'Tis a strange life, that of the South
Sydney supporter. One minute your side is the so-called "Pride
of the League"; the next you're losing players and games
like a pokie addict feeding the Queen of the Nile and heading
for certain desolation. One minute you're in the competition,
then for the next two years you're trying to get back in. Then
you are gloriously reinstated by the Federal Court, but instead
of riding the wave of immense popularity, your crusty officials
drop the ball and you are sent hurtling down the ladder again,
languishing where you have been since the 1970s (albeit for a
small purple patch in 1989): all but last. The knives are out,
the cash flow is drying up, so you up your home base from Redfern
and decide, from 2006, you'll play out at Homebush Bay because
Telstra Stadium is that desperate to have an event out there,
they'll even have you - and they're prepared to pay a premium
price. And then an idea comes up - again. Not an entirely new
one, but one that is gathering momentum...
How about moving to Gosford? The Central Coast
Rabbitohs? Has a certain ring to it, eh?
Are the Bunnies, a foundation club, about
to head up the F3 Freeway? The NRL won't say it, News Ltd won't
say it, the new powers that be behind the scenes at Souths won't
say it and there are thousands of fans out there who simply do
not want it. But, yes, they will be. Sooner than later. 'Tis written
in the wind.
Traditionalist Souths fans will bemoan it,
but the truth is this proud club must move there if it is to survive.
The NRL's decision last week to hand the 16th team licence to
the Gold Coast means the Central Coast is not going to get a team
unless a Sydney club moves there. The NRL is dangling an $8 million
carrot in front of the eyes of anyone who will do so. There are
rumours that Souths are being offered more. About $15 million
some have suggested. And we do know how much rabbits like carrots.
A lot.
The move to Telstra was a signal of the crisis
at Souths. It is cash-strapped because it cannot attract massive
wads of corporate support. It cannot attract leading players,
no matter how much it will have to spend next year. Its quality
stock now - such as second-rower Ashley Harrison - are considering
their lives elsewhere, because to play for the Cardinal and Myrtles
is to go unnoticed by representative selectors.
The NRL stuffed it up when they gave the Gold
Coast the go-ahead to join the competition in 2007 ahead of the
Central Coast. Again, self-interest prevailed. You see, a team
on the Central Coast would have been far too strong. It would've
been tapping into a massive population for one team, with the
backing of John Singleton. And if anyone can sell snow to eskimos,
it is Singo. 'Tis a powerful man. No wonder every CEO of every
Sydney team was pushing for the Gold Coast. Let the Broncos deal
with 'em, they were no doubt thinking.
But the NRL still want a team on the Central
Coast, even though they didn't give them one. Because 16 teams
is a nice, round figure. And Souths are the legitimate contenders
to move there. Souths chairman Nick Pappas came to Bunnies with
this mantra: "We will not merge, we shall not relocate".
Now club patriarch George Piggins has said that Souths' only change
of survival is if the club moves to Gosford. If it's good enough
for George, it's gotta be right, right?
What do you think? Send us your thoughts
on today's Upfront and we'll publish them on our Comebacks page.
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