Buzz Rothfield: Hands off my club, Channel 9
You kill off the Sydney NRL clubs surviving on shoestring budgets and those fans will never come back, just like when the old North Sydney Bears were chucked out, writes Phil Rothfield.
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The biggest problem with Channel 9’s proposal is identifying which Sydney clubs should go.
My club, the Cronulla Sharks, are at risk and so too are the Manly Sea Eagles.
They are both traditional old suburban-ground clubs surviving on shoestring budgets.
They are not into big stadiums and the hollow feeling of thousands of empty seats.
Like most Sydney clubs they lose money each year but somehow survive.
In Brisbane, the Broncos have a rugby league monopoly in a city of 2.5 million people.
They have $14.5 million in sponsorship while some Sydney clubs have only $3 million.
The Broncos’ turnover is well north of $50 million each year, almost double that of Sydney clubs.
The game needs a second Brisbane team but this is no reason to kill off Sydney clubs.
You kill Cronulla and you lose tens of thousands of fans in the Sutherland Shire.
You kill Manly and you lose tens of thousands of fans on the northern peninsula.
It’s like when the old North Sydney Bears were chucked out.
The fans you lose never come back.
The NRL should be looking at underperforming out-of-town franchises like the Gold Coast Titans.
Long live the Sydney clubs. Long live tradition. And don’t dare touch my Sharkies.
Originally published as Buzz Rothfield: Hands off my club, Channel 9
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