Manly legend Steve Menzies’ career is the perfect example of how an NRL amalgamation can give a false impression.
Menzies would never have left Manly under any circumstances, but he’s been denied one-club status by the enforced amalgamation with North Sydney, which was ill-advised and lasted only three seasons. It was a waste of time.
Menezies’ career stats read 150 games for Manly from 1993 to 1999, 69 games for the Northern Eagles from 2000 to 2002, and another 130 for Manly from 2003 to 2008 – so he’s third on the all-time list behind one-club Bronco Darren Lockyer’s 355 and Terry Lamb’s multi-club 250. Menzies’ 180 tries is second only to the greatest winger of all-time Kenny Irvine’s 212 for Norths and Manly.
So Menzies was denied the record for one-club status. I have never agreed with amalgamations, and especially not for foundation clubs North Sydney, Western Suburbs and Balmain.
The NRL showed those clubs no respect and never took into account their hard-won culture and tradition honed over 92 years. With the stroke of a pen the NRL wiped out all those assets for the future and left thousands of tortured fans with half a club at best.
But it’s never been the same – no clubs should ever be amalgamated.
Let’s say that the NRL never amalgamated any teams and that there are 20 teams in the current competition, with the addition of a second club from Brisbane. I have ignored the push for Perth for two reasons: visiting clubs to Perth would be disadvantaged with the extra travel and Perth would be disadvantaged with 11 hours minimal travel for all away games, plus why take on the AFL in a two-club state?
The powerhouse NRL clubs would hate extra clubs with a lesser annual grant from the NRL, but that would be a plus, with far less being offered to the top players compared to some of today’s stratospheric numbers.
Let’s say the 20 teams finished in this order in 2016.
1. Storm
2. Dragons
3. Roosters
4. Broncos
5. Sharks
6. Balmain
7. Cowboys
8. Raiders
9. Manly
10. Bulldogs
11. Warriors
12. Titans
13. Rabbitohs
14. Panthers
15. Parramatta
16. Wests
17. Brisbane
18. North Sydney
19. Knights
20. Illawarra
Based on that ladder, the odds go to the green group and the evens go to the gold group:
| Green group | Gold group |
| Storm | Dragons |
| Roosters | Broncos |
| Sharks | Balmain |
| Cowboys | Raiders |
| Manly | Bulldogs |
| Warriors | Titans |
| Rabbitohs | Panthers |
| Parramatta | Wests |
| Brisbane | North Sydney |
| Knights | Illawarra |
There’s a danger using that format that one group would have more distances to travel than the other, but that’s where the cards fall; each club plays home and away within their group for 18 games.
No games are to be played in Origin week, which would be played on a Saturday afternoon to encourage family support, and after 18 games and three Origins the groups meet each other home and away in the following format:
1 (Green) vs 10 (Gold)
2 vs 9
3 vs 8
4 vs 7
5 vs 6
6 vs 5
7 vs 4
8 vs 3
9 vs 2
10 vs 1
That accounts for an extra two games each, taking the season to 20. The ladder would then show the 20 in order. The top eight would contest the finals series in the same format that is currently operating over four weeks.
I don’t pretend the suggestions are perfect, but they are a lot fairer and more level a playing field than the current format – and the lost respect for foundation clubs would be revived.
Deborah Rose Reivers-Gillard
Guest
I like your idea, it could work. I also like the fact that no club should ever be amalgamated! It was horrendous for the players, fans and so forth. Manly- Norths never worked waste of time and as you pointed out Steve Menzies was juped!
Glen
Guest
Seriously looks like two articles with no connection. I agree on both fronts but it's a really odd article.
damo
Guest
Is this two articles that fell in the blender together ? Even picking the banana bits back out of the obvious blueberry ones doesn't help ?! WTF ?!
Swanny
Guest
Bring back Glebe Newtown and the south Queensland crushers too
Zedman
Roar Rookie
St George -- Illawarra.
Alex Green
Roar Guru
Ha! I was speaking geographically, but to your point most shire folk frequent the south coast regularly for hols, many migrate down there. Big shire presence at the Gong Uni too. No merger is perfect, but I think it would've worked better than the current ST GEORGE-illawarra model, where the basis for it seemed to be the colours and ST GEORGE tapping into illawarra's junior nursery.
andrew
Guest
yeah... The Shire folk aren't known for welcoming in outsiders or collaborating with others, so not sure how "united" they would have been...
Alex Green
Roar Guru
"Up, Up, Ceee Essss Ceee!"? haha. For Steelers fans, surely beats having no mention at all in Saints go Marching in. Steel-Sharks? The jersey sponsor font in red has looked good in the past too!
Rod
Guest
Speaking of Beaver, I really think we should count his SL games as far career games are concerned. One of my favourite all time players. He should have played far more origins. Mind you selection for the Blues even in our Golden periods were just as bad as they are now.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
Up! Up! Cronullaaaaaa... South Coast The boys in the black, white and bluuuue... and red...
Alex Green
Roar Guru
Despite the colors not neatly matching, the Sharks and Illawarra merging to become the Cronulla-South Coast Sharks, playing out of Shark Park and WIN, might've been a goer. Sharks have a lot of support down south beyond the gong where a lot of people hate the Dragons. And it would've been a united region from the Shire down to Eden.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
Comment of the day
Adam
Roar Guru
It's a David Lord article that's why! I'm not sure what the thrust of the article is. However, I think we can all agree that the Beaver was a fantastic player and in my mind hugely underrated
Scott Pryde
Expert
Hey, let me dream.
Griffo
Guest
Just after they change back to Sydney City Roosters
Magnus M. Østergaard
Roar Guru
Speaking of which. When will the Eastern Suburbs Roosters return please and thank you!
The Barry
Roar Guru
Agreed. The South Coast has a pretty high NRL representation. I'd imagine per capita it's very good. It's a real shame they don't have their own team.
Griffo
Guest
This article seems to kill no birds with two stones.
The Barry
Roar Guru
??? Sydney Bulldogs was a name change not a distinct entity. Besides which, Lamb also played for Wests so he's not the competition with Beaver in the one club stakes.
kk
Roar Pro
Agree Epiquin, If Beaver was 21yo and on the open market today I would gladly offer him a genuine $10M / 10 year contract and pray like mad he signed it. Bargain.