WIN TAKE OVER

[KiamaSaint]

And one of these in Botany Bay...

 

[JDHD]

There's certainly pros and cons to both sides here. I'm all for privatisation as it'll free us from debt and take the club safely into the future of world sport, but only if our club falls into the hands of someone who'll take care of it as it deserves to be taken care of.

I'm not anti-merger or anything so I don't buy into the whole debate over if 'Illawarra' will be dropped etc, as far as I am concerned St.George Illawarra as a JV has been around for 20 years come September this year with a Premiership to our name and I feel the general consensus is that the JV is more an extension on the St.George history as all our merch has est 1921 on it these days as opposed to the Wests Tigers JV which started fresh in 2000, so no need to mess with that whatever the outcome.

My biggest fear about privatisation would mean a loss of those St.George and Illawarra identities for us as a club in favour of a more mascot driven identity (essentially 1997 Super League) to make us appeal to a mass market and potent overseas fans.

I could be over thinking or it could well be my years of exposure working in design and marketing but I'd hate to see us bought by someone who has no ties with the club and suddenly our St.George Illawarra shield gets exchanged for a cartoon Dragon while we're playing out of Homebush.

I'll happily surrender the identity of a southern Sydney suburb if it means a bigger fan base, more revenue and a better results. I'd move the f**kers to Perth if it meant they'd win more often lol

 

[gitano]

Don't know what your on possm but I'll have a kilo.
Lol

Possm has a vision and can see outside the tiny bubble a lot of our fans and administrators operate in.

We are a small club, in a small league, in a sport played in a small part of a few countries. Possm wishes for more, I imagine. Easy to have a go at someone for wanting more.

Makes sense to me. Should do for most. Unless small crowds, mediocrity both sides of the white line and dwindling finances are your thing of course...

 

[Frank Facer]

I'll happily surrender the identity of a southern Sydney suburb if it means a bigger fan base, more revenue and a better results. I'd move the f**kers to Perth if it meant they'd win more often lol

I disagree. I was not happy with the merger-Joint Venture. I don't want us to lose any of our identity and I think our headquarters and number 1 ground should be located at Kogarah, or very close to Kogarah. St George is a Sydney team. Most of our supporters still live in Sydney, even though we have a massive fan base in the country areas, Brisbane and the rest of Australia.

 

[BennyV]

Possm has a vision and can see outside the tiny bubble a lot of our fans and administrators operate in.

We are a small club, in a small league, in a sport played in a small part of a few countries. Possm wishes for more, I imagine. Easy to have a go at someone for wanting more.

Makes sense to me. Should do for most. Unless small crowds, mediocrity both sides of the white line and dwindling finances are your thing of course...

Wishing for greatness is one thing. Claiming that someone will spend hundreds of millions of dollars on public infrastructure, re-locate a school and re-arrange a major arterial road in the biggest city in the country for the sake of a handful of footy games a year is a bit far fetched.

 

[SIR LANCELOT]

I disagree. I was not happy with the merger-Joint Venture. I don't want us to lose any of our identity and I think our headquarters and number 1 ground should be located at Kogarah, or very close to Kogarah. St George is a Sydney team. Most of our supporters still live in Sydney, even though we have a massive fan base in the country areas, Brisbane and the rest of Australia.

What century are you living in. Times have changed big time. Most of us have moved on. About time you did also.

Lancelot

 

[JDHD]

I disagree. I was not happy with the merger-Joint Venture. I don't want us to lose any of our identity and I think our headquarters and number 1 ground should be located at Kogarah, or very close to Kogarah. St George is a Sydney team. Most of our supporters still live in Sydney, even though we have a massive fan base in the country areas, Brisbane and the rest of Australia.

I live in Campbelltown. I've never been to Kogarah Oval because it's a pain in the arse to get to unless you live locally. I would happily relocate the team if it meant that the Dragons had more revenue, more fans and better results. Couldn't give less of a shit if some people don't like the JV or don't want to move. All I care about is whether the team is financially viable and win more than they lose. Anything else should be secondary.

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

If past history is an accurate guide, any hypothetical relocation would be as popular as a fart in a spacesuit among the purists.

The uneasy, short period at the SCG during1986-'87 should act as a caveat against any such proposal.

 

[Frank Facer]

I live in Campbelltown. I've never been to Kogarah Oval because it's a pain in the arse to get to unless you live locally. I would happily relocate the team if it meant that the Dragons had more revenue, more fans and better results. Couldn't give less of a shit if some people don't like the JV or don't want to move. All I care about is whether the team is financially viable and win more than they lose. Anything else should be secondary.

It should not take you much more than half an hour to get to Kogargh from Campbelltown on the M5. Take the Kingsgrove exit.

I would like us to have a 35 000+ seat stadium at Kogargh Jubilee or somewhere else in the St George district. We are called St George and it is logical to me that we have our home ground in the St George district.

 

[Brutalitops]

As a fan who lives in neither St George or Wollongong, I would say that from my perspective the club is already a Wollongong club first and foremost. I mean, it's where they train, where many players are based already and is only strengthened by the strong association with WIN.

But to ditch Sydney together would just be crazy

 

[possm]

Wishing for greatness is one thing. Claiming that someone will spend hundreds of millions of dollars on public infrastructure, re-locate a school and re-arrange a major arterial road in the biggest city in the country for the sake of a handful of footy games a year is a bit far fetched.

I think it better to toss up possibilities or suggestions than it is to dumb down what could possibly be the best opportunity for the Dragons since our run of 11 premierships in the 50s/60s. I'm the Possm who likes to dream of possible glory again and who is not afraid to put some alternative views on possibilities when it comes to a Sheik owner who has 60 times the totoal of the NRL budget.

Lighten up BennyV, it's the off-season. There is not much to celebrate about last season and it's really hard for me to take the notion that we still have a failed coach in charge of our great Club.

It is rare that I criticise another's post but on this occasion I have decided to make an exception. I am tired of the idea of adopting the statuesque or aiming for the mediocre. I am one for breaking the glass ceiling and returning the Club to the great heights it once owned.

Although my thoughts on a rich buyer may be possible and some of the suggestions a little over the top, the $60b Sheik has more than the resources needed to undertake such investments. However, I am the first to say that although I would love it to happen, the chances of such investment may be possible but not really probable.

 

[Old Timer]

Easy for the Johnny come lately's to say ditch all things Kogarah etc etc etc.
Illawarra has had many decades to establish itself as a RL stronghold and powerhouse and failed to do so.
It's local league was successful for a long time but on the big stage it has proved a dismal failure.
Take the St George out of it and it will again fail miserably so on that basis the St George part of the deal is the only thing that is worth keeping so KJO or a replacement ground in the area is absolutely paramount to any success the club may have in the future.
The JV was a blind and deaf dog, full of fleas and Doust and Co saw it as a high quality guard dog that would ward off intruders.
Well Doust & Co still sit in their offices and pat that same mangey dog and for good reason as it has seen off all attempts to unseat them whilst our club sinks to even lower depths.
Shameful but all things Illawarra is certainly not the answer.

 

[possm]

As a fan who lives in neither St George or Wollongong, I would say that from my perspective the club is already a Wollongong club first and foremost. I mean, it's where they train, where many players are based already and is only strengthened by the strong association with WIN.

But to ditch Sydney together would just be crazy

I'm fairly sure that it is the NRL's aim to reduce the number of Sydney based teams in order to expand the game to other regions. So far it is only the Dragons and Tigers that have accepted the job to take on such a difficult task without the NRL resources to make a success of this idea. An incentive over the short term allowed these joint ventures to setup the joint ventures and participate competitively for the first few years however, the assistance should have been there over the medium term in order to ensure success and maybe incentify other clubs to do something similar.

Multi club mergers would provide the necessary resources and junior base to form super clubs however, it is essential that the NRL monitor and provide the necessary support to realise such a project. History has shown us that the Manly/North Sydney/Central Coast merger was not successful and was abandoned very shortly after inception. The Balmain/Western Suburbs merger always looked to be problematic mainly because of the selections on which clubs to merge and the location of the home ground. For me a Bulldogs to Campbelltown Club with Belmore and Campbelltown home grounds would have a better chance of success and a Parramatta/West/Balmain merger with home grounds at Parramatta and Homebush would have been a better fit for West and Balmain. Similarly, an Easts/Souths merger when Souths were on their knees would have been a better move than ousting Souths out of the competition.

The St George/Illawarra merger was more natural because of the St George Club's long history withing the Illawarra district and the fact that the Illawarra Club was a spin-off of the St George Dragons Club. However, I believe an opportunity was missed at the time of merger. For me it would have made sense to include Cronulla in that merger as they were struggling at the time and it would have paved the way for a super Club being fed by a very large junior district and 3 Leagues Clubs.

 

[grouch]

I live in Campbelltown. I've never been to Kogarah Oval because it's a pain in the arse to get to unless you live locally. I would happily relocate the team if it meant that the Dragons had more revenue, more fans and better results. Couldn't give less of a shit if some people don't like the JV or don't want to move. All I care about is whether the team is financially viable and win more than they lose. Anything else should be secondary.

I disagree. The club needs to stand for something, it needs to BE something. That is primary. The secondary part is the winning. If you're happy to relocate the team, why not change the name too. And change their outfits. Heck, why not just support a different rich team that wins a lot? My main gripe with the club over the last few years has not been McGregor, actually, he's just a symptom. My main gripe has been the ever-dwindling grip on that "primary" essence of this club - the RGRV fiasco, bizarre themed jerseys, the exodus of star local players etc etc. It's been hard to know WHY to support it

 

[Slippery Morris]

In terms of limiting the Sydney clubs I can't see why Souths/Roosters are not merged as well as Sharks/Dogs and Parra/Panthers. All are relatively close to each other. Saints have Illawarra and Wests/Tigers have Campbeltown area. That way you have 5 teams based in Sydney.

Bring in Perth, Another Qld team and PNG or NZ team for expansion.

Also for Origin going forward. Have a same thing for NZ v England and Samoa v Tonga. They would be better to watch imo. All played over a 3 week period. NRL stops for 3 weeks while these games are played. Friday Night NSW v QLD, Sat NZ v England and Sunday Samoa v Tonga. Better still play them at the end of the season. Why disrupt the NRL at all.

 

[possm]

In terms of limiting the Sydney clubs I can't see why Souths/Roosters are not merged as well as Sharks/Dogs and Parra/Panthers. All are relatively close to each other. Saints have Illawarra and Wests/Tigers have Campbeltown area. That way you have 5 teams based in Sydney.

Bring in Perth, Another Qld team and PNG or NZ team for expansion.

Also for Origin going forward. Have a same thing for NZ v England and Samoa v Tonga. They would be better to watch imo. All played over a 3 week period. NRL stops for 3 weeks while these games are played. Friday Night NSW v QLD, Sat NZ v England and Sunday Samoa v Tonga. Better still play them at the end of the season. Why disrupt the NRL at all.

For SOO, how about:
NSW V QlD Sat
for NZ North Island v South Island Fri
South Pacific Islands v Barbarians - VIC and other states. Sun

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

Easy for the Johnny come lately's to say ditch all things Kogarah etc etc etc.
Illawarra has had many decades to establish itself as a RL stronghold and powerhouse and failed to do so.
It's local league was successful for a long time but on the big stage it has proved a dismal failure.
Take the St George out of it and it will again fail miserably so on that basis the St George part of the deal is the only thing that is worth keeping so KJO or a replacement ground in the area is absolutely paramount to any success the club may have in the future.
The JV was a blind and deaf dog, full of fleas and Doust and Co saw it as a high quality guard dog that would ward off intruders.
Well Doust & Co still sit in their offices and pat that same mangey dog and for good reason as it has seen off all attempts to unseat them whilst our club sinks to even lower depths.
Shameful but all things Illawarra is certainly not the answer.

I am a St. George supporter and have never liked the JV.
Like Easts, Souths and Parra we could have remained stand alone under a different formula.
Moving forward is one thing, erasing tradition and history is another.
We will always be St. George and the "Saints" - the "Dragons" is a recent mutation that I have never bought into.
We don't need the "Illawarra" suffix as you point out and the disaster at board level and the coaching set up indicates the Illawarra tail wagging the dog and the St. George faction lamely going along for the ride.

 

[Slippery Morris]

Having the Illawarra in our team is great as lets face it that is where Saints get a lot of their talent and have been for a long time. Why not have the area that produces a bulk of the juniors on the badge. It is the perfect match and I would have hated another club to have merged with the Steelers and grabbed their juniors. I am sure other clubs would love to have access to that region. As for the players that come from there it would make it that more special for them as well to have Illawarra on the badge.

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

Having the Illawarra in our team is great as lets face it that is where Saints get a lot of their talent and have been for a long time. Why not have the area that produces a bulk of the juniors on the badge. It is the perfect match and I would have hated another club to have merged with the Steelers and grabbed their juniors. I am sure other clubs would love to have access to that region. As for the players that come from there it would make it that more special for them as well to have Illawarra on the badge.

No need to have them on the badge to have access to the juniors.

 

[Slippery Morris]

True mate but you can at least trace it back to the history of the St George Dragons as before the merger they go a heap of juniors from there. Could have been worse, look at the Bears. Now they got rorted big time.