yakstorm
First Grade
- Messages
- 6,420
Whilst the Titans & Dolphins didn't have Storm like starts, the one thing that gets lost with just posting final positions is just how competitive the teams were..Dolphins 13th, 10th, currently 11th
Titans 12th, 13th, 3rd, 4th, last
The only club to start strong was Storm, largely due to News ltd money and availability of players due to rationalisation.
The Titans, in 2007, finished just one win behind the Broncos, who finished 8th. In 2008, they were well in the 8 until round 20, when the wheels fell off their campaign.
Dolphins started 2023 strongly and then fell behind from Round 15 on. Last year, they were just one win out of the eight.
There was enough there from both clubs to generate some positive media buzz, give their fans hope and allow them to get invested in enough to become lifelong fans.
Unfortunately for the Titans, after doing so much good in their first few years, their relationship with the community & fans turned toxic off the field. Hopefully the Dolphins don't repeat that when they get to year 5.
Anyway, back to Perth, IMO, so long as they are in the mix of making the finals, they'll be alright. The NRL trying to fast track them to premiership glory won't grow their fan base any quicker, but new potential fans will struggle to get behind a team that's just not competitive.