I could be very wrong but when we became a joint venture club back in 1999, we had the chance of becoming a really dominant rugby league club after almost winning the grand final in that inaugural year.
There were many casualties during the Super League war of the mid 1990's and the St George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers were not immune from the dark chapter in Australian Rugby League history at that time. However, the introduction of the St George Illawarra Dragons to the National Rugby League ahead of the 1999 season ensured that two of rugby league's grandest areas were represented in the game's elite competition come the turn of the century.
With a death sentence hanging over the heads of clubs who weren't viable by the 2000 season, either financially or through other means, the Dragons and Steelers were the first clubs to merge. The merged clubs had a great squad of players so player strength was not a problem. It was and continues to this day to be the poor Management of the merged clubs.
I don't think that the management had a clear direction and a strong combined ethos to make the club the best of the best when the opportunity was there to achieve this right from the beginning.
The inner sanctum was too much of a mismatch and members were at loggerheads on many matters right from the get go. If only they had a clear direction as to what they should do, how to do it and have the same attitude from the top to the bottom including the mascot even, we would be in a far better place. I think it is too late now, I really do.
I don't think that it is just us getting the right players if the men at the top, the coaches, the players, all of the staff are at one with each other. That is why the Panthers are so dominant now. Yes they have great players, many have left but they are replaced by like players but the players aren't the only ones that makes a club great its the whole team of the Club from the Chair person to the little mascot all working as one.
A Strong, Happy, Working Together Club all on the same level means better results all round.
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