The Rumours Thread

[R&WTILLIDIE]

I remember, at the time, saying to my wife "This will kill this club. It is impossible that St George can be combined with any other club." Even worse, it has never been a merger, but rather a joint venture. Jees, that was dumb. It's like the Judgment of Solomon in reverse; both mothers still claim to be the true one and the child has turned out to be conjoined twins, still unable to run, because it shares a middle leg. The JV even has to 'share' the Chair. So the entity as a whole is, no doubt, schizophrenic and resentful starting at the Boardroom table.
Is it possible for the JV partners to decide to dissolve the JV and go back to being separate? That's the starting point if we (ie; both St George and Illawarra) ever want to regain our self respect.

If this debacle of a merged club somehow decides to change the red V jersey or the emblem, or perhaps the name to the steel dragons or something shit like that, I will happily stop following. I hate being referred to as St George Illawarra and seeing “Illawarra” on the emblem and the red V. We are a joke

 

[FlameThrower]

Well said. Would probably be more enjoyable for the odd 1000 fans left @ our club.

20,000 Red V members …. Still can’t believe that!

 

[Inisai Toga]

Forget the Woolf brothers, Little Red Riding Hood could do a better job than our current coaching setup.

We’d save some money on a tracksuit….

 

[getsmarty]

20,000 Red V members …. Still can’t believe that!

Says a lot about the loyalty of our supporters....pity the club offers little in return apart from angst and the same dribble dished up year after year.

 

[baggygreen man]

We need quality e.g. Haas, Fifita,etc.

How are we expected to afford these big boppers. I'd be great but we are broke remember, salary cap cupboard is bare. And even if Griffin goes we still have to fork out for the million dollar man.

 

[baggygreen man]

If this debacle of a merged club somehow decides to change the red V jersey or the emblem, or perhaps the name to the steel dragons or something shit like that, I will happily stop following. I hate being referred to as St George Illawarra and seeing “Illawarra” on the emblem and the red V. We are a joke

Will never get used to the Steelers jumper.. used at some Win games and most away games. Never.

 

[baggygreen man]

Is dissolving the JV at all plausible or is it a pipe dream for us diehards.

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

Is dissolving the JV at all plausible or is it a pipe dream for us diehards.

I reckon there's a better chance of the dragons winning the grand final this year.

 

[possm]

I'm still confused with this , They have Flanno in their system , if it was me I'd piss Hook off and if Hunt doesn't like it he can go too .... Appoint Flanno give him 2 years then re assess ..... Am I missing something, wouldn't this be the most obvious solution ? .......

That is the way it should go, and I have posted my preference for this to happen in previous posts/threads. But this is in Craig Young's / Peter Doust's plans. Both have benefited from promotions and now it is time to deliver. Dean Dean Young is the man, so they won't promote Flannagn for fear that he may bring success and thus close the door on Dean.

They do not care about the consequences of their actions, just care about honoring a complicated deal struck with WIN/Gordons regarding the purchase price of 50% share in the Club.

 

[possm]

Is dissolving the JV at all plausible or is it a pipe dream for us diehards.

The name St George Illawarra is not a problem for me. The inclusion of Illawarraw Rugby Leagues Club in the ownership is a problem.

I'd like to see St George Leagues Club buy up rugby league clubs in the Illawarra district and then use these clubs along with their own junior clubs to form a strong and tight pathway program leading up to the NRL squad.

Still have an Illawarra Leagues Club but have it owned by St George Leagues Club and then better manage the talent coming through this pathway.

In my opinion this is what should have been done many years ago.

 

[pinball_collector]

from a die hard steelers supporter from day 1 - look i don't like the way things have been for over a decade either.

we were all promised a super club - ha, what a joke.

personally haven't spent a cent on jumpers or refuse to attend games now.

please don't blame the illawarra side of the joint venture - without the illawarra we wouldn't of won in 2010 - look how many of our juniors were in that team.

you also may laugh - or even abuse me - you know what side will end up as a stand alone if the joint venture gets pulled apart?

...it won't be the st. george side..

 

[blacksafake]

I reckon there's a better chance of the dragons winning the grand final this year.

Do I book my GF tickets now

 

[possm]

from a die hard steelers supporter from day 1 - look i don't like the way things have been for over a decade either.

we were all promised a super club - ha, what a joke.

personally haven't spent a cent on jumpers or refuse to attend games now.

please don't blame the illawarra side of the joint venture - without the illawarra we wouldn't of won in 2010 - look how many of our juniors were in that team.

you also may laugh - or even abuse me - you know what side will end up as a stand alone if the joint venture gets pulled apart?

...it won't be the st. george side..

For many, many years now, St George RLFC have invested time and money developing juniors from the Illawarra Region. Like Cronulla, they were part of our official catchment area. For whatever reason, there was a split right at the same time that St George ended their magnificent run of 11 consecutive GF wins in a row.

It was most convenient for the NRL to reduce the size of the NRL competition after the Super League war and at the time Illawarra was struggling financially and so there was an agreement to run a joint venture and call the team St George Illawarra. At the time the Gordons and WIN were financial backers of both St Gorge and Illawarra teams.

Illawarra was struggling and could not meet their commitments as agreed to in their deal with St George, so the joint venture borrowed the shortfall in order to remain compliant with the NRL. In addition to this, the Illawarra Club borrowed heavily from the Gordons and WIN to keep afloat.

In the end, the Gordons / WIN obtained half ownership by receiving cash to settle the Illawarra debt to St George / NRL and receiving forgiveness of the Gorgons / WIN debt.

It seems to me that, without this arrangement, Illawarra would have most likely been bankrupted and the Gorons / WIN debt would not have been paid, it would have become a loss for Gordons / WIN0

Enter the power brokers Craig Young and Peter Doust who devised a plan to grant Gordons / WIN half of the shares of SGI on repayment of the NRL loan and forgiveness of the Illawarra debt. The total being about 10m dollars.

Now if St George would have instead called in the loan and sent Illawarra bankrupt:
1. The Gordons / WIN would have lost about 5m dollars.
2. St George would have gained 11m dollars from the then-highest bidder.

So now, what did Gordons / WIN promise the two power brokers that arranged this generous deal? Well God only knows but to me iI appears likely that:
Mary was happy
Ian Millward was happy
Craig Young is happy
Peter Doust is happy
Dean Young is about to be happy

What I don't understand is, that after such a generous deal from St George, why haven't Gordons / WIN made a significant investment in things that would improve the plight of SGI on and off the field? Is it because of the resentment of having to extract the deal by paying off the power brokers with special favors?

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

Do I book my GF tickets now

I’ll sell you mine

 

[ChocOConnor]

The issue isn’t the merger. If we had good BOD and operators we could have been that powerhouse that we all dreamt of. But everyone at the front office is interested in what benefit each and gain. With a bit of wink wink nudge nudge from those close to them they decide the misery they throw at us without considering that we are supporters who support with all our heart.
the merger is a good thing but those responsible for decision making should be sent to The Hague before Putin. It will come a day when karma will get each of them just like it got saddam

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

from a die hard steelers supporter from day 1 - look i don't like the way things have been for over a decade either.

we were all promised a super club - ha, what a joke.

personally haven't spent a cent on jumpers or refuse to attend games now.

please don't blame the illawarra side of the joint venture - without the illawarra we wouldn't of won in 2010 - look how many of our juniors were in that team.

you also may laugh - or even abuse me - you know what side will end up as a stand alone if the joint venture gets pulled apart?

...it won't be the st. george side..

Nah mate. I’m not blaming Illawarra. And I def won’t have a go at you or any other Illawarra supporters. My gripe is, we were a once proud club with one of the biggest supporter bases, and we sold our soul and merged with another team. We should have never allowed it. I’m sure there are many Steelers fans who hate this JV because they lost their identity. And rightfully so. We have become a piss weak team. Merging was not the answer. I’d prefer to be a standalone shit team than a merged shit team.

 

[BLM01]

Y

20,000 Red V members …. Still can’t believe that!

Yes but it is not 20,000 members parting with their hard earned for the whole year in the sense of real membership.
It includes the token free memberships given out to boys and girls at schools across the region and others linked to sponsors. (which is a good idea to try and drum support mind you)
+ if someone buys a 3-4 game pass to matches. That is a member

 

[justadragon]

As I have posted before, division is not the answer here, I was a saints supporter for many years prior to the JV but I have learned to accept what has happened in the hope that we will again be a force ( dreams). I still enjoy going to Jubilee and Win, what I dont enjoy is seeing a poorly managed side which at the moment is slow and boring and has no chance in hell in competing against the successful sides. As has been posted above the issue and has always been the issue is with the way the team has been coached, the coaches, the board and the quality of player that we seem to purchase whilst ignoring our juniors or not having a proper pathway. The BOD has set themselves up as being irremovable, and whilst we continue to have extremely poor decisions made at that level, nothing will change, nothing !!! The great man said the day he came to the Dragons " BOD you will have nothing to do with the way I run my football Dept, or im outta here " and he had the balls to do it. Who put Price, Mary and now Hook in their positions, who put Haran , Young , Webb in their positions. I point you all to example "A" the Roosters, do you think uncle Nick determines who should be coach or players or anything else associated with the Football dept, Uncle Nick is a great business mind and has lots of money, has the right people advising him on how and where investment should be made. He then just makes sure 100% support is backed to that decision, financial or anything else. And now he is starting to apply that same model to the Roosters NRLW, look at them go !!!
Now we go back to our BOD, our management, our administrators our business model, hmmm I'll leave you all to decide on that.

 

[Dragon David]

As I have posted before, division is not the answer here, I was a saints supporter for many years prior to the JV but I have learned to accept what has happened in the hope that we will again be a force ( dreams). I still enjoy going to Jubilee and Win, what I dont enjoy is seeing a poorly managed side which at the moment is slow and boring and has no chance in hell in competing against the successful sides. As has been posted above the issue and has always been the issue is with the way the team has been coached, the coaches, the board and the quality of player that we seem to purchase whilst ignoring our juniors or not having a proper pathway. The BOD has set themselves up as being irremovable, and whilst we continue to have extremely poor decisions made at that level, nothing will change, nothing !!! The great man said the day he came to the Dragons " BOD you will have nothing to do with the way I run my football Dept, or im outta here " and he had the balls to do it. Who put Price, Mary and now Hook in their positions, who put Haran , Young , Webb in their positions. I point you all to example "A" the Roosters, do you think uncle Nick determines who should be coach or players or anything else associated with the Football dept, Uncle Nick is a great business mind and has lots of money, has the right people advising him on how and where investment should be made. He then just makes sure 100% support is backed to that decision, financial or anything else. And now he is starting to apply that same model to the Roosters NRLW, look at them go !!!
Now we go back to our BOD, our management, our administrators our business model, hmmm I'll leave you all to decide on that.

Nicely said justa and well put.

What I think is that as it is highly likely that we will have the same people running the JV, it only gives us more angst and get our blood pressure to stay high if we continue to bring them up. I know that it helps us to let off steam and provide some sort of relief when we do have a go at them, but as you say, nothing will change.

What I feel though is that once all this drama settles and we get back to focusing on footy starting in the off/pre-season, we might just be OK. My judgement might be clouded through red and white coloured glasses, but when the chips are down our team might very well surprise us in 2023. OK, the jokes are on me for saying that, but let's just wait and see and you just never know!

Just got to try and be positive and have something to look forward to, that's all.

 

[justadragon]

Totally agree Dave, blaming Illawarra or St George isn't going to change anything, all it gives us is a chance to vent our displeasure which everyone is entitled to. All we can hope for is that decisions at the top are made with the best intention of the Dragons as a total, and for christ sake do some due diligence before that decision is made.