Southern Orcas (NZ2)

[Dark Corner]

Tackling 10 to 6 would have seen some pain but that was the time to do it if ever.

The three easy calls would have been to let the Bears, Balmain and Illawarra go under. The fourth one (which was supposed to be Souths) would have been the tough call. Do you sit and wait for one more club to go bust? It would have happened, I think it was St George & Cronulla not long ago wasn't it? It would be bitter pill for the fans of that club to swallow though whilst the NRL bails out Newcastle and the Gold Coast but they are markets with only one team so it had to be done.

But why let Illawwa go under ?

 

[MugaB]

The teams in 1998

	Home
Team	P
1.	Brisbane
2.	Newcastle
3.	Melbourne
4.	Parramatta
5.	North Sydney
6.	Sydney City
7.	Canberra
8.	St George
9.	Canterbury
10.	Manly
11.	Cronulla
12.	Illawarra
13.	Balmain
14.	Penrith
15.	Auckland
16.	North Queensland
17.	Adelaide
18.	South Sydney
19.	Gold Coast
20.	Western Suburbs

What we should have done:
1. Broncos
2. Crushers
3. Gold Coast
4. NQ

5. Auckland
6. Perth
7. Melbourne
8. Adelaide
9. Canberra

10. Newcastle
11. CC Bears

12. Penrith Panthers

"Then strategically pick 6 Sydney clubs out of the 10 ,encouraging mergers that made sense"

SydneyCity Tigers (ES) Orange/Navy
WesternSuburbs Bulldogs (SWS) Black/Blue
Illawarra Dragons (SCnsw) Red/White
SouthSydney Sharks (SS) Red/Aqua/Black
Parramatta Eels (WS) Gold/Blue
Manly Sea Eagles (NS) Maroon/White

That would serve sydney in every corner of the greater area.. but alas no, roosters and bunnies have made the sydney spread very difficult

 

[flippikat]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - the Superleague War didn't wreck the game.

The cack-handed, self-interest driven, short-sighted peace deal did more damage than the war ever did.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

But why let Illawwa go under ?

If I remember correctly, at the time they merged Illawarra was not a big enough market to financially sustain its own team full-time. So it was inevitable that they would not be in the NRL as a stand-alone. Access to the large junior base was the obvious attraction for a team to at least allow them some representation at the top level.

 

[Dark Corner]

If I remember correctly, at the time they merged Illawarra was not a big enough market to financially sustain its own team full-time. So it was inevitable that they would not be in the NRL as a stand-alone. Access to the large junior base was the obvious attraction for a team to at least allow them some representation at the top level.

Well they should of never put them in the first place and seems mad they have a 20000 stadium which hardly gets used.... maybe Illawarra should off entered in the 60s like Penrith and Cronulla did as both teams crowds were poor for a top flight comp back then through to the 80s etc ?

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Well they should of never put them in the first place and seems mad they have a 20000 stadium which hardly gets used.... maybe Illawarra should off entered in the 60s like Penrith and Cronulla did as both teams crowds were poor for a top flight comp back then through to the 80s etc ?

You are probably right. However the game was amateur and NSW based when the entered in the early 80's and the region couldn't keep up in the mid-to-late 90's when the game went fully professional and became a national competition. This is something that was probably not foreseen at the time.

I'm sure the Dragons will continue to move more and more games there as the region grows and will eventually be based there full-time with the exception of probably a Kogarah heritage game.

 

[Dark Corner]

You are probably right. However the game was amateur and NSW based when the entered in the early 80's and the region couldn't keep up in the mid-to-late 90's when the game went fully professional and became a national competition. This is something that was probably not foreseen at the time.

I'm sure the Dragons will continue to move more and more games there as the region grows and will eventually be based there full-time with the exception of probably a Kogarah heritage game.

Yes that's my hope that St.Merge just move full time along having a Sydney team move full time to Gosford.

 

[LimeRick]

12. Penrith Panthers

"Then strategically pick 6 Sydney clubs out of the 10 ,encouraging mergers that made sense"

SydneyCity Tigers (ES) Orange/Navy
WesternSuburbs Bulldogs (SWS) Black/Blue
Illawarra Dragons (SCnsw) Red/White
SouthSydney Sharks (SS) Red/Aqua/Black
Parramatta Eels (WS) Gold/Blue
Manly Sea Eagles (NS) Maroon/White

That would serve sydney in every corner of the greater area.. but alas no, roosters and bunnies have made the sydney spread very difficult

I'm not a Sydneysider, but would it have made more sense to merge South Sydney and St George, and Cronulla and Illawarra?

Otherwise the territories seem to look a bit like a chessboard on the map.

 

[cumbrian Mackem]

I'm not a Sydneysider, but would it have made more sense to merge South Sydney and St George, and Cronulla and Illawarra?

Otherwise the territories seem to look a bit like a chessboard on the map.

St George Illawarra sharks.

 

[Colk]

For the peace I definitely think 16 would have been an achievable number considering the ARL wanted that number

Obviously the Mariners were going to be cut. You could have moved the Tigers to Brisbane and merged them with Easts Tigers and Gold Coast for example which was originally suggested merged St George and Illawarra and relocated three Sydney teams to fill Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne (I would have suggested Magpies, Sharks and Sea Eagles)

 

[TGG]

12. Penrith Panthers

"Then strategically pick 6 Sydney clubs out of the 10 ,encouraging mergers that made sense"

SydneyCity Tigers (ES) Orange/Navy
WesternSuburbs Bulldogs (SWS) Black/Blue
Illawarra Dragons (SCnsw) Red/White
SouthSydney Sharks (SS) Red/Aqua/Black
Parramatta Eels (WS) Gold/Blue
Manly Sea Eagles (NS) Maroon/White

That would serve sydney in every corner of the greater area.. but alas no, roosters and bunnies have made the sydney spread very difficult

Except Manly can’t even grow in North Sydney

 

[Pippen94]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - the Superleague War didn't wreck the game.

The cack-handed, self-interest driven, short-sighted peace deal did more damage than the war ever did.

Without superleague there'd be even more Sydney clubs..

 

[Pippen94]

For the peace I definitely think 16 would have been an achievable number considering the ARL wanted that number

Obviously the Mariners were going to be cut. You could have moved the Tigers to Brisbane and merged them with Easts Tigers and Gold Coast for example which was originally suggested merged St George and Illawarra and relocated three Sydney teams to fill Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne (I would have suggested Magpies, Sharks and Sea Eagles)

Sharks & Manly were two of the powerhouse clubs in the sport at the time. Neither were moving. Magpie brand wasn't moving to an afl city..

 

[Pippen94]

I'm not a Sydneysider, but would it have made more sense to merge South Sydney and St George, and Cronulla and Illawarra?

Otherwise the territories seem to look a bit like a chessboard on the map.

St George & South's are main rivals. It'd make sense to keep both as each are among the strongest brands in the league.

 

[Colk]

Sharks & Manly were two of the powerhouse clubs in the sport at the time. Neither were moving. Magpie brand wasn't moving to an afl city..

Still doesn’t mean that Sydney clubs shouldn’t have relocated

 

[Pippen94]

You are probably right. However the game was amateur and NSW based when the entered in the early 80's and the region couldn't keep up in the mid-to-late 90's when the game went fully professional and became a national competition. This is something that was probably not foreseen at the time.

I'm sure the Dragons will continue to move more and more games there as the region grows and will eventually be based there full-time with the exception of probably a Kogarah heritage game.

Yeah, why be part of the super lucrative Sydney market when you focus solely on the gong?!

 

[Colk]

Without superleague there'd be even more Sydney clubs..

That wouldn’t be a good thing. The writing was on the wall for a lot of them at that time regardless of Super League

 

[Pippen94]

But why let Illawwa go under ?

It's a small regional location. Look at the teams which have needed bailing out in recent times - all regional clubs

 

[Pippen94]

That wouldn’t be a good thing. The writing was on the wall for a lot of them at that time regardless of Super League

ARL wasn't cutting clubs. That's part of why super league happened. Without super league do we get forced mergers who knows?!

 

[Colk]

Sydney clubs would have simply just died out like Newtown did regardless of whether Super League occurred or not.

The ARL might not have wanted it to happen but it would have happened due to simple economic pressures. As soon as you introduce something like the Brisbane Broncos (which was the de facto Qld side at the time) or want to expand to other areas i.e then a great number of these small suburban clubs would cease to be competitive.

You only have to look at the 90’s and see the financial struggles of teams like the Magpies, Tigers, Souths, even Parramatta and also their struggles to put a competitive side to see where it was eventually going to end.