I had heard that the Gold Coast Chargers were approached by the South Queensland Crushers, at the end of 1997. Though because of the success of the 1997 season for the Chargers, making the 2nd week of the finals, they wanted to stand alone in the 1998 NRL Season. Unfortunately for the Chargers they were 1 of just a few Teams to make a massive profit in 1998 of $4 million dollars, but were still kicked out. Similarly an unknown fact about the Adelaide Rams is, they were all ready for the 1999 NRL Season, they had had their season launch and played 2 or 3 trial games, yet to only be kicked out before the start of Round. 1. I doubt they would have survived the 14 Team cut off before the year 2000. So even if the Adelaide Rams did play in the 1999 season, I'm sure that would have been their last, unless they made a red hot go at making the top. 8 with some big home crowds behind them.
Gee the game has changed. Spear tackles, coat hangers and Brett Dallas gets a malicious unwarranted kick in the head and commentators including Geoff Toovey don't say anything 😅
Coincidentally not signed up to join Murdoch. Sad that teams were just axed instead of given the chance to either scrape by, try something (e.g bears move to Gosford) or choose to pack it in.
@@Bagster321 a team that was there to make up the numbers after Newcastle signed with the ARL were never going to last. Mariners approached Gold Coast for a joint venture but that was squashed - or I think Gold Coast turned it down. John Ribot made sure he got the star players for his next pet project, Melbourne. Brett Kimmorley signed with the Steelers and was ready to go but Ribot blocked it saying “oh he’s from a News Ltd club and has to stay contracted to a News team”.
I heard that the Gold Coast Chargers were approached by the South Queensland Crushers, at the end of 1997, but because of the success of the 1997 season, the Chargers wanted to stand alone in the 1998 season. Unfortunately for the Chargers they were 1 of just a few Teams to make a massive profit in 1998 of $4 million dollars, but we're still kicked out. Similarly an unknown fact about the Adelaide Rams is, they were all ready for the 1999 NRL Season, they had had their season launch and played 2 or 3 trial games, yet to only be kicked out before the start of Round. 1. I doubt they would have survived the 14 Team cut off before the year 2000. So even if the Adelaide Rams did play in the 1999 season, I'm sure that would have been their last, unless they made a red hot go at making the top. 8 with some big home crowds behind them.
@@thomaspurcell6442 yep, that’s correct. That’s the thing I don’t get - why the forced reduction and why cut teams that were successfully operating? The loss of supporters has not really fully recovered to this day. There’s still disaffection and that must translate into lost dollars. Take the Dragons compared with Illawarra and St George separately in 1994 before super league - they both would have averaged 12,000 at home individually. But instead of an average of 24,000 people showing up to support the Dragons today, they get about the same. Why? Because you’ve lost some on both sides that used to turn up. Most people in Wollongong do not want to go to Sydney to watch football (though quite a few Sydney supporters don’t mind the drive down - which means there must be a lot of Illawarra supporters lost. I don’t really give a damn about the Dragons but can’t not technically support them while the Illawarra name is attached to them. I think there was just no brains in charge at any point during the compromise and the insanity of saying 14 was the magic number and pointing a gun at club’s heads (and then shooting ones like the Gold Coast even though they were profitable) instead of just reducing the club grants and salary caps, is nuts.
I had heard that the Gold Coast Chargers were approached by the South Queensland Crushers, at the end of 1997. Though because of the success of the 1997 season for the Chargers, making the 2nd week of the finals, they wanted to stand alone in the 1998 NRL Season. Unfortunately for the Chargers they were 1 of just a few Teams to make a massive profit in 1998 of $4 million dollars, but were still kicked out. Similarly an unknown fact about the Adelaide Rams is, they were all ready for the 1999 NRL Season, they had had their season launch and played 2 or 3 trial games, yet to only be kicked out before the start of Round. 1. I doubt they would have survived the 14 Team cut off before the year 2000. So even if the Adelaide Rams did play in the 1999 season, I'm sure that would have been their last, unless they made a red hot go at making the top. 8 with some big home crowds behind them.
Marcus Bai you legend.🇵🇬
Gee the game has changed. Spear tackles, coat hangers and Brett Dallas gets a malicious unwarranted kick in the head and commentators including Geoff Toovey don't say anything 😅
Coincidentally, both teams would disappear from the top flight within the next two years.
Coincidentally not signed up to join Murdoch. Sad that teams were just axed instead of given the chance to either scrape by, try something (e.g bears move to Gosford) or choose to pack it in.
@@daveb3987 more ironic that the Hunter Mariners who were backed by Newscorp, ended up only competing for one full season.
@@Bagster321 a team that was there to make up the numbers after Newcastle signed with the ARL were never going to last. Mariners approached Gold Coast for a joint venture but that was squashed - or I think Gold Coast turned it down. John Ribot made sure he got the star players for his next pet project, Melbourne. Brett Kimmorley signed with the Steelers and was ready to go but Ribot blocked it saying “oh he’s from a News Ltd club and has to stay contracted to a News team”.
I heard that the Gold Coast Chargers were approached by the South Queensland Crushers, at the end of 1997, but because of the success of the 1997 season, the Chargers wanted to stand alone in the 1998 season. Unfortunately for the Chargers they were 1 of just a few Teams to make a massive profit in 1998 of $4 million dollars, but we're still kicked out. Similarly an unknown fact about the Adelaide Rams is, they were all ready for the 1999 NRL Season, they had had their season launch and played 2 or 3 trial games, yet to only be kicked out before the start of Round. 1. I doubt they would have survived the 14 Team cut off before the year 2000. So even if the Adelaide Rams did play in the 1999 season, I'm sure that would have been their last, unless they made a red hot go at making the top. 8 with some big home crowds behind them.
@@thomaspurcell6442 yep, that’s correct. That’s the thing I don’t get - why the forced reduction and why cut teams that were successfully operating? The loss of supporters has not really fully recovered to this day. There’s still disaffection and that must translate into lost dollars. Take the Dragons compared with Illawarra and St George separately in 1994 before super league - they both would have averaged 12,000 at home individually. But instead of an average of 24,000 people showing up to support the Dragons today, they get about the same. Why? Because you’ve lost some on both sides that used to turn up. Most people in Wollongong do not want to go to Sydney to watch football (though quite a few Sydney supporters don’t mind the drive down - which means there must be a lot of Illawarra supporters lost.
I don’t really give a damn about the Dragons but can’t not technically support them while the Illawarra name is attached to them.
I think there was just no brains in charge at any point during the compromise and the insanity of saying 14 was the magic number and pointing a gun at club’s heads (and then shooting ones like the Gold Coast even though they were profitable) instead of just reducing the club grants and salary caps, is nuts.