The topic of expansion has heated up again, with Channel Nine bullish about scrapping a Sydney team for a second Brisbane team, and the Manly Sea Eagles again find themselves in the firing line.
Major issues including financial troubles, lack of resources and an outdated stadium have been well documented, and Manly could be forced to meet certain criteria to avoid being the club tapped on the shoulder by the NRL before the next broadcast deal.
If Manly were punted or forced to relocate, it would cause a huge geographical problem for the NRL, as they would be unrepresented from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Newcastle, which would leave the door wide open for the AFL and A-League to swoop on a very large chuck of rugby league heartland.
Since the North Sydney Bears were banished from the NRL after the ill-fated merger with Manly (forming the Northern Eagles) in 2002, the Upper and Lower North Shore and Northern Suburbs have gone unrepresented at NRL level and tens of thousands of fans were lost.
(Photo by Getty Images)
Manly would be well served by broadening the appeal of the club outside of its traditional supporter base on the Northern Beaches. There is no chance of North Sydney re-entering the NRL at their old base, so it would be logical for Manly to be more proactive in inheriting vacant Bears territory.
In 2018, New South Wales Origin coach Brad Fittler called for Manly to merge with the North Sydney Bears for a second time and create a behemoth club, which could work with the right administration, but the failures of the Northern Eagles would likely turn off a lot of fans and Manly can do it on their own with the right business model.
Club owner Scott Penn has previously discussed improving Manly’s relationship with the North Shore and eying off the Central Coast. However, the club’s membership numbers have stagnated in recent years, which suggests they haven’t made a significant imprint on these areas.
They took 16 home games to the Central Coast between 2007 and 2015 and attracted decent crowds. But since then, their lack of commitment to the region has seen the Sydney Roosters swoop in and strengthen their ties to the Central Coast.
Manly are the only professional sporting team based in the northern regions. They have a strong junior base, an excellent coach and are back to winning games of footy. It’s time for the club to piece together the rest of the blueprint for long-term sustained success.
Earlier this year, the club announced state government funding for a $36 million state-of-the-art centre of excellence at Brookvale Oval to be completed by mid-2021, which will also include a 3000-seat undercover grandstand.
It’s a massive boost for the club. Brookvale Oval has been unsuitable for NRL fixtures for the past several years, with outdated seating, accessibility, safety issues and poor player facilities.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
But despite the upgrades and centre of excellence, it’s important for Manly to take at least one pre-season trial match and one regular season home fixture to the Central Coast, make a connection with the community and junior footy clubs, form corporate partnerships with local businesses, wrestle back some lost ground from the Roosters and leave a strong footprint in the region.
The Bears have unsuccessfully tried to be readmitted into the NRL, with a failed bid based on the Central Coast and attempting to buy the Gold Coast Titans. However, if they were to be successful in a different location in the near future, they would look to retain the North Shore as part of their territory, so Manly need to get in and make the region their own while the Bears’ NRL bid is still dead.
The North Shore and Northern Suburbs are big business regions, meaning big sponsorship and corporate partnership potential.
Actively participating in promotional, community and development work in these regions would help grow the club’s supporter base.
Converting bitter old diehard Bears fans might be nigh-on-impossible, and there would be a perception that the North Shore and Northern Suburbs will never accept Manly, but it’s been 17 years since the fallout of the Northern Eagles split and the bitter rivalry between the Bears and Sea Eagles has been dead for 20 years. It’s time to let bygones be bygones.
There’s an entire generation of young fans from these regions without local NRL representation and Manly is the only club that can prevent the death of top-flight rugby league north of the Harbour Bridge.
Another move that would likely upset Manly fans would be a necessary name change.
In order to encompass and incorporate the Upper and Lower North Shore, Northern Suburbs and the Central Coast and ensure the inclusivity of all fans in these regions, it would be logical to change the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles to the Northern Sea Eagles or the North Sydney Sea Eagles.
It’s important for Manly to grow in order to survive and they have an opportunity to be a behemoth club representing an area with a combined population of over 1.5 million people.
All they have to do is look, plan and expand beyond the Northern Beaches.
Rob Bradley
Guest
Manly's "necessary name change" might not be as easy as you think. After the demise of the Northern Eagles debacle, the name of the club ("Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles") was written into the club's constitution, which means it can be changed ONLY by a vote of the football club's members...and could you imagine them ever agreeing to that?
terrance
Guest
Add in a bit of logic and the occasional full stop while your at it. Mate of mine is an angry Dragons supporter and told be a real funny joke today. ''What do you call 17 guys in a bar watching the NRL finals series? The Dragons!"
terrance
Guest
Is there a reason that you needed to tell him twice?
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
Because I was referring to the area between North Sydney and Newcastle, which is what I wrote. No mention of Central Coast. If that is too challenging for your level of intelligence I'll try to use smaller words next time
Over here
Roar Rookie
Brisbane manly would be a better name. that way, people who hate brisbane would get onboard and because of the manly name, people who hate manly would get onboard also. its a win/win bus and if we had ivan driving the bus, things would be groovy
terrance
Guest
Rabbitz, perfect, someone finally gets it! I find it puzzling why so many who don't live in Sydney, never have lived in Sydney and most likely will never live in Sydney (couldn't afford to) have a theory on Sydney NRL teams and how to ''fix'' them despite them going along fine.
terrance
Guest
That was funny, I'd thought I'd get a few more people correcting me for my deliberate false post. My aim was to post it, give it 24-48 hours and check back on who commented (took a bit longer, a horse I have a nice little interest in saluted at juicy odds on Saturday, his biggest cheque to date, big night, my heads still hurting a little!) Of course it was incorrect. I did it to see who'd comment and not surprisingly most replies were from those who write articles and/or posts that are poorly based on assumptions that basically won't happen ever, so I'm not sure why they write them besides to make their future articles/posts even less relevant. Poor Ethan, I was hoping someone was with him with a ''packer-wacker'', he got very hyped up.
terrance
Guest
Then why didn't you write ''North Sydney and the Central Coast...'' and make it clear!
madmax
Guest
So you want the club to change it's name from Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles to North Sydney Sea Eagles. Am I missing something? There's approximately 5 kms difference from Manly to Gosford & Nth Sydney to Gosford so why would you change the name to Nth Sydney Sea Eagles? OK maybe Northern Sea Eagles. I so wish this Nth Sydney thing would just disappear completely.
Censored Often
Roar Rookie
Whilst I’m not a bears man I live within spitting distance of their leagues club and it seems to be heavily patronised for a club with no fans.
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
Thats fair enough but gronks like terrance need to be called out for being feral
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
No theyre not. They dont even have a team in first grade. All the old bears fans are exactly that, theyre old now.
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
Rabbitz. My argument was not a straw man. My points were made in the context of the article authors premise that Manly had to invade Bears territory to enhance their prosperity and ensure their survival. My point was and remains that the Bears have a territory (that is not and never was vacated) in which they are responsible for the promotion of rugby league within as do MW and every other NSW based club. Just because they don't have a NRL franchise license doesn't mean they aren't a cog in the NRL system. By the way Berowra Wallabies are in the NS district JRL and yes they have no top level team at that level but that is a little irrelevant when it's mums and dads who take their little kiddos down to the park get them participating in sport to begin with. As they get older they will pick their side but they won't pick any side without having the seed planted.
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
What you say about juniors is true. But it is a classic straw man argument, this has no bearing on the NRL team they follow. The Berowra Wallabies and the Central Wyong Razorbacks seem to be doing OK without being in an NRL area. I wonder who those kids follow and I also wonder why they ever got involved in playing if they have no local NRL franchise? It's mystifying that they have any interest in the game when there isn't a local team to follow. I mean how do any of the country group competitions ever get to field teams because they don't have a local NRL franchise either? It's a mystery, eh?
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
No there wont. The only bears fans left are all old now
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
The combined figure seems about right
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
"And junior catchments are mostly irrelevant these days". They can or should never be irrelevant, as I said above Ive never seen the top of a pyramid that wasn't build on a solid base.
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
As you say..."this fixation on territorial allegiance" may not matter to a top level and many people will support and follow a team until the next good thing comes by or their allegiance changes like a flag in the wind. "The modern world allow supporters to closely follow a team or sportsman any where in the world". This may well be true but when it comes to administering junior leagues and fostering the game at grassroots level someone who lives in a particular area within a line on a map deem it important. Ive never seen the top of a pyramid that wasn't build on a solid base. You tell me that kids in that part of Sydney don't need the NSDRL to run and administer the weekend kids competition or the HM, SGB JF or the NSW State Womens comp.
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
Hey Adam. I can't imagine why you would be distraught at being a Nth Qld fan. They had their maiden premiership and I cant imagine the next would be too far off? The Bears brand was silenced at NRL level but they are far from "dead and buried" like some would have you believe. I am a tragic who still has a Bears membership. I dream of a return to NRL level but I accept that it is a monumental task that we are trying to achieve and we have had obstruction and delay to this day. On your point about the NRL level perspective that Bears territory is vacated. I agree and disagree. There is no top level exposure but at the grass roots the NS District RL still runs the junior programmes. I don’t see anything wrong with Manly competing for corporate backing in these areas either I was just point out the irony in advocating this while many say it is a negative when talking about the Bears advocating for the chance of a NRL return. Lastly this conversation isn't a “yes they can” and me saying “no they cant” It was more of an attempt to point out the irony of so many saying it is a good idea for Manly but saying it is a bad idea if we a talking about it in the context of the Bears tapping into the same market to try a for return.
damo
Roar Rookie
I'd have to agree. I have been a life-long Bulldogs fan (NRL & AFL) but having never lived in Sydney I have never been to a Bulldogs home game & same for Melbourne & the AFL. Lived in Townsville for 14 years & am very much a Cowboys fan now (whilst retaining my love of the Dogs) & was a member for many years. Part of my affinity for the Cowboys over the Dogs is the fact that I was a memebr, attending games & being part of a community with friends, colleagues at work etc all sharing a common interest. Now I live in Canberra, have been a Raiders member but find myself living near the Canberra home of the GWS Giants at Munaka Oval. I am a Giants member & feel a real affinity for the club but again, retain my love of the Dogs because they were my childhood team. Living near the club, attending games & being a member in a physical sense as opposed to just online/ on tv is definitely a big reason why I now have such a strong love of the Cowboys & Giants. I will always love the two Doggies & cheer them on, but game day & being part of a community is always going to breed a strong allegiance which is crucial to on-going support. Going to Raiders games in Canberra is more difficult for me & despite the fact that I like them & am in the community, I relinquished my membership & do not feel the same affinity as I do for the Giants despite the fact that they only play 3 games a regular season in the ACT. I don't say my view represents all, but I definitely know from personal experience that people connect with a club for a variety of reasons & going to games & being a physical part of the community & experience is one which grows strong allegiances.