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NRL split: Wyong Roos cut ties with Sydney Roosters
Richard Noone & Patrick Boddan, Exclusive, Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate
March 1, 2018 2:37pm
THE Wyong Rugby League Club Group’s board has voted to sever all ties with the Sydney Roosters in a bombshell decision that will send shockwaves through Central Coast rugby league.
The Coast’s largest registered club agreed to be the Roosters’ NRL feeder club in 2014 and has fielded a team in the Intrust Super Premiership — effectively the second grade of the NRL — since 2015.
The Wyong Roos were minor premiers of the competition last year and went into the grand final as red hot favourites but lost to Penrith in a heartbreaker.
The club’s board agreed in a majority vote to sever its five-year agreement with the Sydney NRL franchise at the end of the coming season, after four years.
The decision means it will also withdraw from the Intrust competition at the end of the 2018 season.
In a statement to members the board said the club’s philosophy remained simple: “Our club, our community, our commitment.”
“Our club consists of 55,000 members, our community is our lifeblood and always has been,” the statement read.
“Our departure from the NRL second grade competition will enable us to focus even more on our commitment to our community-based charity, the Roos Foundation, Wyong district junior and school rugby league development and junior sport in general.
“It will allow us to apply our resources towards the betterment of the Wyong Roos Senior Rugby League Operation, the Central Coast Rugby League Competition, the multitude of soccer and bowls players who depend on us and, most importantly, our members, the source of our resources.”
The Express Advocate understands the board had been split over the decision for the past two seasons with deep divisions between both camps.
Under the agreement, the Sydney Roosters paid Wyong a fixed amount at the start of each season, provided the bulk of the playing roster and paid or reimbursed Wyong for meals, travel and accommodation.
However Wyong Leagues had to recruit and pay the remaining players, provide six coaching and ancillary staff and cover the lion’s share of other costs to field a team in the Intrust competition.
Wyong Roos picked up a large chunk of the tab for fielding a team in the NRL second grade competition. Picture: Wyong Roos Facebook
The Express Advocate can also reveal the silvertails club from Sydney’s eastern suburbs even had the audacity to ask the Roos to change their name to the Wyong Roosters and adopt the tricolours’ playing strip in a major affront to the club’s proud history and the green and gold jersey which dates back to its origins in 1910.
Ultimately the board decided the investment — understood to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars — was not benefiting grassroots football or the development of other junior sports on the Coast, where the money could be better spent.
Of the team which lined up in the grand final against Penrith, 12 were contracted to the Roosters and five signed to the Roos of which just one, Mitch Williams, was a genuine Wyong juniors product with NRL aspirations.
The only other genuine Wyong junior was Luke Sharpe who had a brief stint with the West Tigers but was unable to secure a NRL contract despite playing well on the fringes.
THE FALLOUT: WHAT HAPPENS FROM HERE
The Roos will field teams in the Central Coast Division Rugby League, which the club was comprehensive minor premiers of last year.
Since its inception, many league fans have been cynical about the relationship not being a genuine NRL path way for local players.
However Wyong Leagues chairman Kevin Pearce said the relationship with the Sydney Roosters had been positive but the time had come to focus on grassroots development.
“The amount of profit we’re extracting from the local community, we feel it’s better to reinvest that via the Roos Foundation and local sports,” Mr Pearce said.
The bombshell announcement comes ahead of the first round of the Intrust Super Premiership this weekend with Wyong squaring up against Cronulla feeder club the Newtown Jets at Morry Breen Oval on Saturday.
SPONSORSHIP THREAT: `STILL TWO YEARS TO RUN’
It will also cast a huge shadow over the future of the Sydney Roosters’ sponsorship of Central Coast Rugby League at a representative level, after the old Central Coast Centurions became an extension of the Roosters only last year.
The move, which saw our CRL Country Championship, ladies league tag, Harold Matthews and SG Ball squads adopt the moniker, including trading the traditional sky blue and yellow strip in for the tricolours made famous by the Eastern Suburbs club.
Central Coast Centurions player Latrell Mitchell before the Coast changed their strip to the tricolours in the NSW Rugby League Harold Matthews Cup.
Ironically, at the time of the announcement just over 12 months ago, then Rooster Connor Watson — a Central Coast boy who became one of the success stories of the partnership in its early stages — commended his club for the work they were doing on the Coast.
He suggested they had finally found the formula for success after many teams had attempted to tap into the region and failed in the past.
Despite this, Central Coast Senior Rugby League president Fred Hartup has no initial fears for the divisions relationship with the NRL outfit.
Central Coast Rugby League president Fred Hartup (centre) and Sydney Roosters CEO Brian Canavan (right) were all smiles when the Roosters announced an affiliation agreement with Central Coast Rugby League in 2014.
“Central Coast Rugby League has received no official notification from either Wyong or the Roosters but we don’t believe it’ll have any effect on our relationship whatsoever,” Mr Hartup said.
“I believe other clubs will be interested in partnering with them.
“They own Woy Woy Leagues and there are good facilities down there, The Entrance and Erina have both played at high level in the Ron Massey Cup — I think the Roosters will move on to another club.
“There are still two years to run on our partnership with the Roosters and I can’t see that being it.”
Comment has been sought from the Sydney Roosters.
Richard Noone & Patrick Boddan, Exclusive, Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate
March 1, 2018 2:37pm
THE Wyong Rugby League Club Group’s board has voted to sever all ties with the Sydney Roosters in a bombshell decision that will send shockwaves through Central Coast rugby league.
The Coast’s largest registered club agreed to be the Roosters’ NRL feeder club in 2014 and has fielded a team in the Intrust Super Premiership — effectively the second grade of the NRL — since 2015.
The Wyong Roos were minor premiers of the competition last year and went into the grand final as red hot favourites but lost to Penrith in a heartbreaker.
The club’s board agreed in a majority vote to sever its five-year agreement with the Sydney NRL franchise at the end of the coming season, after four years.
The decision means it will also withdraw from the Intrust competition at the end of the 2018 season.
In a statement to members the board said the club’s philosophy remained simple: “Our club, our community, our commitment.”
“Our club consists of 55,000 members, our community is our lifeblood and always has been,” the statement read.
“Our departure from the NRL second grade competition will enable us to focus even more on our commitment to our community-based charity, the Roos Foundation, Wyong district junior and school rugby league development and junior sport in general.
“It will allow us to apply our resources towards the betterment of the Wyong Roos Senior Rugby League Operation, the Central Coast Rugby League Competition, the multitude of soccer and bowls players who depend on us and, most importantly, our members, the source of our resources.”
The Express Advocate understands the board had been split over the decision for the past two seasons with deep divisions between both camps.
Under the agreement, the Sydney Roosters paid Wyong a fixed amount at the start of each season, provided the bulk of the playing roster and paid or reimbursed Wyong for meals, travel and accommodation.
However Wyong Leagues had to recruit and pay the remaining players, provide six coaching and ancillary staff and cover the lion’s share of other costs to field a team in the Intrust competition.
Wyong Roos picked up a large chunk of the tab for fielding a team in the NRL second grade competition. Picture: Wyong Roos Facebook
The Express Advocate can also reveal the silvertails club from Sydney’s eastern suburbs even had the audacity to ask the Roos to change their name to the Wyong Roosters and adopt the tricolours’ playing strip in a major affront to the club’s proud history and the green and gold jersey which dates back to its origins in 1910.
Ultimately the board decided the investment — understood to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars — was not benefiting grassroots football or the development of other junior sports on the Coast, where the money could be better spent.
Of the team which lined up in the grand final against Penrith, 12 were contracted to the Roosters and five signed to the Roos of which just one, Mitch Williams, was a genuine Wyong juniors product with NRL aspirations.
The only other genuine Wyong junior was Luke Sharpe who had a brief stint with the West Tigers but was unable to secure a NRL contract despite playing well on the fringes.
THE FALLOUT: WHAT HAPPENS FROM HERE
The Roos will field teams in the Central Coast Division Rugby League, which the club was comprehensive minor premiers of last year.
Since its inception, many league fans have been cynical about the relationship not being a genuine NRL path way for local players.
However Wyong Leagues chairman Kevin Pearce said the relationship with the Sydney Roosters had been positive but the time had come to focus on grassroots development.
“The amount of profit we’re extracting from the local community, we feel it’s better to reinvest that via the Roos Foundation and local sports,” Mr Pearce said.
The bombshell announcement comes ahead of the first round of the Intrust Super Premiership this weekend with Wyong squaring up against Cronulla feeder club the Newtown Jets at Morry Breen Oval on Saturday.
SPONSORSHIP THREAT: `STILL TWO YEARS TO RUN’
It will also cast a huge shadow over the future of the Sydney Roosters’ sponsorship of Central Coast Rugby League at a representative level, after the old Central Coast Centurions became an extension of the Roosters only last year.
The move, which saw our CRL Country Championship, ladies league tag, Harold Matthews and SG Ball squads adopt the moniker, including trading the traditional sky blue and yellow strip in for the tricolours made famous by the Eastern Suburbs club.
Central Coast Centurions player Latrell Mitchell before the Coast changed their strip to the tricolours in the NSW Rugby League Harold Matthews Cup.
Ironically, at the time of the announcement just over 12 months ago, then Rooster Connor Watson — a Central Coast boy who became one of the success stories of the partnership in its early stages — commended his club for the work they were doing on the Coast.
He suggested they had finally found the formula for success after many teams had attempted to tap into the region and failed in the past.
Despite this, Central Coast Senior Rugby League president Fred Hartup has no initial fears for the divisions relationship with the NRL outfit.
Central Coast Rugby League president Fred Hartup (centre) and Sydney Roosters CEO Brian Canavan (right) were all smiles when the Roosters announced an affiliation agreement with Central Coast Rugby League in 2014.
“Central Coast Rugby League has received no official notification from either Wyong or the Roosters but we don’t believe it’ll have any effect on our relationship whatsoever,” Mr Hartup said.
“I believe other clubs will be interested in partnering with them.
“They own Woy Woy Leagues and there are good facilities down there, The Entrance and Erina have both played at high level in the Ron Massey Cup — I think the Roosters will move on to another club.
“There are still two years to run on our partnership with the Roosters and I can’t see that being it.”
Comment has been sought from the Sydney Roosters.
