After outlining my criteria and the three weakest clubs in Part 1, here is Part 2 of this six-part series.
11. Cowboys
Premierships – one
Members – 17,345
Crowds – 14,755
Index total – 32,100
The Cowboys are crowd favourites and can play an exciting brand of footy. Johnathon Thurston made his name at the club after leaving Sydney, which led to them winning their only grand final.
Always a team that could get decent sponsorship deals, the new Townsville Stadium the government built for them will add to their future gate receipts.
Their location and being in the shadow of the Broncos is an albatross that doesn’t make them as influential as they could be.
12. Bulldogs
Premierships – eight
Members – 16,303
Crowds – 15,018
Index total – 31,321
They are a team from the suburbs that has an established fan-base that still clings on to the ‘Dogs of War’ moniker to reflect their defence mentality of the ’80s.
The Dogs have a massive leagues club behind them that has funded many deals in the past. This is one of the most successful pokie palaces in Sydney that has grown over the decades.
Former club boss Peter Moore had the ear of Phillip Street when Ken Arthurson and John Quayle were in charge and that would have lifted the Bulldogs higher up this list in years past. They no longer have such influence at League Central.
Instead of blue-chip sponsorship deals, they have a chicken food service wholesaler as one of their sponsors. This season the prime real estate on the front of the jersey is bare.
Add to this playing at a 80,000-seat stadium and a decent crowd could be mistaken for social distancing. They have strong press support in Sydney and a decent TV draw, but the mighty have fallen.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
13. Sea Eagles
Premierships – eight
Members – 12,477
Crowds – 14,309
Index total – 26,786
Like Canterbury, Manly do have a leagues club behind them but it is more a RSL sub-branch than a modern, money-making machine.
The Silvertails were once a glamour club who have since fallen on hard times. Now privately owned, the owners are either looking to sell or are rock solid according to who you believe.
Ken Arthurson was a Manly man when he ran the game and hence Manly was a more powerful beast than they now are.
Brookvale Oval is poor by modern standards and the NSW government sees no need to spend anything as the return on investment sees no upside.
They do attract good players and rate well on TV. Manly are a long way down the poor ranking, perhaps not in line with people’s expectation of them.
Mark Scarfe
Roar Guru
Thanks
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Snowy Baker.
Mark Scarfe
Roar Guru
Dwayne, who is the profile pick you have attached to your name. I cant pick it. I thought Bradman at first but its not him. Who is it please.
Mark Scarfe
Roar Guru
Didn't know the question would anger you so much. Must have hit a nerve.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
When Valandy's approached the govt to get Brookvale Oval and other suburban grounds developed I'm fairly sure he didn't wander in and mumble something about it being great for the NRL but forget about everyone else in the community. The possibilities when proposing of a facility are only limited by the imagination. Luckily Valanday's has most of the punters well and truly covered in that department.
brookvalesouth
Roar Rookie
The Mud Crab Boogie Band, what does it matter? Not every concert is Kiss at the Olympic Stadium... Carols by Candelight, community showcases, local artist festivals etc.
brookvalesouth
Roar Rookie
I'm not claiming that the Eagles are using it for community purposes. The Eagles lease Brookvale from the Warringah Council. They use it for community purposes.
Mark Scarfe
Roar Guru
What concerts would go to Brookvale out of curiosity?
JGK
Roar Guru
The Eagles aren't using it for "community" purposes. They are a profit making enterprise and want the government to help them with that.
brookvalesouth
Roar Rookie
Brookvale is used for more than just Manly matches. Its a community facility and an upgrade of the stadium wouldn't change that. Sure, there'd be less dogs being walked on the playing surface, but Schools would continue to use it for sports, the community would continue to hold markets and events there, I'd say both the Rats and Marlins would take matches there, and as with NQ, there would be the opportunity to host concerts etc. So really, it is the same.
Don
Roar Rookie
Having lived in Neutral Bay for a few years some time ago and traveled to Brookvale for quite a few games, I reckon the State Government would be torn between upgrading Brookvale essentially just for Rugby League or North Sydney Oval to the benefit of many more sports and with better transport infrastructure at hand. And I really liked watching footy at Brookvale... The comparison with NQ isn’t relevant. Whilst the Cowboys are the anchor tenant, they put a new multi purpose stadium in the centre of town for multiple sports, concerts, expos etc. Townsville was even supposed to get a Rugby test this year. And of course the NQ stadium gets votes in more electorates...
Mark Scarfe
Roar Guru
It would be a miracle if I heard from Peter Moore.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
I think the questions should be ‘why are these teams positioned in a certain spot or not’ For the people not agreeing with article. I agreed with jamesb down the page about the cowboys. My questions are why are the dogs down right now, how did this happen? What Things are weakening the sea eagles? Ground, back room troubles? It’s more then just saying ‘gov won’t pay for a ground’. Why won’t they? Why don’t the go see a point in it?
JGK
Roar Guru
There are no votes in it for either party.
brookvalesouth
Roar Rookie
Same dude wrote an article last week about how AFL dominates in Sydney, so I'd take everything he says with a grain of salt.
Duncan Smith
Roar Guru
12th and 13th? Bullfrog and Arko want a word with you Mr Scarfe.
jamesb
Roar Guru
I disagree with this article. The Cowboys location shouldn't be used as a drawback. That's where they are! You need to find another drawback against the Cowboys. The Cowboys have been great value to the NRL in their first 25 years. Canterbury are one of the bigger Sydney clubs. You are judging them by their current circumstances. As for Manly, they have always been a successful club on the field. With their home ground, there is always a chance that the A League could have a team in the northern part of Sydney. And there is more to clubs than just crowds and members. What is their annual turnover? What is their turnover historically? Who are their board members? What type of players have each club produced? How does their jersey rank in sales? How do they rate on tv? It has to be more comprehensive to judge on clubs than just crowds and members.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
The NSW government can see no upside in building a new stadium at Brookvale? Did the QLD government see any upside when they funded a new stadium for the Cows? Luckily Valandy's sees the upside in a new ground at Brookie and seems confident that one can be funded. There is clearly an upside to a new stadium in the north of Sydney. Somehow the tax payers there should be happy to have the shabbiest ground in the country while they help fund their rivals shiny new stadiums?