The future of NRL clubs in Sydney

[manlyfan76]

There is no way Id travel from Gold Coast to Sydney to watch a game at the SFS or Homebush.
But i do love to fly down and get the ferry over to Manly and roll into Brookie.

 

[Briza]

No compromise. You then have to ask yourself just what it is you are doing here.
Do you watch, follow or support your club? What do those words mean? What is it about my club that I am a fan/supporter/follower of?

It's Manly Warringah Sea Eagles from Brookvale Oval in Maroon and White. That is not negotiable. That is my club.

I love your stance Duff I honestly do, I feel the same way, But unfortunately unless we can pull $50+ mill from somewhere the writing is on the wall.
The way it will end up is 1 or 2 games a year at Brookie, heritage round and maybe one other.
I've supported this club for 40 years next year through thick and thin, continued membership of football club and season ticket holder through the NE pain.
And will continue to regardless of weather they're playing in the Nrl or a Sydney comp.

 

[BH72]

How do they make money if nobody watches it?

They move the games, we stop going. Simple.
Just like with the Beagles taking two clubs averaging 12 - 15k and turning it in to one club averaging 5k with a bit of fiddling.
If nobody goes to the games and nobody watches them on TV because they don't feel their teams are representative of what they're supposed to be, the money will dry up.
Hopefully all these ex-fans don't move to Aussie Rules becuase they don't deserve to win out of all this.

yep agree. move from Brookvale and it's all over for me I'm afraid. What's the point? It's a local ground to take your kids, enjoy with your mates etc. the rest means nothing to me ... storm, bronco's, new franchises etc.. not interested. it's a Sydney comp not a national competition ffs.. too many people trying to make it something it's not for $$.. nothing wrong with 10 - 14 thousand people going to watch the local team on the weekend.

 

[tookey]

Baird is obviously happy for Manly to play out of the new stadium at moore park and turn Brookie oval into a park for dog ****.

He is obviously an idiot who will be forever known as the person who killed the Manly rugby league club because that it what will happen when the play home games out of a concrete morgue

 

[Duff]

I love your stance Duff I honestly do, I feel the same way, But unfortunately unless we can pull $50+ mill from somewhere the writing is on the wall.
The way it will end up is 1 or 2 games a year at Brookie, heritage round and maybe one other.
I've supported this club for 40 years next year through thick and thin, continued membership of football club and season ticket holder through the NE pain.
And will continue to regardless of weather they're playing in the Nrl or a Sydney comp.

I made the call when it was announcee that the Beagles was happening that I'd rather have seen Manly die than sell out. I stand by it.
If we can't be who we are, i'm lost to the game. I support Manly, not Rugby League, not sport, not Australia, just Manly. If we're in the NSW cup, I'll be there with the other 5 people like i was in 2000 - 2002. If not, i'll just disappear into a haze of rock n roll, booze and anger. Doesn't sound like too much of an adjustment actually, so they shouldn't call my bluff.

 

[Shoe1]

We should follow afl. I reckon 2 teams maximum in nsw, and about 10 in Melbourne would be best.

 

[BH72]

above -- concrete morgue.. couldn't describe it better. Pay over the top for watered down beer, sh*te food, parking etc for a forgettable experience. When the sfs is full for a big game.. it's passable..Manly v Bronco's springs to mind. But wouldn't go out of my way. tried a few Sydney fc games and in general it's lame. You went to the cricket ground for big games not for a normal weekend round. The suits are lining their mates pockets I'm afraid.

 

[Duff]

I love your stance Duff I honestly do, I feel the same way, But unfortunately unless we can pull $50+ mill from somewhere the writing is on the wall.
The way it will end up is 1 or 2 games a year at Brookie, heritage round and maybe one other.
I've supported this club for 40 years next year through thick and thin, continued membership of football club and season ticket holder through the NE pain.
And will continue to regardless of weather they're playing in the Nrl or a Sydney comp.

So deep down, what is it you support? If you'll continue to support if they relocate, what is a deal breaker to you?

 

[Wombat64]

No compromise. You then have to ask yourself just what it is you are doing here.
Do you watch, follow or support your club? What do those words mean? What is it about my club that I am a fan/supporter/follower of?

It's Manly Warringah Sea Eagles from Brookvale Oval in Maroon and White. That is not negotiable. That is my club.

Exactly! The NRL don't get it. I don't want some watered down version of that.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I've been saying for a long time, coming to your TV screen in the near future, virtual crowds and recorded crowd noise.

The NRL care only about the TV rights not the fans.

 

[Duff]

I've been saying for a long time, coming to your TV screen in the near future, virtual crowds and recorded crowd noise.

The NRL care only about the TV rights not the fans.

But if there's no fans, who's watching the TV?

 

[BH72]

John Rimbot De Arsac ? has a lot to answer for. Why was he allowed to enter the fold at Manly ? So he was fleet of foot.. also played for Newtown and Wets traditional Sydney clubs.. was he bullied ? Did he like the cut of his own jib? What set him on his course of wreaking havoc as sports administrator bastardos extraordinaire?

 

[Briza]

So deep down, what is it you support? If you'll continue to support if they relocate, what is a deal breaker to you?

I support the MWDRLFC and the team they put out every week.
No Manly means no NRL for me, I'd stick with my now local club Wyong Roos.
I had every intention of giving it away when the merger was first planned, don't know why I stayed I just couldn't let go to my beloved Eagles.

 

[Brookie Brawler]

Unfortunately, while we are not the only club that has had some poor attendances over the last few years, we will suffer worse than anyone else as a result of the move away from suburban footy.

We have a small number of die hards who try to get to lots of games but in my experience most Manly fans just can't be stuffed.

If we do have to leave brookie, many of those claiming they aren't going anymore because it's not at brookie will be the same people who didn't go now because it was too wet/cold/nice/late or because its Monday or Friday or because the pies are too cold or the beers arent cold enough or the tickets cost too much.

I don't like it but I feel like as a supporter group we will be far from blameless.

 

[Duff]

I support the MWDRLFC and the team they put out every week.
No Manly means no NRL for me, I'd stick with my now local club Wyong Roos.
I had every intention of giving it away when the merger was first planned, don't know why I stayed I just couldn't let go to my beloved Eagles.

But that's how they'll try to suck us in. They'll move us, but keep the name the same, 'til they think we're on board with the move. Then they'll change the name to something bland and inclusive to maximise their potential supporter base. Over time there'll be nothing left of what the MWDRLFC originally was. They'll simply be an vestigial organ from a forgotten time.
That's why we need to fight it now, without compromise. If Manly is going to go down, it needs to be in front of the faces of the people who caused it. Not decades later by vanishing into a cloud of indistinguishability with all the other bland franchises.

 

[Duff]

Unfortunately, while we are not the only club that has had some poor attendances over the last few years, we will suffer worse than anyone else as a result of the move away from suburban footy.

We have a small number of die hards who try to get to lots of games but in my experience most Manly fans just can't be stuffed.

If we do have to leave brookie, many of those claiming they aren't going anymore because it's not at brookie will be the same people who didn't go now because it was too wet/cold/nice/late or because its Monday or Friday or because the pies are too cold or the beers arent cold enough or the tickets cost too much.

I don't like it but I feel like as a supporter group we will be far from blameless.

When we can pull more people to a game at Brookie with our team on the bottom of the comp than we can to a semi against the same team in a year we make the grand final, the crowd has spoken regarding venues.

 

[Brookie Brawler]

W

 

[Brookie Brawler]

When we can pull more people to a game at Brookie with our team on the bottom of the comp than we can to a semi against the same team in a year we make the grand final, the crowd has spoken regarding venues.

Which games are you referring too @Duff?

 

[master blaster]

As long as the rorters,Rabbids and the mutts survive,thats all they care about as far as the Sydney clubs go

 

[qldeagle]

Last year I flew down from Brisbane with a mate and rented an apartment in Manly. He was a Bulldogs fan and Manly were playing them at Homebush Stadium on a Friday night. We hired a car because there was no other way of getting to the game. We left Manly at 6pm thinking we had plenty of time to get there. Wrong...... We sat in our seats at 8.10pm. My mate looked at me and we both said..... Never again.