showing your own inflated view of yourself. Your age excuses your idealistic view of issues but you must realise there is no such thing as someone who is "completly unbiased". They just don't exist.


As gobbs stated, you'll have particular trouble finding a neutral wests tigers supporter


because what is a wests tigers supporter westie? Either Balmain or Magpies and there is no middle ground. To have a wests tigers only supporter is to isolate both the views of Balmain minded wests tigers fans and wests minded wests tigers fans therefore you are only representing a very very small minority of wests tigers fans. No middle ground. I say again that we already have representation from our football club boards. If you don't like them, if you want more of a voice then vote them out. They are trully accountable to the fans. You are accountable to no one westie.

If you actually read my posts you'll find that I agree with him. But we have to go with the next best thing. And as I said before a small amount of bias will not effect anything if the person has the JV's best interests at heart.

 

[Mighty Tiger]

If you actually read my posts you'll find that I agree with him. But we have to go with the next best thing. And as I said before a small amount of bias will not effect anything if the person has the JV's best interests at heart.

Westie see you can have the JV's best interest at heart but what happens when the JV's best interest goes against the club that you have bias towards? Where will your loyalties lie then? Still to the Wests Tigers or towards Western Suburbs?

 

[westie]

If you actually read my posts you'll find that I agree with him. But we have to go with the next best thing. And as I said before a small amount of bias will not effect anything if the person has the JV's best interests at heart.

Westie see you can have the JV's best interest at heart but what happens when the JV's best interest goes against the club that you have bias towards? Where will your loyalties lie then? Still to the Wests Tigers or towards Western Suburbs?

Depends on the situation. I love both clubs and couldnt split them. But if I was representing one my loyalty would obviously go to the one I was representing.

 

[Mighty Tiger]

Depends on the situation. I love both clubs and couldnt split them. But if I was representing one my loyalty would obviously go to the one I was representing.

What happens then if the fans wanted you to support them and not the club?

See this is the problem I had - If I did represent as the Wests Tigers represenitive I really wouldn't go against anything Balmain supporters wanted especially if it was divided between Wests and Balmain.

Now the same situation would apply to yourself and this is why I will refuse to be a represenitive unless Balmain and Wests had an individual voice, and this is why I think for our clubs that this FA is not going to do alot to help supporters from our clubs out!

 

[westie]

Depends on the situation. I love both clubs and couldnt split them. But if I was representing one my loyalty would obviously go to the one I was representing.

What happens then if the fans wanted you to support them and not the club?

See this is the problem I had - If I did represent as the Wests Tigers represenitive I really wouldn't go against anything Balmain supporters wanted especially if it was divided between Wests and Balmain.

Now the same situation would apply to yourself and this is why I will refuse to be a represenitive unless Balmain and Wests had an individual voice, and this is why I think for our clubs that this FA is not going to do alot to help supporters from our clubs out!

It will work, lets just see how things pan out. Are you gunna be able to go this week because I have my soccer grand final on.

 

[B_Tiger]

This is tricky and I feel stuck on a paling fence. I share a lot of the reservations outlined by B_Tiger and Gobbs. The FA project is fraught with problems especially in the case of JV clubs. But I do have some sympathy for Westie et al because they are trying to do something. For mine I am keen to build a Balmain Tigers Fan Group (see the announcement at the top of the page). I assume what B_Tiger is saying is that we have club annual general meetings and can elect the Board of Balmain or Wests and that is the place to make our voices heard. The only problem with that is the club membership. It takes three years before you can vote and are all the keen fans who go week in, week out even members. That means, if they are not, then we have to encourage them to join their respective clubs and then we have to organise so that our views are represented on the Board. But look at the Balmain board for example - do those blokes truly represent the fans? I think not.

I don't have a problem with people having to wait three years. I think it's a good thing. Also, we voted for the balmain board and so I think they do represenet the fans. Do they truly represent the fans? Well, I think you are showing your communist side and it comes down to the ultimate failing of democracy to effectively set up a system where all people are truly represented. But I don't view the FA as being something that could better represent fans. All systems oif democracy will ultimately have some defects.

 

[Bald Tiger]

B_Tiger. So you reckon its democratic that members have to wait 3 years to get a vote! OK I can see if people could join and vote immediately groups or individuals might try to stack the AGM. But 3 years strikes me as too long. People lose interest which favours the incumbent members. Now I assume you are old enough to vote - no-one is suggesting you have to wait another 3 years before you get to cast your vote.
Yes we do vote for the Board - so I suppose we get what we deserve - but at the next AGM I would like to know how many games - first grade, PL, home and away - our board members attend. Always see Siro but he’s hard to miss!
And then there are the Board members who get appointed and we dont vote in - the group of business appointments. How undemocratic is that?

 

[brook]

Count me as another one thats happy with the 3 year waiting time for voting rights, what it comes down to is i don't WANT those that would lose interest so quickly to have a say in the running of my club, I only want those that can demonstrate a long-term comittment to be able to choose the direction the club is taking and one way to ensure this is through making people spend a significant amount of time as financial members before they can vote.
It keeps the future direction of the Balmain Tigers DRLFC in the hands of Balmain Tigers fans and not just anyone with a barrow to push and a lot of friends, it certainly helps to ensure that decisions by the club are made in the interests of our club first and not the NRL franchise.

This isn't to say though that i don't want greater organisation from balmain fans, I do - I want us to have a greater presense at games thats for sure but i also would much rather those of us who ARE members realised just how powerful a voice we actually have, balmain have very few voting members - don't think for a second that the current board aren't aware of this because it means the opinion of each individual fan could have a greater influence on their prospects of re-election next time around. It gives us the ability to push the club in the direction we want it to go to if we just learn to make sure people are aware of our opinions (I must say i've seen some signs this year of the club waking up and becoming aware it still has an identity of its own that make me very happy - for one thing i LOVE the fact that the tiger shop is selling balmain merchandise again and not just wests tigers and can't wait to get the jacket that they were nice enough to order in my size )

 

[Bald Tiger]

OK B_Tiger and Brook I accept your point on 3 years. But we should still encourage people to join. As members we can sign their forms I think? Then they wait their 3 years and if they are still keen great. I agree with your general point - lets have members who love the club. But thats what I dont like about appointed Board members.
Must say have not noticed the Balmain merchandise in the shop but I did like the exhibition that was put together for the players reunion weekend. There were some fanastic exhibits - Chook Frasers jersey!
Roar Review could do with a facelift for sure!

 

[brook]

next time you're there check it out - they have some very nice reversable jackets in there at the moment (maybe my yearly emails begging to be allowed to purchase the players jackets have paid off lol), I'm hoping they sell well so they start to get some more stuff in there