New centre of excellence

[AyiosYiorgos]

These are very valid questions.

If I ask the same questions of St George from 1982 to 1998, what would the answers be?

1985, 1992,1993, 1996 we mayn't have won the GF but at least we were competitive, 1984 we just missed out when Grothe scored in the last minutes or so we also won our first and only Midweek Trophy National Panasonic Cup(Yes i think Illawarra won a similar comp as well).. Besides the CYoung coaching years we at least were competitive.

 

[muzby]

1985, 1992,1993, 1996 we mayn't have won the GF but at least we were competitive, 1984 we just missed out when Grothe scored in the last minutes or so we also won our first and only Midweek Trophy National Panasonic Cup(Yes i think Illawarra won a similar comp as well).. Besides the CYoung coaching years we at least were competitive.

“Competitive” wasn’t one of the questions

 

[pinball_collector]

most of you wont agree - if one team will exist in years to come - it won't be st. george

if anything st. george will end up merged with cronulla and the illawarra will stand alone

bash the steelers all you want. in only their 2nd season the illawarra region was hit with the largest recession since the great depression. they recovered in less than 10 years.

then super league came along and did the same thing.

the joint venture over the last 10 years have been worse than the steelers were in their wooden spoon years.

 

[Old Timer]

Well rg

These are very valid questions.

If I ask the same questions of St George from 1982 to 1998, what would the answers be?

Well they didn’t go belly up
Had some good years on the paddock and were competitive
Were able to attract some good players
We’re able to attract quality sponsors
Had no need for a “mangy tail” trying to wag the dog
Had a “spiritual home” the envy of many other clubs

Did we lose our way and slide yes we did but did that warrant an Albatros to be hung around our neck certainly not

 

[muzby]

Well rg

Well they didn’t go belly up
Had some good years on the paddock and were competitive
Were able to attract some good players
We’re able to attract quality sponsors
Had no need for a “mangy tail” trying to wag the dog
Had a “spiritual home” the envy of many other clubs

Did we lose our way and slide yes we did but did that warrant an Albatros to be hung around our neck certainly not

But to answer your own questions..

In the same time the Steelers were around did St George:

Win premierships? No.
Attract great players? No. You’ve only mentioned “good”. Not great.
Built a sustainable financial foundation? No, hence the need for the merger
Built a great ground? No.
Built a great club house? No. Arguably the greatest fall from grace for the taj happened during this period
Garnered great sponsors? No. Penfolds would be the biggest, and that happened pre Steelers time (btw, ever heard of a company called BHP?)

St George’s heyday had already passed before the Steelers started.

 

[Old Timer]

But to answer your own questions..

In the same time the Steelers were around did St George:

Win premierships? No.
Attract great players? No. You’ve only mentioned “good”. Not great.
Built a sustainable financial foundation? No, hence the need for the merger
Built a great ground? No.
Built a great club house? No. Arguably the greatest fall from grace for the taj happened during this period
Garnered great sponsors? No. Penfolds would be the biggest, and that happened pre Steelers time (btw, ever heard of a company called BHP?)

St George’s heyday had already passed before the Steelers started.

Indeed their heyday had passed but they were in a totally superior position than the Steelers and there was no immediate need for a merger
We were sold a pup by the NRL in its misguided bid to keep a totally lacklustre underachieving outfit viable.
If the Illawarra had of been left to disappear and just remain a nursery for young players to go to the various clubs who had scouts out and about St George would have survived.
We didn’t and for that matter no other club need to grab into your shirt tails but you certainly needed to grab onto someone else’s or be faced with oblivion because of their total ineptness and inability to succeed despite its natural resources.

 

[Yow]

Indeed their heyday had passed but they were in a totally superior position than the Steelers and there was no immediate need for a merger
We were sold a pup by the NRL in its misguided bid to keep a totally lacklustre underachieving outfit viable.
If the Illawarra had of been left to disappear and just remain a nursery for young players to go to the various clubs who had scouts out and about St George would have survived.
We didn’t and for that matter no other club need to grab into your shirt tails but you certainly needed to grab onto someone else’s or be faced with oblivion because of their total ineptness and inability to succeed despite its natural resources.

For F!!!!! Sake we are now Saint George Illawarra some on here get over it I think some need to be taken out the back and given a good flogging

 

[Walpole]

I'm not sure why people think we'd be in such safe hands if we hadn't merged. Which side of the merger did Doust and Young come from? While nearly all of our best juniors in recent times have come from the Illawarra.

 

[possm]

Doust and Young were/are a big part of the problem mainly because self-interest is put before the best interests of the Club.

• It was Illawarra who needed the merger.
• It was Illawarra who was delinquent with regard to regular contributions to the Club.
• It was Illawarra who owed just on 6m to the Gordons and WIN Corp.
• It was Illawarra who needed to sell their shares in order to avoid bankruptcy.
• It was Doust and Young who arranged the deal with the Gordons to ensure they recovered their debt, even though the offer was well short of the market price.

I say get rid of Doust and the backroom deals in order for the Dragons to have a chance of moving forward.