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I’m totally in favour of the NRL bailout of the Titans. What I’m worried about is that the bailout won’t go far enough.
To look at how the NRL should handle the Titans issue we could do far worse than to look at the approach the AFL has taken with struggling clubs.
Now I know plenty of you Roarers out there don’t rate AFL. Personally I think it is stupid to declare that you don’t like AFL. If your significant other hears you voice this opinion then you’ve just lost an opportunity to sit on the couch with mates, drink beer and watch the game.
“You hate Aussie rules! You call it GayFL. So no, you can’t stay here and watch the game, you’re coming shoe shopping with me and then to my mother’s for tea.”
Now you’ll have to express an opinion about a pair of peep toe wedges, followed by an afternoon of having to hold in your farts while engaging in polite conversation over a cup of tea with your in-laws – when you could have been on the couch, with beer and mates, releasing your gas with impunity.
However, the main reason that I reckon deriding AFL is stupid is that – on the whole – it has been run so much better than the NRL. Just look at how they support struggling clubs.
When Fitzroy were dying the AFL brokered a deal with the Brisbane Bears that kept the Lions alive in at least some form and delivered three consecutive premierships. When the Sydney Swans were in dire straits the AFL pumped cash into them and gave them salary cap and draft concessions to help them become competitive. They made the grand final in a short time frame and have subsequently won two flags.
Just two seasons ago Port Adelaide were in danger of going out backwards but the AFL came to their rescue and last season they were just one kick from making the grand final.
Further, their expansion clubs have not been done in a half-assed way. While Greater Western Sydney is the side that no one asked for, there are three million people in Western Sydney and the AFL is determined to get a piece of that so they are pumping money and resources into the place to make it work. While there were 20,000 residents who campaigned to get the Gold Coast Suns, they have still required a great deal of support. AFL HQ is making sure that they get it.
Conversely it could be argued that the NRL aren’t good at looking after their clubs. The NRL could recognise the hard work that goes into junior player development by giving salary cap concessions for players that clubs have developed from juniors, but they don’t.
Just last season we saw the Brisbane Broncos Ltd poach Anthony Milford from the Raiders, who had developed him since the age of 13. Dave Smith and company just stood by and watched. Nothing to see here folks. Move along…
In rugby league we’ve had six sides go belly up since 1998. The Adelaide Rams, Western Reds, Hunter Mariners, South Queensland Crushers, North Sydney Bears and of course the Gold Coast Giants. While the Super League war manufactured more teams than were sustainable at the time and under the circumstances, the death of foundation club the North Sydney Bears was a sorry chapter in the history of rugby league.
The demise of the first iterations of the Gold Coast was also a sorry story. The greater Gold Coast area is a massive heartland of rugby league. It’s population of around one million is more than enough to sustain a side. However, teams there have always struggled to survive.
The Roar‘s own Tim Prentice believes this repeated failure is reason enough to give up on the Gold Coast, but I’d argue that all the Gold Coast teams have been inadequately supported from the outset and therefore doomed to failure.
Did you know that there was a clause in the rugby league’s initial contract with the Brisbane Broncos Ltd that guaranteed that there would be no other clubs in South East Queensland? As a result of this the initial Gold Coast sides were severely hampered by having to play out of Seagulls Stadium in Tweed Heads while the Broncos set about establishing their kingdom of supporters and sponsors. The Gold Coast had to try and compete with their arms tied behind their back. And once you get a reputation as a struggling side it is very difficult to lose it.
That the rugby league administration only established one club in the massive South East Queensland rugby league market, and had that side be a money-making venture first and foremost – rather than be one of the established QRL clubs in that region – was a failure that may be unparalleled in Australian sporting history.
That same money-making venture then contributed greatly to bringing on the Super League war. Amidst all that turmoil the poor old Giants weren’t a big concern and they folded at the end of 1998 with barely a whimper.
Comparatively the Titans have been pretty good. While the first iterations of Gold Coast rugby league teams got three wooden spoons and not one finals appearance in a decade, the Titans have only claimed one spoon and have made the finals two times in nine seasons. While better, the results still haven’t been great and sponsorship and crowds have still been hard to come by.
When the news arrived that a number of Titans players were implicated in the drug scandal it was the tree that broke the Titans back. David Smith then rode into town and declared that the NRL was taking over the club. Apparently Dave and his team are going to build a club we can all be proud of.
Blind Freddy knows that the main concern of the NRL is that they are contractually bound to have eight games each weekend for their broadcast partners to televise. So the Titans have received a temporary stay of execution. However, the easiest option for the NRL may yet be to abandon the Gold Coast foray and set up another team somewhere else.
However, if they did that they would effectively abandon the majority of South East Queensland’s massive player pool. Without the Titans there would really be just the one team left to develop all those aspiring juniors, and the Brisbane Broncos Ltd can’t possibly give all those kids an opportunity or a fair go. However, the AFL will gladly develop them.
So while Dave Smith has most probably taken over the Titams to make sure the broadcast deal doesn’t fall over, I hope he realises that the Gold Coast can no longer be neglected by NRL HQ. For the good of the game the NRL must commit to the Titans for the long haul.
It can’t just be whacking a coat of paint on and hoping for a miracle. The commitment should include helping them attract and retain marquee players through salary cap concessions, as well as pumping money and resources into the club over at least a five-year period.
That way the Titans might actually taste some success. And it is amazing what a bit of real success can do for the long-term popularity and viability of a club.