Think I have worked out our issue

[Gardenia]

I think I have worked out our issue.

last time we were in the finals was 2018

since 2019, we haven’t made final, and recruitment and retention
has been a major problem at the club

we have had 3 coaches during this time period from 2019 to 2025.

so I was blaming Haran but missed an obvious major change to the club
which aligns to the timing of our regression

WIN bought the 50% Steelers share of the club the end of August 2018

since 2019 we haven’t made finals and can’t attract or retain good players

i don’t know enough to understand WHY but the timing is irrefutable

 

[Illusion]

I think I have worked out our issue.

last time we were in the finals was 2018

since 2019, we haven’t made final, and recruitment and retention
has been a major problem at the club

we have had 3 coaches during this time period from 2019 to 2025.

so I was blaming Haran but missed an obvious major change to the club
which aligns to the timing of our regression

WIN bought the 50% Steelers share of the club the end of August 2018

since 2019 we haven’t made finals and can’t attract or retain good players

i don’t know enough to understand WHY but the timing is irrefutable

Easy the place is F**KED ..........

 

[possm]

I think I have worked out our issue.

last time we were in the finals was 2018

since 2019, we haven’t made final, and recruitment and retention
has been a major problem at the club

we have had 3 coaches during this time period from 2019 to 2025.

so I was blaming Haran but missed an obvious major change to the club
which aligns to the timing of our regression

WIN bought the 50% Steelers share of the club the end of August 2018

since 2019 we haven’t made finals and can’t attract or retain good players

i don’t know enough to understand WHY but the timing is irrefutable

In short, Illawarra were going bankrupt and owed WIN/Gordons' over 6 million dollars. There was no way Illawarra would be able to settle the debt except by offering there shares in exchange.

WIN are happy that they could recover part of their debt, but are now very reluctant to invest any further without a controlling interest.

The solution is for St George to buy the shares from WIN and then, after improving the club's standing, list shares for sale to members. Aim to get their money back and use excess funds to upgrade things football.

 

[Harry Bath]

In short, Illawarra were going bankrupt and owed WIN/Gordons' over 6 million dollars. There was no way Illawarra would be able to settle the debt except by offering there shares in exchange.

WIN are happy that they could recover part of their debt, but are now very reluctant to invest any further without a controlling interest.

The solution is for St George to buy the shares from WIN and then, after improving the club's standing, list shares for sale to members. Aim to get their money back and use excess funds to upgrade things football.

Maybe Brian Brown can buy all the shares from Win and St George Leagues (who quite frankly offer nothing to the dragons)

 

[Dragon David]

I just think that joint ventures do not work - each have won a GF but likely not to win one again - well not in my lifetime anyway - I am sorry to say. Now this is being very negative I know but my reverse psychology has worked on many occasions and I hope it works for the Dragons at least.

 

[Ronnie Dobbs]

In short, Illawarra were going bankrupt and owed WIN/Gordons' over 6 million dollars. There was no way Illawarra would be able to settle the debt except by offering there shares in exchange.

WIN are happy that they could recover part of their debt, but are now very reluctant to invest any further without a controlling interest.

The solution is for St George to buy the shares from WIN and then, after improving the club's standing, list shares for sale to members. Aim to get their money back and use excess funds to upgrade things football.

They will never do that.

Offer shares to fans I mean.

 

[Desperate Dragon]

I just think that joint ventures do not work - each have won a GF but likely not to win one again - well not in my lifetime anyway - I am sorry to say. Now this is being very negative I know but my reverse psychology has worked on many occasions and I hope it works for the Dragons at least.

Hear what you are saying David, but I really believe that with the right management structures, a JV could work.
Sadly for us and the Tigers, the management of both JVs have been completely ineffective at every level.
Only one exception for us, the appointment of Bennett.

 

[Dragon David]

Hear what you are saying David, but I really believe that with the right management structures, a JV could work.
Sadly for us and the Tigers, the management of both JVs have been completely ineffective at every level.
Only one exception for us, the appointment of Bennett.

Yes that appointment of Bennett was great for our Joint Venture Desperate Dragon. I honestly thought that with his appointment would come continued success with either him staying on for a couple of more years (money and challenge got him to go to Newcastle unfortunately) or the Club going for another "marquee" coach but bloody they agreed to take on Steve Price after Bennett recommended him to them. That's when the Joint Venture reverted to mediocrity and never reaching even top 5 which is how Bennett's career with us ended in 2011.

Mismanagement has definitely caused us to become mediocre and while we know that we won't have too much change at the Board level, they can at least hire a decent General Manager and Recruitment Staff - surely? Just those I think would go a long way in getting us to be a better Club results wise.

 

[The Word]

In short, Illawarra were going bankrupt and owed WIN/Gordons' over 6 million dollars. There was no way Illawarra would be able to settle the debt except by offering there shares in exchange.

WIN are happy that they could recover part of their debt, but are now very reluctant to invest any further without a controlling interest.

The solution is for St George to buy the shares from WIN and then, after improving the club's standing, list shares for sale to members. Aim to get their money back and use excess funds to upgrade things football.

I agree with most of what you're saying Possm, however I disagree with the solution.

When you look around the world at the major sporting brands, the idea of being essentially owned by a pub becomes ridiculous. I get the tradition and history of leagues clubs in this country and pokie machines etc but it is very much time to move on. Yes we need a single owner but it needs to be a very well funded individual or company with a passion for the sport and a high level of commercial acumen.

The Board of the Leagues club remains Doust and his cronies giving themselves jobs for lives. It's this mob that got us where we are in the first place. Fan ownership is a nice idea but the reality of this model is that sustained on field success almost never follows.

The new owner must be capable of understanding or appointing someone that understands the dynamics of TPA's, marketing the club to a wider audience, improving game day experiences, tightening our relationship with community and local football nurseries. They need a ruthless edge when it comes to player and staff contracts.

 

[possm]

They will never do that.

Offer shares to fans I mean.

First, St George Leagues Club to buy all shares from WIN.
Second, St George Leagues Club should offer 49% of shareholding to Red V Membership at an affordable price.

 

[Dragonslayer]

Our problem has always been BH.

And I'm not referring to Ben Hunt

 

[True_Believer]

The Board of the Leagues club remains Doust and his cronies giving themselves jobs for lives.

I agree with a single owner buying the club with money to burn and with passion and knowledge about how to make it work. I think this is the only way for us to make ground against the other powerful clubs.

I think the issue is the quote I've put in above. They won't let that happen. And even if by some miracle they did allow it, they'd want to remain in place and retain their power, and that would never result in anything good.

 

[SEAT 1A]

I've given up on the shinning knight.

Hire the off field positions would be nice.

 

[The Word]

I agree with a single owner buying the club with money to burn and with passion and knowledge about how to make it work. I think this is the only way for us to make ground against the other powerful clubs.

I think the issue is the quote I've put in above. They won't let that happen. And even if by some miracle they did allow it, they'd want to remain in place and retain their power, and that would never result in anything good.

Unfortunately I agree with you. From the dealings I had with the club when I first came to Australia and started supporting them, I met Warren Lockwood at one of the Dragons events, and started to learn about the history of these hospital administrators. First Lockwood, moving from St George hospital to St George Leagues, and then onto St George Dragons.

He handed the reins at the hospital to Peter Doust when he left. Then he handed the reigns of the Leagues Club and Football Club to Doust when he left there. Doust finally resigned from the Football club in 2018 but retains his power through being Deputy Chairman of the Leagues Club still to this day.

Between Lockwood and Doust they have kept a tight grip of the club since 1983 (42 years!!) They have proved themselves to be utterly inept at running a football club apart from getting lucky occasionally with people like Bennett. They try to make themselves look the part with occasional appointments of football people like Young and Creagh, who end up as nothing but yes men to the ex-hospital administrators. There is no real accountability, the ownership structure prevents it.

There is zero chance of dislodging the key people like Doust and Piggott, unless someone comes along and offers above market value for the club and both the Gordons and the Leagues club agree to sell. That person will need deep pockets.

I remember seeing Lockwood on the Queens Birthday Honours List in 2019 and thinking what the hell is going on here then? Just shows how influential these clowns are with their insidious Boys Club machinations. The real football people are no match for their brand of politics and power games.

 

[sammymills]

we need nathan tinkler

 

[Dragon David]

Is there anybody out there who can really turn this club around and make it always successful?

The way we are from top to bottom, it would require a miracle worker to bring this Club up to being successful.

 

[Jersey No 14]

Our issue is simple.
We should build a super centre on the land fronting Kogarah Oval.
Base ourselves in Sydney so players who may join Saints can live in their own home ANYWHERE in Sydney and don’t have to drive all that way to the gong.
Still play games down there as is - but we a based in Sydney.
We’ll get better players and we could win comps because of the change - NOT piss in the wind like we currently are.
Such a simple chance - but bone heads in our management won’t change and the others are too soft to stand up for the change.
Meanwhile- we continue to be a stuffed pack runner.

 

[jay mac]

I think I have worked out our issue.

last time we were in the finals was 2018

since 2019, we haven’t made final, and recruitment and retention
has been a major problem at the club

we have had 3 coaches during this time period from 2019 to 2025.

so I was blaming Haran but missed an obvious major change to the club
which aligns to the timing of our regression

WIN bought the 50% Steelers share of the club the end of August 2018

since 2019 we haven’t made finals and can’t attract or retain good players

i don’t know enough to understand WHY but the timing is irrefutable

If we are pinpointing "moments" I'd say the turning point came by way of recruitment in late 2018 / early 2019. Gareth Widdop was in a rich vein of form, which led to our deepish finals run in 2018. You'll recall he won an award called the Dally M the year prior, but struggled with shoulder injuries throughout 2018 (a big part of the reason we couldnt "manage" the following week's final against Souths). Inexplicably, we recruit Corey Norman ahead of the 2019 season and move Gaz to fullback. Gaz does his shoulder (again) in Rd 3 against the Broncos, doesn't really come back from it, then moves on from the club. That Corey Norman recruitment, for me, symbolised a real shift in our mentality of recruiting whoever is available rather than sculpting a squad by retaining and recruiting the best.

 

[Get2dachopper!]

Regardless of who was in the back office, all I know is that besides a few lean years between 1986-1991, St.George was regularly competing in the semis or close to making the semis, including 3 grand finals.
Illawarra on the other hand, besides winning that Tooheys cup and that run they had in the semis in 1992, weren’t really competitive. In fact their club stats make for some uninspiring reading, longest winning streak, 4 games.

Illawarra Steelers club and individual records

A list of club records and individual achievements pertinent to the Illawarra Steelers (1982-1998).

www.dragons.com.au