What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

NRL's growth mindset points to 18th team. And it ain't Perth.

Messages
14,822
The book on the cowboys ?

the idea that they had to go to super league

it was all about who offered them the most money

don’t try and paint it as they had to out of necessity

it was pure selfishness and literally betrayed the guys that just brought them into the competition

they weren’t even in the comp four weeks and they wanted to leave
What evidence do you have that the Cowboys were financially stable in 1995?

Rabieh Krayem and Grant Bell explained the club's financial position in Neil Cadigan's book. Even John Quayle admitted it was the right decision as the ARL couldn't provide the Cowboys with the money needed to pay off the debts caused by having to build the stadium at The Willows and pay the $800k on travel and accommodation for all clubs when they played in Townsville.

There was only enough money from sponsorship and gate receipts to pay players until June. The salary cap was $1.6m and teams had to cover it at their own expense. Having to build a stadium with seated grandstands to get the licence -- despite plenty of Sydney clubs playing out of dumps that had hills -- and spend $800k to fly Sydney clubs to Townsville and accommodate them pushed Cowboys into debt.
 
Last edited:
Messages
14,822
Why are we wasting time talking about what happened 25 years ago?
You should be happy I brought up Neil Cadigan's book. It contains evidence that Ch9 wanted a Perth team for the time slot it provides. You can cite it whenever some one says TV doesn't want a team in Perth.

I think the problems that led to Super League still exist. We still have an administration that favours Sydney to the detriment of everyone else. There's streaming services in dire need of content.
 

AdelaideSharky

Juniors
Messages
937
Y

Yes south’s cards were marked

Gold Coast too

From memory Cronulla and Penrith were broke or failed the criteria

the arl won the battle then lost the war

they should never have accepted that peace deal

after the 97 grand final the arl was in the box seat and Murdoch knew it
Wrong.

Cronulla weren't broke in 1997.

The club was still under the ownership of Elle Macpherson's father Peter Gow back then.

It was 1992-93 when we went broke before Gow took over.
 
Messages
15,169
Wrong.

Cronulla weren't broke in 1997.

The club was still under the ownership of Elle Macpherson's father Peter Gow back then.

It was 1992-93 when we went broke before Gow took over.
You are right in one case, we weren't broke, in fact we were cashed up.
BUT that was due to News Ltd money from SL, not Gow.
He had actually been let go by then because of Scissor-Gate.
I think we finished around the 6-8 mark in the criteria table.
 

AdelaideSharky

Juniors
Messages
937
You are right in one case, we weren't broke, in fact we were cashed up.
BUT that was due to News Ltd money from SL, not Gow.
He had actually been let go by then because of Scissor-Gate.
I think we finished around the 6-8 mark in the criteria table.
Scissor gate happened 2 years later in 1999 after the Dragons merged with Illawarra from memory.
 
Messages
15,169
Scissor gate happened 2 years later in 1999 after the Dragons merged with Illawarra from memory.
you are right, sorry. I was thinking when the mergers were being thrown around and remembering Barry Pierce being the boss.
Still, along with Gow getting us out of trouble earlier the News Ltd cash had thrown us over the line.
None of the SL Sydney clubs had to merge or discontinue. News made sure of that. I'm not gloating here either, it was a very shitty time for everyone.
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,651
You are right in one case, we weren't broke, in fact we were cashed up.
BUT that was due to News Ltd money from SL, not Gow.
He had actually been let go by then because of Scissor-Gate.
I think we finished around the 6-8 mark in the criteria table.
Yes but from memory the money from news ltd was counted as sponsorship when it shouldn’t have been and south’s had sponsorship money excluded
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,651
What evidence do you have that the Cowboys were financially stable in 1995?

Rabieh Krayem and Grant Bell explained the club's financial position in Neil Cadigan's book. Even John Quayle admitted it was the right decision as the ARL couldn't provide the Cowboys with the money needed to pay off the debts caused by having to build the stadium at The Willows and pay the $800k on travel and accommodation for all clubs when they played in Townsville.

There was only enough money from sponsorship and gate receipts to pay players until June. The salary cap was $1.6m and teams had to cover it at their own expense. Having to build a stadium with seated grandstands to get the licence -- despite plenty of Sydney clubs playing out of dumps that had hills -- and spend $800k to fly Sydney clubs to Townsville and accommodate them pushed Cowboys into debt.
So they shouldn’t have been admitted then lmao

can’t have it both ways

dw the arl is back to running the game again and is slowly lessening news ltd control over the game caused by disloyal clubs like the cowboys
 
Messages
14,822
So they shouldn’t have been admitted then lmao

can’t have it both ways

dw the arl is back to running the game again and is slowly lessening news ltd control over the game caused by disloyal clubs like the cowboys
You really need to stop talking about things you don't know anything about.

We're you even alive when Super League broke out?

Arthurson and Quayle botched expansion in 1995. Introducing four clubs in the same year without assistance was just plain dumb. They compounded it by making the Cowboys and Reds prop up financially weak Sydney clubs. That's favouritism and a recipe for disaster that set them up for failure. Smart administrators don't do that sort of thing. All four expansion clubs were on the brink due to the actions of Arthurson and Quayle, so three of them jumped ship to save themselves from sinking. Crushers couldn't due to their ties with the QRL.

You're just pissed off because Arthurson and Quayle's attempt to shaft the expansion clubs to prop up the weak ones from Sydney backfired spectacularly and led to the demise of the latter. For once the NSWRL's bully boy tactics backfired on them. Karma if you ask me.

If the ARLC was back to running the game then why are News Ltd paying us unders while we do everything they want despite it not being in our interest?

It's clear that News Ltd won and got everything they wanted and still control us.
 
Last edited:

flippikat

First Grade
Messages
5,221
Because those who don't learn from history are condemned to repeat it.
True, to a degree. But if anything like Superleague was to happen again, where's the impetus?

If indeed it was the Broncos who went to News Corp with the seed of the idea, well.. hard to see any current NRL club doing the same - the grant keeps them well comfortable.

As for a media company coming along with the idea - again, the NRL has made things so comfy for existing clubs that there's little reason to make the jump.
 
Messages
14,822
True, to a degree. But if anything like Superleague was to happen again, where's the impetus?

If indeed it was the Broncos who went to News Corp with the seed of the idea, well.. hard to see any current NRL club doing the same - the grant keeps them well comfortable.

As for a media company coming along with the idea - again, the NRL has made things so comfy for existing clubs that there's little reason to make the jump.
One thing that would make the clubs jump is more money. If a rival streaming service came along and offered the clubs double what they're getting now they would take it. Money is all they care about. The irony being the only club who would stay loyal to News Ltd and NRL is the Broncos, who are owned by the former

If a rival streaming service did this to News Ltd then Brisbane 3 and possibly 4 would be brought in alongside Adelaide, Perth, NZ 2 and 3 and Melbourne 2, as the NRL would need to replace whichever clubs defect. North Sydney would probably be in. If the clubs from those markets remained loyal to News Ltd and the NRL then the streaming service funding the rebel league would create new teams.
 
Last edited:

siv

First Grade
Messages
6,748
You really need to stop talking about things you don't know anything about.

We're you even alive when Super League broke out?

Arthurson and Quayle botched expansion in 1995. Introducing four clubs in the same year without assistance was just plain dumb. They compounded it by making the Cowboys and Reds prop up financially weak Sydney clubs. That's favouritism and a recipe for disaster that set them up for failure. Smart administrators don't do that sort of thing. All four expansion clubs were on the brink due to the actions of Arthurson and Quayle, so three of them jumped ship to save themselves from sinking. Crushers couldn't due to their ties with the QRL.

You're just pissed off because Arthurson and Quayle's attempt to shaft the expansion clubs to prop up the weak ones from Sydney backfired spectacularly and led to the demise of the latter. For once the NSWRL's bully boy tactics backfired on them. Karma if you ask me.

If the ARLC was back to running the game then why are News Ltd paying us unders while we do everything they want despite it not being in our interest?

It's clear that News Ltd won and got everything they wanted and still control us.
Agree there was a bit of a panic back then

Auckland had been announced, with Nth Qld expected to be the 18th club

Gold Coast were already on the ropes

Everyone expected only 2 clubs to join at the time not 4. Crushers could have easily come in to fill the GC void and address the Broncos threat as ARL was on the verge of deregistering them due to their carry on
 

Colk

First Grade
Messages
6,750
Agree there was a bit of a panic back then

Auckland had been announced, with Nth Qld expected to be the 18th club

Gold Coast were already on the ropes

Everyone expected only 2 clubs to join at the time not 4. Crushers could have easily come in to fill the GC void and address the Broncos threat as ARL was on the verge of deregistering them due to their carry on

Exactly they went too hard and too quickly. That’s the lesson we should heed. Do no more than two clubs at a time over a couple of years
 
Messages
14,822
Agree there was a bit of a panic back then

Auckland had been announced, with Nth Qld expected to be the 18th club

Gold Coast were already on the ropes

Everyone expected only 2 clubs to join at the time not 4. Crushers could have easily come in to fill the GC void and address the Broncos threat as ARL was on the verge of deregistering them due to their carry on
Ch9 wanted the Western Reds. QRL wanted Crushers. Cowboys were rank outsiders to get the 18th licence.
 

Colk

First Grade
Messages
6,750
Ch9 wanted the Western Reds. QRL wanted Crushers. Cowboys were rank outsiders to get the 18th licence.

In hindsight, the Cowboys probably should have been brought in later. Crushers to replace the Gold Coast or brought in straight away, Warriors obviously in with Perth dependent on whether the Crushers replaced Gold Coast.

St George to take over Illawarra, Melbourne, Adelaide and North QLD brought in over 10 or so years. That would have got 20 sides with a lot less pain than what the game has endured.

If a few sides died during that time which probably would have happened then you could have brought in some Kiwi or QLD sides to replace them.

Anyway what has happened has happened. Unfortunately, we will eventually get there probably 40-50 years later.
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,651
You really need to stop talking about things you don't know anything about.

We're you even alive when Super League broke out?

Arthurson and Quayle botched expansion in 1995. Introducing four clubs in the same year without assistance was just plain dumb. They compounded it by making the Cowboys and Reds prop up financially weak Sydney clubs. That's favouritism and a recipe for disaster that set them up for failure. Smart administrators don't do that sort of thing. All four expansion clubs were on the brink due to the actions of Arthurson and Quayle, so three of them jumped ship to save themselves from sinking. Crushers couldn't due to their ties with the QRL.

You're just pissed off because Arthurson and Quayle's attempt to shaft the expansion clubs to prop up the weak ones from Sydney backfired spectacularly and led to the demise of the latter. For once the NSWRL's bully boy tactics backfired on them. Karma if you ask me.

If the ARLC was back to running the game then why are News Ltd paying us unders while we do everything they want despite it not being in our interest?

It's clear that News Ltd won and got everything they wanted and still control us.
Following this competition since the 80s

been to probably 1k games live

was at the origin game in 95 when a team Wayne bennett refused to coach because they had no chance won the series

what were you doing in the 80s? Following the brl ?

that’s why your posts are so tone deaf you don’t comprehend this competition

you just don’t get the famous club rivalries and the history
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,651
True, to a degree. But if anything like Superleague was to happen again, where's the impetus?

If indeed it was the Broncos who went to News Corp with the seed of the idea, well.. hard to see any current NRL club doing the same - the grant keeps them well comfortable.

As for a media company coming along with the idea - again, the NRL has made things so comfy for existing clubs that there's little reason to make the jump.
Whose going to take on Murdoch ? Packer is dead and in the end they joined forces and shafted the arl

clubs have learned their lesson

plus on top of what you said the arlc bends over backwards for clubs they’ve never been funded like this and the players too are too well looked after
 

Latest posts

Top