When Is Someone Going To Do Something

[TheSaint]

The game of Rugby League is a great game to watch, play and follow. The problem is those running the game are doing an absolute shocking job. They treat the fans with contempt and expect everyone to be happy about it.

Take my club for example. A proud club with a glorious history. Our management went into a Joint Venture with out going to the Football Club members. It's a disgrace. I don't mind forming a Joint Venture, but St George has to keep it's history. At the moment, I follow a team founded in 1998 with no Premiership. The new Club looks like the succesfull old one with a lot of the same fans and people running it, yet they killed a great history to form a two dollar shelf company with a one off shot at a Premiership. All I want is Membership to my side and for the side to be regarded as the continuation of St George. When and if St George Illawarra win another Premiership, it should be listed as St George Illawarra, 16 Premierships (15 St George). Simple.

The New Zealand Warriors. Another big dissapointment. If they are going to Represent the nation, how about a few home games in Wellington and Canterbury. Take the game to the whole country, not just one city.

Melbourne, great potential, 10,000 loyal fans but such a missed opportunity. The NRL doesn't help them that much nor does News Corperation who basically own them. It's time Rugby League stood up for itself. Promote the game. Show a few games on free to air. Chanel 9 has a lot to answer for. This club should be a power house with average crowds of 30,000, not 12,000. Poor management has turned a potential Gold mine into a pipe dream.

Canterbury, can't these guys just settle down. Go back to Belmore. They could get there old name back as well, This The... stuff doesn't work.

South Queensland needs a second team. Another team needs to be set up in Brisbane. Preferably a new team and not a relocation. The people of Brisbane deserve an option and wouldn't it be great to see the Broncos in a local derby. The Crushers averaged 20,000 in their first season, more then the Broncos do now. League is crying out for this.

Wests Tigers, This is one lost cause. Campletown looks like the place that will accept this team because I find it hard to believe that Balmain fans could tolerate these mascaradeing frauds.

Northern Eagle should just split. The Central Coast will easily support it's own team, and Manly will be given a second chance. If Manly fail, to bad,they should be left to fend for themselves. I hate them with a passion, but they are theuniversally scorned enemythe game needs. The Bears on the Central Coast have grat potential. Especially if they can get Central coast Leagues to back them.The Nothern Eagles aren't the answer.

Canberra, what happened. They've got a great stadium, a great history for a relitively new club, yet struggle to gather support. It's time they got there old colours back and started promoting themselves properly. It would be great to see the team drawing support from near by Country regions, instead of the small crowds they get now. A club in desperate need of pride.

Newcastle, they need some finances behind them or this team is in danger of collapsing. Great support, but you need more then gate reciets.

Here are a few other things they should do: Take trial games to the country. The people there will appreciate them more and it would be great for the game.

Scrap Sunday Night Football for the start of the year, Grand Final and Origin. What a joke. Don't even consider Monday Night.Stadiums should be filled, Rugby League should not be reduced to just a Television sport.

Get rid of the eight team final series.5 works fine, even 7 seems justifiable. Why should a team who finishes in the lower half of the draw get a shot at a Premiership.

Promote the game more in schools.At the moment there is the Schools knock out comp and thats about it as far as organisation goes out side of the Catholic System. Promote the game. There are plently of great players out there who will probably never play on the weekends. This is a great place to spot future talent.

Don't change any rules for next season. The game need stability.

In Conclusion, the powers that be should listen to the fans and act on some of it. They should promote the game and protect the image of the game. It's time for forward thinking and someone to take charge. In5 years time, there should be 16 teams, packed stadiumsevery week and good footy.

 

[G@v]

I agree, the Dragons history should remain, despite the fact that they are now a merged club.

The Warriors have been a dissapointment, much of the blame can be attributed to those who have mismanaged the club. I agree that Wellington and Christchurch should be given a chance to host at least one home game.

Melbourne, yes, lot's of potential; but breaking into AFL territory is obviously something the club needs help with, ie, with more promotion of the game by the NRL in the state of Victoria.

I can't see any top Aussie RL club playing out of a dump like Belmore, leave it to the NSL!

If rules are in need of alteration, then change them! What is the use of keeping bad rules just for the sake of any percieved stability?

I would have a top 6 finals system in a 14 team league, or a top 7 or 8 team finals system for 16 teams.

 

[imported_Roopy4246]

The Knights are not in danger of collapse. Some poor management decisions have brought on a temporary cash crises but the long term viabillity of the club is assured.
From memory they have a debt, or budget shortfall, of 1.6 million. This is the first year in their 14 year history they have had a budget shortfall. It was caused by the football club trying to set up a leagues club to provide another income stream in the future. This was done poorly and the whole deal collapsed, costing many Knights fans a lot of money as well as the club (they fans lost all the money they paid for membership of the now non existant Leagues club). The Knights also suffered from poor crowds in season 2000 due to bad luck with the weather and, since the club survives on gate receipts, this also hurt the bottom line.
To put this into perspective, the knights have one of the largest operating budgets in the NRL at over 12 million a year. To generate this income they need to get an average of $24 dollars from each citizen of the Hunter region. To cover their current budget shortfall they would need to get $3 from each citizen of the Hunter region.
If the Knights were to launch a public appeal for the funds they would need to cancel their debts they would have the money within a day, but that sort of measure could only be taken once, so the club has decided to trade out of debt and only launch an appeal if the problem escalates to a point where they are unable to meet their obligations. The budget shortfall is being financed at present with borrowed money.

 

[Willow]

Saint, we've touched on a lot of this before.
Without a doubt, the Dragons history has to be recognised as ongoing.
I don't give a damn about what the official NRL historian David Middletonhas been told to write. I can write too and my version of history says that the Dragons have had a team in the first grade in 1921. In fact, the first official St George RLFC was formed in 1908.
They can add Illawarra onto it if they like but in my book, the history remains.
I can't work why the Illawarra history cannot be incorporated into it all.
We have already talked about setting it up with trading names so as to overcome the officialdom. The St George Dragons trading as the St George Illlawarra Dragons. It still makes the best sense and should keep all parties happy.

As for all your other points, you're covering a fair patch of ground there so I'll have to come back for another look and see.

 

[Edwahu]

Your comments on the Raiders are pretty accurate. Our hardcore fans and the players have alot of pride, which has been evidenced insome of our better performances this year but sometimes it seems as though the Management have none in the club andits as ifthey have accepted that we are on a downward slide and they cant do much about it.

Some of the fans have turnedput to be "admirers" and not supporters though, which is very dissapointing, especially as you know they will be back as soon as we start winning again.
They clubdoes face a pretty big challenge in the Brumbies. The localmedia loves them anddoesnt particularly like the Raiders. I would challenge any club (even the Knights) to not lose some amount of support in a simmilar situation.

Just on the Dragons, I agree with you about the history. It annoys me when I read the yearbook and the stats are all seperated. I dont see why they cant just continue the statistics for both clubs. If someone beats a Illawarra record for Saints-Illa it is put up as a Illawarra record and vice versa. Over time the records would become incorporated.