If the figures are secondary, shouldn't you be unconcerned that it's 15 or 16?
We all have to count Paul. I have been supporting Saints for 46 years (46 is a number). I always said I'll celebrate the next premiership as being number 16 (16 is a number).
I'll celebrate 16 because of the previous 46 years of experience. Hope that clears things up.
I also hope we win on Sunday. If that happens, it'll be No. 16 to me, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of St George Illawarra supporters who'll agree.
Btw, how do you reconcile the Wests / Cumberland merger of 1909? They were two separate clubs, with different teams in 1908. Cumberland were first to falter and they were forced into a merger with Wests the following year. And yet Wests are listed as being established in 1908.
Do you think it came down to the opinion of the day?
*Paul* said:
As soon as you or anyone articulates a number, it enters the realm of "crunching", and 16 is unsupportable unless one negates Illawarra's part in the JV, or somehow tries to represent St George, Illawarra and SGI as sort of all the one team.
We could always attempt an intelligent conversation and respect each other's opnion. I'm always happy to pitch in.
But you can't tell people how to support their team. I'm sorry if this represents a threat to you or anyone else. It is not my intention to upset that apple cart. I just know the team I support.
As for the record keeping, well there's an abundance of contradictions there already.
I'm sure the good people at Manly-Warringah are happy to keep Steve Menzies' records as try-scoring forward with the Sea Eagles, despite his time with the Northern Eagles, and the undisclosed times he actually scored those tries as a centre.
I am also certain that the NRL, established in 1998, is quite comfy with their record keeping and continuing history of the NSWRL since 1908.
And what of all the exotic name changes over the years? Saints are St George Illawarra Dragons, hardly a major shift to what most people have been familair with for a long time now.
And what about the main jersey? The Red V hasn't changed it's basic design since the 1940s, some 60 or 70 years. The first Red V was in the 1930s!
Cronulla-Caringbah moved to Cronulla-Sutherland before becoming Cronulla, the Sydney Sharks and then the Sharks before going back to being Cronulla-Sutherland again. Shall we talk about Canterbury-Bankstown Sydney Bulldogs and Sydney City Eastern Suburbs Easts Roosters? OMG... imagine the kerfuffle if any of them thought to relocate to a different home ground, or district... oh wait...
I have no problems with any of this. I accept that glitches happen along the way and footnotes are required. But for some reason, Saints are being told to restart in 1999. This flies in the face of what St George and Illawarra want, the continuing history and heritage. Most Illawarra supporters want to be part of this too. After all, we have shared history in rugby league that goes back to the 1920s, and probably back to 1910.
Since when did the NRL, established in 1998, earn the right to tell Illawarra and St George how to recognise our heritage?
Selective quoting expected.
