Roar Rookie
Joined April 2014
2.5k
Views
1
Published
6
Comments
Published
Comments
A recent article by Roy Masters in the Sydney Morning Herald lamented on the one-sided nature of the Wests Tigers organisation, towards the Balmain…
Well unlike “St George”, Dragons is the actual name of the team so personally I have no problem with it. Sure, some ex-Steelers fans may take exception to that as well, but that is the official name of the team in it’s current form. To object would be to object to the name of the team, which I am not. I am objecting to the neglect of the other half of the team name, which bears more significance than what people realise.
I never mentioned anything about going back to the plain white schoolgirl socks. Nonetheless the actual design of the socks is a minor issue. The point is that it used to be a joke that all Illawarra got from the joint venture was “the socks”. The purpose of that example was only meant to be analogous to the loss of the Illawarra character in the club which is being overwritten by the St George identity. Now we don’t have the socks, what part of the club’s image represents Illawarra?
The same goes for the team song, another minor issue as team songs in the NRL aren’t as prominent as they are in the AFL, but if the club were to show that this was in fact a new team inclusive of the Illawarra Steelers and not just St George playing a few games down south, then they would have a new song. Wests Tigers don’t sing the old Balmain song. It is just another example of a continuation of the St George image at the expense of the Illawarra.
Maybe commentators should think about it, after all that’s what they are paid for. Let’s just call them “team” because that’s easier to say. The laziness is just an excuse to hide the real issue that commentators and the wider rugby league community see the team as a continuation of the St George club of old. This is evident in the fact that you called it an extension. Illawarra is not an “extension” of the St George brand, they are half of the team “St George Illawarra”. That’s what makes us different from the other aforementioned teams. If the status quo remains and we continue to excuse commentators because they can’t be bothered to say a few extra syllables, then they won’t change and in time the Illawarra half will truly be forgotten.
You may think this is trivial, but what you say if the tables were turned and everyone called the team “Illawarra”? Would you accept it? Illawarra has lost it’s whole identity, belittled to a mere nursery for the St George team. In effect the team is essentially St George pre-Steelers with a few games in Wollongong against interstate teams no one will travel to. What has St George lost in terms of identity?
Illawarra Steelers, the forgotten team
Rod Wishart is sad that he will be discarded too
http://www.nrl.com/where-are-they-now-rod-wishart/tabid/10874/newsid/62601/default.aspx
Illawarra Steelers, the forgotten team
When was the last time Cronulla won a premiership? Norths hadn’t won since the 20s, Wests since the 50s. Success isn’t what drives the passion of the fans of these clubs. The good people of this region loved the Steelers, not because they were successful, but because they represented us; they were ours. Our underdog status was part of our identity. What is the point of a winning team if said team acts as if the region doesn’t exist?
Illawarra Steelers, the forgotten team
Exactly. As an Illawarra fan, I don’t want my former team to be remembered in the same vein as Glebe. Unlike the Adelaide Rams or the South Queensland Crushers, people on the South Coast genuinely loved their team, not because they were successful but because they were ours. We want to feel that for the Dragons, we want to feel like they are our team but you can understand how hard that is when people continue to ignore us. Are Illawarra fans supposed to just accept a takeover situation? Times do change, but who is to say we can’t influence how it is changed?
Illawarra Steelers, the forgotten team
As I have already explained, Illawarra fans are not after a name change or removal of the Red V. We know that is non-negotiable. Would it be too hard to add a couple of stripes on the sleeves, keep the old Steelers jersey as the alternate, or not have red and white hooped socks? There is nothing in the joint venture terms about that and those changes will not compromise the Red V brand or the history it represents, but at least it would acknowledge that it is in fact a joint venture, which is by definition an entity owned by two separate existing organisations, the St George Dragons and the Illawarra Steelers. Thus, the Illawarra Steelers technically do still exist, which is why the Cutters can’t use the Steelers name.
Furthermore, since the Illawarra Steelers still exist as aforementioned and own half of the St George Illawarra Dragons, it is utterly insulting to compare Illawarra to Bankstown, Warringah and Sutherland. Bankstown and Warringah, neighbouring suburbs to Canterbury and Manly respectively, are part of the same rugby league district and has been part of their name from the very beginning of their club’s existence. Sutherland is just the name of the shire Cronulla is in, therefore they are more or less one and the same. It’s like calling a team “Wollongong-Illawarra” or “Kogarah-St George”. St George Illawarra however is completely different due to its joint venture status. By dropping off Illawarra, you aren’t just ignoring a part of your rugby league district or the name of your region, but you’re ignoring half of your team. Considering the size of the Illawarra in comparison to the St George district, both in terms of population and geography, that is a huge part of your own team you are alienating.
Assuming it is just “human nature” to ignore the Illawarra, then why not just call them Dragons? It has the same syllables as”St George” and is actually the team’s name. Commentators rarely say “Wests”, which is actually shorter and easier to say than “Tigers”, yet they still usually say “Tigers”. Why don’t they do the same for the Dragons? They don’t usually call them Dragons because they just see the current team as an extension of the St George Dragons of old like many rugby league fans; an incorrect perception that I, as an Illawarra-based fan, am merely trying to rectify.
It is comments like this that continue to turn off Illawarra-based fans. Do you really think Illawarra-based fans are meant to fully embrace a team as their own when the media can’t be bothered to mention the team’s actual name because of “human nature”, a euphemism for laziness, or when people who supposedly support the same team chant “St George”, the name of a team whose status in the NRL is no more than that of the Illawarra Steelers? I’m sorry, but I don’t and never have supported “St George”. I support “St George Illawarra”. And I’m the divisive one?
Illawarra Steelers, the forgotten team
All that quote proves is that the NRL itself just sees the club as a continuation of St George, which just proves my point.
Illawarra Steelers, the forgotten team