Roarer Paul posted an honest comment on my column yesterday saying it’s a mistake to compare the record 11 successive NSWRFL premierships by St George to the good run by St George Illawarra in the NRL this season.
And he’s quite right with a different format, semi-professional to professional, different tackles ranging from unlimited to six, and a host of different laws of the code.
What Paul was commenting on was from the player’s point of view, my column yesterday was about how loyal fans react.
So today is enlarging that theme, and how senior rugby league administrators have abused those loyal fans far too often over the years.
Let’s start at the beginning with the nine Foundation Clubs that formed rugby league’s debut season in 1908.
Only one of the original nine has remained untouched by administrators from 1908 to 2018 – 110 years – and that’s Eastern Suburbs, now known as the Roosters.
The other eight originals in alphabetical order:
Balmain was amalgamated with Western Suburbs to become Wests Tigers in 2002.
Cumberland lasted one season, but returned as Parramatta in 1947.
Glebe folded in 1929.
Newcastle lasted two seasons and left to form its own local competition, but returned as the Newcastle Knights in 1988.
Newtown was punted from the competition in 1983, just two years after reaching the grand final where the “Bluebags” lost 20-11 to Parramatta.
North Sydney was amalgamated with Manly in 2000 to become the Northern Eagles only to be gobbled up by Manly regaining its independence in 2003. The Bears are buried in the NSW Cup, as a feeder club to South Sydney.
South Sydney was punted out of the competition from 1999 to 2002, despite the fact they were the inaugural premiers, and had won 20 premierships and been in 11 losing grand finals, more than any other club.
And Western Suburbs was amalgamated with Balmain in 2002, to become Wests Tigers.
So Cumberland wasn’t too badly off returning as Parramatta, so too Newcastle returning as the Knights, but for Newtown, Balmain, Western Suburbs, and Norths, their fans were, and are, shattered.
St George was admitted to the competition in 1921, and Illawarra in 1982, and they were amalgamated in 1999.
Amalgamations are a bastard of a decision for fans, and any administrator who tries to tell you it’s in the best interests of the game needs mental attention.
And there were meaningful side issues, with Steve Menzies the prime example.
He played 150 games for Manly from 1993 to 1999, 69 for the ill-fated Northern Eagles from 2000 to 2002, and another 130 for Manly from 2003 to 2008.
Menzies was denied one-club status of 349, which would be third on the all-time list behind Cameron Smith’s 366 on-going for the Storm, and Darren Lockyer’s 355 for the Broncos.
The saving grace for the St George Illawarra amalgamation is the stand-out big red V of the original Dragons.
St George pays token recognition to Illawarra by playing the odd NRL game at Wollongong, but the reality is St George has gobbled up Illawarra to still be the Dragons.
Badly affected are the Balmain and Wests fans, with the latter feeling the pinch with the club virtually known in rugby league circles as the Tigers, despite the majority of club officials being Wests supporters.
Leichhardt is the best drawing ground when the Balmain faithful turn out in droves. They aren’t too interested in travelling to Campbelltown.
But the worst affected are Norths supporters. Having lived on Sydney’s north side all my life, I know countless Bears fans who are like lost souls, their love of rugby league has been butchered.
The NRL must never ever amalgamate clubs again.
Officials never feel the pain, but the fans do, many of them for the rest of their lives.
Charlie
Guest
Mate your comments in North Sydney are the stuff of Trump... assuming you’re a Manly supporter? The Bears saw the writing in the wall, moved to a demographic with the highest participation rate of league in the country, invested millions of their own money in infrastructure and moved to greener pastures... right at the time their existence was pinned to how they performed in one year... the year they invested all their money to grow this game, and the year they had their worst finish in 8 seasons... Get your facts straight champ, or become a politician.
Charlie
Guest
And look what is about to happen to cricket now Nat... your mentality is exactly the ‘head in the sand’ mentality that means the game is happy with mediocrity and $. No offence intended.
Charlie
Guest
As a heart broken Bears fan, the game was lost to me long ago. The politics and power brokers continue to destroy the game, and administer a shell of a ‘product’ into the ground. I honestly love all sports, but it’s not just the NRL who are incompetent. Look at he ARU (don’t start me)... unfortunately the common denominator here is a pathetic and over-crowded sports market, where administrators have become misguided over time favouring a quick buck and so called ‘financial stability’ in favour of preserving the key factors that make sport great. Australian Cricket is just the latest bunch of sports administrative muppets to fall for this fatal mistake... sure, they will make more $ and they will say this will benefit the game in the long run, but they all fail to grasp that bums on seats is the most important factor... ie/ the fans. Where do they find these so called ‘sports administrators’? Do they all do the same course at Uni? The only sport that can hang it’s head high is AFL - they get it and have done for almost 30 years, despite diluting some of their teams. So I find myself switching off all sports... my passion... in favour of spending more time at the local park watching local teams, and being with my young family. I don’t hold hope that my Mighty Bears will be back... the NRL don’t know a brilliant PR and marketing story if it was staring them in the face, which the Bears have been for almost over 20 years now... I guess they just need Manly’s permission.
Forty Twenty
Guest
No doubt the administrators could do better but maybe the psyche of the fans needs to move along with the times as well. NFL fans in America seem to be able to enjoy the unthinkable and support a team that is just flown in from another city and plonked at the local stadium. We seem to be a lot more conservative and the amount of people who declared that they weren't going to watch the game again after the Super league war is just one example. The game is just as good as before so why the long face?
Dexter The Hamster
Guest
Plenty of fans I know, do actually enjoy having a Thursday night game on the telly. They really don't feel disrespected....
Dexter The Hamster
Guest
So you will deny your son the opportunity to play at the highest level, even though he is so talented, just to spite the administrators?? Shouldn't you be off collecting your "parent of the year" award???
81paling
Roar Rookie
I grew up in the Norths district and followed Parra. I still live in the Bears district and support Parra. Let me tell you what I get for my almost 40 years of loyal support. The only district in Sydney without an NRL team and this means I get to watch soccer and VFL grow and thrive all around me plus I get the added satisfaction of 30 years without a Premiership for the Eels, gaining a few wooden spoons, being fined and humiliated for cheating whilst gaining those spoons and all the while that district convinces kids to play Rugby League in massive numbers from ages 4 and up to watch them go and win premierships for the Roosters, Manly and Melbourne. Those 3 clubs could not field a team from their own junior ranks but are 3 of the 4 most successful clubs over the last 20 years. This is simply wrong and brings questions about what the future of the game holds. So David when it is said that you can't know where you are going unless you know where you have been, rugby league is a prime example as our crowd figures show (which have not grown significantly for about 20 years).
Big Daddy
Guest
David, They are still abusing the fans by putting matches on Thursday night's and 6p.m. Fridays. They have no respect for fans what so ever.
Nat
Roar Guru
Mate none of that is right. The product is significantly better and if we had mobile phones/cameras back in the day, they would make this mob look like angels.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
It can't be a national comp unless we have 10 teams east of the Fish Markets
Wayne Lovell
Roar Guru
Because it’s a national competition not a suburban competition
Jonathan Carroll
Guest
Bigger faster , stronger athletes with more money to spend on their degeneracy does not mean the game is better
David Lord
Expert
Paul's echo has surfaced again.
Jonathan Carroll
Guest
There is no way it maoes sense that a National competition would have teams in Newtown, Balmain and North Sydney. In fact it does not make sense that a national competition include teams from Cronulla, Penrith or the (exclusivly) the Eastern Suburbs either. But here me out. Maybe fully professional national Rugby League competition doesn't actually make sense. Everyone seems to prefer the days when the team was part of the community made up of people from the Community. All professionalism does is make people very rich for a hobby that most players are happy to do for free. Its kept afloat by corporations that want us all to be fat, alcoholic gambling addicts. I don't actually expect professionalism to die until after WW3 means we are no longer able to spend so much money on entertainment. I just think it would be better if it did.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Can’t wait for th...zzzzzzzz
Da No
Roar Rookie
I actually think the saints Illawarra merger has worked well. The saints are essentially the saints and the crowds at Wollongong are fantastic at a beautiful boutique venue - I've never been there but it looks great on tv.
Nat
Roar Guru
The league evolved from amateur, suburban based comp into professional comp with multiple interstate teams. Everything about the sport is in a far better state now. The level of competition is better, the athletes are bigger, faster and being paid accordingly. I could draw similarities between this Packer destroying Aust test cricket with WSC.
Adam
Roar Guru
Surely at the end of the day 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing? In Tasmania at the moment there are local Aussie rules clubs that will fold unless they combine with other clubs because there aren't enough quality players/finance/audiences. And that's the problem in a nutshell isn't it? Too many clubs to all have a slice of the pie. Surely, rather than bemoaning the lack of the original clubs we should question why there isn't a second or third Brisbane team...
Mutley
Roar Rookie
A regulation system could possibly solve all these issues. The teams with community support and financial ability would be able to regain their place in the competition through natural selection. Teams come and go. Rise and fall.
Adam
Roar Guru
Brings back the Crushers! And the Rams! And University!