In today’s world of sport, and in some competitions, the gap between the successful sides and the not so successful sides, seemingly usually is decided by two huge factors: a team’s culture and their ability to splurge cash and buy the talent.
There are so many examples that stand out, for worldwide sides who may just be able to open the wallet and buy a team to contend, or there are those very few sides who have built such a strong culture, that new players can fill the void and just slide in as good as ever.
Let’s bring out some examples in this discussion and then let the people in the comments duke it out as to what seems to be more successful.
What works better? What do you prefer?
It seems that the world of European soccer (football) have limitless pockets and it seems to be the club with the most cash behind them, tend to be the most successful. Clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United, come to mind.
Let’s leave aside the world of soccer, and place some other teams in the “cash” juncture.
Teams like the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Lakers, and in Australian terms, the Sydney Roosters, are all teams who come to mind in regards to teams who are not afraid to spend to bring glory to their respective clubs.
(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
Whenever any of these sides are not in contention, they will open up their wallets which allows to buy enough talent to compete.
For example, for the Lakers, in transition periods, when they lost a player like Andrew Bynum who was arguably the second best big man at the time, the Lakers went and bought the best big man at the time in Dwight Howard.
Another example is four years ago when LeBron James came over to tinseltown and the Lakers automatically flipped their assets to the best big man currently, in Anthony Davis, which turned their first year together into a championship.
Every league fan in the world knows what the Roosters can do, with a full abundance of salary cap. In 2010, the Roosters played in a grand final. From 2011-2012, they fell to irrelevance.
The Roosters did what they do, and spent big in the off-season.
Sonny Bill Williams, James Maloney, Michael Jennings and coach Trent Robinson all came in one off season, and bought immediate success, for a premiership in 2013.
Although they can arguably be described as a culture-based side now, the same occurred in the off season of 2018. They bought over Cooper Cronk and James Tedesco in one off season, what follows? Back to back premierships in 2018-19.
Money talks.
For sides like these, it really does. The benefit of cash behind you, just sometimes cannot be replicated in sport and the success you may be chasing.
On the flip side of the coin, you have sides who may build strong cultures, which allows them to use lesser valued players, to play to a system and still experience equal success. three sides come to mind, them being the Tom Brady New England Patriots, the Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs and the Melbourne Storm.
Tom Brady (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
All three sides in their height of success, had the same captain and coach combo, which firms the culture for the club, to have some form of stability. All three clubs were known for being coached tough, and if you could not suit their schemes, you would be moved on without thought.
The Patriots under the Brady-Bill Belichick era turned in nine Super Bowl appearances, with six eventuating to championships.
The Spurs had very similar success, with six appearances in the finals under the Duncan-Pop era, turning into five championships.
The Melbourne Storm were very similar in the Cam-Bellyache era, won five titles, in nine attempts (two titles being stripped due to salary cap penalties).
All three sides define what a strong culture can mean for a side, with the two first mentioned clubs, both in their post prime and trying to figure out their new culture to reach back to the heights they have experienced earlier, whereas the Storm still have somewhat relevance for the time being.
What do teams with strong cultures tend to have? In these three sides, a very no nonsense coach, (all three have very close tendencies to each other), a very, very good player (Brady, Duncan, Cam Smith – all considered the very best in their positions, respectively), players willing to play for glory more so than money, and who are willing to buy into a culture.
With the right people at the helm, things tend to ripple on down beneath, which provides a strong culture.
Both forms seem to create success regardless of how you look at it.
Money can make you a contender at any point in time and a club with a deep rooted culture means, during a period of time, that side will always stay relevant. The downfall of a culture-based club, is once the key components move on or retire etc, you need to reinvent yourself, which has happened to two of the three clubs mentioned – but for a ten-year period in time, can be the more successful option, for sure.
The current trend at the moment which inspired this article, are the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs – who have bought a plethora of good players for the years 2022-23, in which it has people and fans talking and excited for the future.
Me, myself, I am a fan of it.
They had the money to do so, and they have bought to what they think they’ll need to succeed.
Teams such as the Cronulla Sharks have started with cash, spending on a new coach, and developed players – in what I think, they will try turn into a culture-based side.
Hold me to it, but I think that’s what they plan on doing.
Which form of club success are you a fan of? Do you think buying a team with no real chemistry, but pure talent, is the better way to create success?
Or do you prefer for a club to knuckle down and create an aura and vibe, so the team can be successful for a long period of times?
Let me know in the comments.
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
"played off the bench or in reserve grade for most of his career" your words exactly
Glory Bound
Roar Rookie
I never suggested Aubusson should be considered a reserve grader TS. He was a player who deserved more opportunities than he received at the Roosters. I was emphasising how he was grossly underappreciated and underutilised by the Roosters where at other clubs he would have been in the starting 13 each week.
Glory Bound
Roar Rookie
I never had you pegged you for a Roosters supporter, craig? Perhaps like the ever amiable Dutski or the reformed banter loving Pickett you can educate mushi on how not to be so easily triggered by banter or a casual reminder of the facts of life? For that matter TB could learn a lot about responding to banter and sporting jibes with class and intelligence instead of responding with personal attacks and by throwing his toys out of the cot and screaming like a frustrated toddler. Well played craig. Well played. :thumbup:
criag
Roar Rookie
Connor Watson was a big loss. He was wanted, but asked for an early release so he cld be a starting five-eighth and not a utility player, but not sure things went that way. He is most welcome back. Fergo was also a big loss, but he wanted a longer contract and they had a cap to manage (Sound familiar?). So was SKD, but that was about club culture and not tolerating drugs. Pearce left in a huff and has even expressed regret recently. As for Guerra, yeah, he was past his use-by date and they had a cap to manage….what are they gonna do? Re-sign a player whose form doesn’t warrant it? And Aubbo, he’s a friggin’ legend and knew the roosters cld get the best out of him. I’m sure he never went hungry. Don’t know about Napa, he didn’t show his best at the dogs, but just WHAT did they have to manage? Also, most rep players at the roosters (not that there are actually that many now) weren’t that when signed, even Tedesco. Btw….an EX rep player is not a rep player.
criag
Roar Rookie
And people forget they had the youngest team in the league two years earlier and came last, but you cld see how well they had developed the next year even tho they finished 13th. They just needed sbw and Maloney as signings, then Jennings fell into their laps for next to nothing. Then all of a sudden they’re salary cap cheats, even tho they’ve lost plenty of good players since bc of the cap.
criag
Roar Rookie
EX rep players and a player that wasn’t one yet, and was forced out of his team by a maniacal gladiator.
criag
Roar Rookie
And they’d had the youngest squad in the nrl and finished last two years before, and 13th the year after, but keen observers (that’s me, mostly) cld see they were developing all the time and just needed that little bit extra. Maloney and SBW were the only real buys, then Jennings fell into their lap for next to nothing and they became a force. Any suggestion that they ‘bought’ a premiership or were ‘cheating’ is just ludicrous! You hear a lot of garbage about how much roosters players are paid and about buying/having rep players, but the reality is most of their rep players (which aren’t that many now anyway……and btw, an EX rep player is not a rep player) weren’t rep players when they were signed, and once values go up, they lose players like any other team. You only have to look at the string of very good players that have left the roosters over the last decade from Maloney to Mitchell and beyond and the teams that have benefitted from those losses, to know that the Roosters play by rules and they do the best job they can developing young players given the deplorably small junior area they’ve been allocated. And you’re club has probably benefitted from that development…..So three cheers for the roosters! HIP HIP…
Short Memory
Roar Rookie
Nat, you do have to concede that Parra beat Storm twice last season (the only team to do so). And they were knocked out of the finals by Panthers on the basis of not just one, but several highly contentious crucial refereeing calls. I'm not (like some) a tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist, but nevertheless in the circumstances I find it difficult to accept that Parra getting knocked out of the finals this year says anything meaningful about deficits in their culture - or their playing roster for that matter.
Short Memory
Roar Rookie
Cap breaches aside, Melbourne also get exemptions for third party deals that Sydney based clubs don't get, as an incentive to build the game in new territories. So the 'cash' playing field is not a level one.
Short Memory
Roar Rookie
And of course to get Sam Burgess to sign for "less money" than he was being offered by other clubs. Must have been a culture thing. Not to mention pinching a sizeable chunk of another club's territory when your club has key people on the decision making body and that other club doesn't... great culture.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Ken Kearney was the captain coach of St.George from 1953-1960 and coach in 1961. Norm Provan took over for 1962-1965. The end came for Saints when they chose Ian Walsh over Kevin Ryan who left for Canterbury.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Another day, another raft of baseless allegations presented as facts, wild conspiracy theories, backtracking in the name of “I was only joking”, a gross misunderstanding of the issues at hand and calling people che@ts It’s deadset laughable “Every year the chooks are salary cap compliant they don’t make the top 4 and even miss the top 8” Just about says it all…
no one in particular
Roar Guru
I think the "Help Wanted" sign should be hanging upstairs
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Bingo.
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
Edit, Aubo played 307 games for the roosters and a lot if that off the bench, hardly reserve grade for most of his career
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
And that's why I love Parra, they try and seem to go allright without the percieved superstars. They put in for each other, the Panthers seem to be that type of team that have become successful together and hopefully can emulate the Roosters and Storm with the replacing of players whilst keeping that core together :thumbup:
Glory Bound
Roar Rookie
mushi drop the pretence. We both know that you are the Roosters "Giggity Giggity" fan. Irrespective of race, that says a lot about your character, given the actual meaning of the phrase. You run the risk of corrupting the minds of innocent little kiddies. Time to change your sign before the 2022 season kicks off mushi.
mushi
Roar Guru
Adam Reynolds says hi
mushi
Roar Guru
Ah that's in character to stoop to denigrating people's race and now their employment status. It makes you feel better to attack parts of people that have nothing to do with their quality as a human being. I understand why. When it comes to actually playing the quality of a person or the comments you are, by your own admission, literally incapable. I'm luckily not unemployed, even luckier to be in an area that thrived during COVID and luckier still to be from a background that enabled me to profit greatly from post GFC fear that the COVID shutdown instilled. And I am also lucky to be Caucasian, my disgust for your comments is because I grew up seeing people like you humiliate and denigrate friends that are Asian.
Glory Bound
Roar Rookie
Funny, you close for trade around the same time that Centrelink closes it’s doors mushi. Are you dependent on free Wi-Fi? :laughing: . Congrats that is 28 unsolicited comments to my profile in a single day! You are setting new records and definitions for obsessive psychosis, mushi.