Cartwright says ARL should help Titans

If someone's already mentioned it or if they haven't, isn't it about time that clubs were owned by their fans and/or businesses. Just as I posted in a football RSS today, teams need to be financed this way :)

AR ATM they don't have the money,but even if they did,they would not do what your mob did.They didnt in Vic and they won't in WA. One thing you need to undertand about the code,they have operated on the smell of an poil rag for years since SL war. .Money is better expended at grassroots ,rather than untried,untested,mercenaries.'The argument they pay their way in publicity is temporal,as latest results and involvement has shown.This is not my view but by quite a few AFL commentators and writers,who have commented on the performances or lack thereof of both.Fish out of water applies here in spades. Watch this space re money by 30th June. An apologist for Searle!!! I have spelt out what he and his followers have done for the community which you conceded.The jury is not out yet on the final washout.I am no more an apologist for Searle than many are for Dipper and him past antics. If you follow the French system of presumption of guilt first,that is your decision.Prima facie it looks bad. If he is guilty then he pays the price b monetary and character.I have read papers and followed talk back on the anti side,and I have read and heard a few on the pro side.I also have some knowledge of what has preceded the "debacle". Correction t I love my Rugby League,I used to love Rugby union.League could apply to A League,or the AFL or any league(a group of teams playing in competition).I am a stickler for accurate descriptions..Just because the description is on a tab here,does not make it right. The game is not called the National League.

Thanks Gareth, Very nice and clear explanation. With those intensions I can see how Searle looks dodgy. Just for mine I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt in relation to his intentions. The facts pretty much tell the story but depending on how you read his intentions the tone can go either way. Well intentioned businessman who got unlucky or shonky salesman. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Some close family of my wife have been in the thick of the PNG NRL bid, and I can't wait to get the lowdown on PNG's potential involvement at our next family gathering. I know its off topic but the feeling I get in regards to the PNG bid is that there is all the money and support to successfully host a team but biggest hurdle is that the other clubs don't want to travel to PNG on a regular basis. I could be wrong on that assumption..

The NRL don't have the money to lure players. Except, of course, the Titans. CC, I know you love your League (which is great) but how can you continually be an apologist for Searle? The guy has used his ego to completely screw this club and this town over? Why do you always rush into bat for him?

I will accept your and his good intentions,despite the fact he nicked an NRL player. If the reverse were to apply,the Titans would not have secured an untried AFL player for publicty sakes and paid him millions to do such a thing.. The Cowboys and Roosters sell home games to other areas,and after all the code is the national one of PNG. Deals are done with players and vehemently denied ,welcome to the world of sport. If in this case it meant solving the financial problems and he wanted to keep it secret until D Day I understand from whence he comes from.You may remember PNG is one of the bidders for an NRL licenec,and this deal could have helped both. Time will tell whether your last point is indeed valid.

No gifts from the Suns...just a hand in friendship. Take it for what it was. (Though I do wonder whether the same would have happened if the positions were reversed) Further to the poor treatment Searle has given the GC community, it's being reported that he planned to sell Titans home games to Papua New Guinea. Despite vehemently denying it in Nov 2011, a Heads of Agreement has apparently been found which sets out the terms. The more that emerges about this bloke, the more he pongs.

I don't mind in the least, "fish out of water"could also apply.That is also another analogy It is an alternative perspective.. Their very first game,which tends to attract.And no doubt should continued thrashings be the norm,the crowd averages will therefore lift.Time and performance no doubt will tell. I am aware of the anger of tradespeople toward the club re late payments etc.It is not a scoop for me.There has been reams written about their anger..I spend time on the GC ,and attend matches at Skilled Robina,regardless of the visiting team playing. I am not someone who has just belatedly found the coast as a holiday destination.I attended Giants games at Seagulls stadium to give you some idea. I read John Withereriff's comment and provided it is genuine is to be applauded . If perchance it is m cnsdiered by some ,a PR stunt like AD on the launch night stating we should all live in harmony,we are not here to fight a war,yet spend tens of millions per annum and chase young rl players and use former high profile NRL players at great expense to get rl supporters on side,I tend to be rather sceptical. Beware Greeks bearing gifts LOL.

Yeah, I can understand that. Last week, The Australian was reporting that the Titans have a 10 year contract worth $2.8million per year to use the training facilities at the Centre for Excellence. I can't imagine any NRL club paying that sort of money for training facilities. It'd be extortion if it wasn't effectively one guy massively overcharging himself. But once you consider that the NRL/ARLC is pumping money into the club and 72% of the $3.85m annual grant is going toward paying off someone else's asset, then it all becomes very shonky. That alone turns the Titans into a big money hole, and up until he sold the Centre For Excellence at massive overs to his mates, Michael Searle was the main beneficiary. To me, it looks as though he's essentially gouging the Titans club for every single bit of money they have, with the understanding that one way or another, the NRL will bail the club out, and leave it to pay off a $30 million dollar property enterprise for he and his mates. Not to mention that he was trying to extort $20 million from the PNG government for a meagre 25% share of the club. That's not $20m to go directly into the club, that's Searle selling 25% of his own 80% stake, which would have given him less fiscal responsibility for the football club and enough cash to pay off the loans on his more significant asset, the Centre for Excellence. Of course, nothing has worked out that way, because even the league mad PNG government weren't blinded by their fanaticism for the sport and pulled out of what would have been an incredibly shonky deal. It does remain to be seen how it all pans out, but I'd be pretty certain we won't see Searle selling off any of his other personal assets to sink more money into the club.

It seems you missed my fish analogy...never mind. "The Suns crowds have dropped in year two." - they've played one game. "It is clear ,you are unaware of the work the club(Titans) has done behind the scenes in the community over the years." - No, I witnessed it first hand and have often commented on this site that I thought it was a model to be copied. However, come to the Coast and speak to many locals about how they feel about the club now...how many builders, tradies and other League clubs feel about them. A lot of people feel burnt by the Titans. "The Titans will reamin in whatever guise the ARLC sees fit,so competitors should not feel complacent in that regard." - I don't think anyone feels complacent about anything. In fact, GC Suns Chairman, John Witheriff, pledged his public support to the Titans and asked the community to do the same. As an organisation, the AFL is anything but complacent.

Can you please explain how having a club that you basically own (80%) on the verge of collapse is supposed to be bad for the club but good for yourself. Not sure if I read your statement correctly..

Ian good idea we could get Ron Gibbs out of retirement ... Cooper could play in both teams LMAO.... I am not taking the Mick out of you what is it about the GC. Gold Coast Rocks ! Clive Palmer Rocks ! Climate change is not happening and the Carbon oh such a bad idea !

ARL teams lost a fortune cause of the super league and just remind me what was the name of the comp that the gold coast joined orignally I think it was NSWRL was it 1988. How would you know what was is profitable with Searl. Don't get me wrong the NRL needs a side on the GC and we owe the GC a team. The Rugby League Community owe SEARL nothing.

So, we have a footy ground that is a drain on finances because it doesnt have enough people showing up to it. And we have a potential team that will need somewhere to play. Both of them are in Brisbane. Nahh, this would make *sense*, and these are rugby union and rugby league administrators we're talking about ...

So true mate! If the ARLC want to learn from the mistakes of teh past they will undo the damage of past mistakes and add the Bears ASAP. Happy for the Reds to come in with them - nice synergy.

The Chargers made a profit during the Super League War. They were evicted from the NRL because the ARL were scared of upsetting Sydney rugby league fans. Many of the Sydney teams were losing tons of money back then. I think it's fair to say the NRL owes the Gold Coast big time for that injustice. The Titans football department is profitable. It's just the property arm that's guzzling funds. The Titans football department doesn't rely on pokies to stay afloat, either. So like him or not, but Searle is doing something right with the football department..

'Broncos are the only cleanskins in the game.' classic oikee, delusional statements since the Broncos were mainly responsible for sending the game back 20 years with there greed and selfishness and killed off the Crushers too, yknow the second brisbane team you always want too bad the Broncos disagree. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQK2BM8sRiU Here's john ribot on the Brisbane footy show around 95.

Barra is a northern fish,and we know the strength there as far as sport is concerned.It would not survive in Victoria. . The NRL have not confirmed that is the case.The NRL have stated the debt and the inerconnecting of that debt,and the servicing of that debt shas created the problem.No COE,the club would not be in the situation it finds itself. FYI the early edition Chargers had money in the bank ,and were not the basketcase [people made out.They had about $1m in the bank ,when they were asked to fold. The Suns crowds have dropped in year two.So yes crowds are fickle. It is clear ,you are unaware of the work the club(Titans) has done behind the scenes in the community over the years.Even Vlad Demetriou noted such. The Titans will reamin in whatever guise the ARLC sees fit,so competitors should not feel complacent in that regard. Remember the words of the song "Money can't buy me love".

Oh dear Oikee. One thing that people often overlook is that Australian Football is largely played in the most historic sports stadiums we have in Australia...our cricket grounds. That is one reason why governments (both State and Fed) are more inclined to contribute money to them...that is, they cater for arguably our most culturally important sport (cricket) and they have a historical significance which is matched only by Aussie Rules. The second reason is that the AFL contributes its own cash for stadiums: Waverley, Etihad, Metricon, Skoda, the new SACA, the proposed Perth stadium etc. No other code does this. It's ridiculous to expect the Federal Govt to throw in millions for a suburban ground for the benefit of one small club. Btw...Julia is a West Bulldogs fan...and if Tony's your white knight...good luck!

Oikee, The Broncos are owned by News Corporation, and were THE prime movers in the Super League War. From their perspective, the war was a success, as it strangled their competition in Brisbane, and left them with a nice, comfortable monopoly in one of rugby league's two strong cities. To call them cleanskins is either a cynical lie, or a sign that you are utterly unable to distinguish your own biased prejudice from actual reality. Having read a lot of your posts, I'll say its not a cynical lie.

Oikee said, "We need to get the government to sink more money into other codes,". No. You dont. You need more people to show up to rugby league games.