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Forget a club, the NRL won't even give the Central Coast a game

Roar Guru
20th January, 2015
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Roar Guru
20th January, 2015
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Since the NRL draw for season 2015 has been released, one topic that has somehow avoided any attention is that for the first time since 2003, Central Coast Stadium will not (at the time of writing) be hosting any games during the season.

Four games are listed as ‘venue to be confirmed’, including Manly’s Round 4 clash against the Raiders on Easter Saturday and the Rabbitohs’ Sunday afternoon match in Round 8, also against the Raiders. Given both sides’ history of taking games to Gosford, one might speculate that these games might take place on the Coast.

Manly’s Round 21 game against the Broncos is another likely candidate, while the Bulldogs vs Titans clash in Round 23 is also yet to be finalised (though this game will probably go to Belmore as part of the club’s 80th anniversary celebrations).

But this is just speculation. Why haven’t any games been announced already? After all, Easter Saturday is just three months away.

If indeed these games will be moved to the Coast, what is causing the delay in finalising these fixtures? Could it be that these clubs are assessing the interest level in these match-ups before making a decision. It wouldn’t be the first time an NRL club has shifted a low-profile fixture to Gosford.

Perhaps what is most disappointing, however, is the absence of any Roosters games on the Coast. Last year, the tricolours famously ended their partnership with feeder side Newtown Jets, instead opting to link with the Wyong Roos, reportedly to take advantage of the Central Coast’s large talent pool. It seems unfair for the club to exploit the region’s rich junior base without taking at least one game to the region, other than their pre-season trial on February 21.

The Central Coast has long been regarded as one of the true heartlands of rugby league in Australia, boasting a strong local competition and a fertile junior nursery that has produced players by the likes of Matt Orford, Mark O’Meley, Chris Heighington and the Roosters’ own James Maloney in its proud history.

Rugby league was first played on the Central Coast from 1910 when the Wyong District Rugby League Competition was formed, playing games on an unofficial basis. A more official competition was launched following World War I with teams competing from all over the Central Coast.

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The first modern rugby league competition on the Central Coast was formed in 1947 as a junior competition for Lakes United, who played in the Newcastle Rugby League. This competition became a full member of the Country Rugby League in 1967 as Group 12 and, in 1981, Central Coast Division Rugby League.

Since 2003, up to four teams from the Central Coast have competed in the Ron Massey Cup (formerly Jim Beam and Bundaberg Red Cup), New South Wales’ third-highest division, with The Entrance Tigers having won three premierships in 2003, 2007 and 2014. In 2013, Wyong Roos joined the prestigious NSW Cup competition and, as mentioned above, become the reserve grade team for the Roosters. Not bad for a team of ‘bushies’.

The Central Coast’s turbulent relationship with the NRL is well documented. In the late ’90s, the North Sydney Bears had agreed to a full time move from North Sydney Oval to Gosford’s Grahame Park for the start of the 1999 season. However, luck was not on Norths’ side. Delays in construction pushed the ground’s completion date back while the Bears were struggling with ongoing financial and management woes.

1999 was also the year that the newly formed NRL began cutting clubs as part of its peace deal with the Super League to shrink the competition to 14 teams. Facing the prospect of inevitable extinction, North Sydney agreed to a merger with Manly-Warringah and spawned the ill-fated Northern Eagles, who hosted Newcastle at the official opening of Central Coast Stadium on the February 6, 2000.

The NRL’s first Central Coast team had a promising start. Playing half their games at Central Coast Stadium and the other half at Brookvale Oval, the club attracted an average crowd of over 15,600 on the Coast for their first season. However, by 2002, the wheels had well and truly fallen off.

The Northern Eagles managed just 30 wins from 76 games in their three seasons and, although still playing under the Northern Eagles moniker, the club’s license was now fully owned and managed by the Manly Sea Eagles. This had undoubtedly alienated existing Norths fans and the average crowd for games at Central Coast Stadium halved to just seven and a half thousand.

In 2003, the club changed its name back to Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and moved back to Brookvale full time, meaning no NRL was played at Central Coast Stadium in 2003.

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Manly’s relationship with the Coast was not over, though. The club has continued to take games north over the years, including two sell-out fixtures against the Wests Tigers in 2010 and 2011, while Souths played a sell-out against Manly in 2013. Other clubs to have utilised the ground include the Roosters and Cronulla, with crowds consistently improving year to year.

Of course, the elephant in the room and the topic that just won’t go away is the Central Coast Bears. Norths did not give up the fight after their split from the Northern Eagles joint-venture and have continued to make their voice heard year after year. The Central Coast Bears have established a strong bid to claim an NRL license as the Coast’s first full-time NRL club and boast over 7,000 paid members. However, they face stiff competition with bids from Perth, Queensland and New Zealand competing for a spot in an expanded comp.

The Bears first lodged a bid for an NRL license in 2004, but ultimately lost out to the Gold Coast Titans. The bid gained momentum again in the lead-up to the last TV rights deal. However, the NRL opted to push back the subject of expansion until at least 2014. Now expansion remains nothing more than speculation.

The nature of the NRL’s relationship with the Central Coast came to a head back in 2011 at the height of the Central Coast Bears’ momentum. League Reporter Nick Walshaw called on Central Coast League fans to boycott the upcoming game between Manly and the Tigers, calling the match “the greatest charity mission outside a UNICEF convoy”.

For the record, Walshaw’s call for a boycott resulted in a ground-record attendance, but his sentiment was clear. The Central Coast has long been lobbying for their own side, so why should they settle for the odd game so that clubs can benefit from the financial incentives offered? It seems the NRL is happy to exploit the Central Coast when it suits them.

So, given that the Coast ignored Walshaw and turned up in droves, why now is the region again without an NRL game for 2015? It’s clear that the region is mad about their footy and is one of the fastest growing areas for families.

Furthermore, Central Coast Stadium was purpose built for rugby league. It has great views from every seat and its open southern end, with palm trees and views of Brisbane Water, create a unique viewing experience. The size of the ground also adds a level of intimacy, even for small crowds.

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It would be a shame for the Central Coast to be overlooked for top-flight rugby league. I hope that the NRL ensures that at least one game will take place in Gosford this season, as Central Coast fans deserve to be rewarded for their loyalty to the game.

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