help me who should i barrick for in the nrl (rugby leauge)

[MAGNESIUM- PIE]

Since i was an old north sydney supporter way back in the earlly 1990's, iam and have been without a team to support since the merger with manly which evenully became a fold 2 years ago. I am with out a team and i love my league but not as much as aussie rules.
Any suggestions?
I like New South Wales teams such as Canberra, Cronulla, Bulldogs,St.George and Roosters any advice on who I should support. I was thinking the Melb Storm but I would feel alot like another Melbourneite just jumping on the rugby league bandwagon anyway its would conflict with my following of next door neighbour Collingwood Magpies.
i guess it was easy in aussie rules Ive been a magpie since i was i fetus but league a little differnt.
Any advice thanks! (pref well followed succesful and bright future)

[Donny]

Well, MAG, this is a strange request indeed.

Surely only you can choose who you're going to follow ?

I don't like Rugby League as a game although on a fine day it can be a good watch. Dead loss as a spectator sport in the wet.

When I moved to NSW in the '70s, I casually supported Western Suburbs simply because they were the Magpies but since they merged with Balmain and the Magpie disappeared, I lost all interested.

Can you imagine an Australian footy league without one team being the mighty Magpies but having such things as Panthers, Raiders, Rabbits (what the hell is a Rabbitoh anyway?) and Broncos ?!?

Of the teams you mentioned, probably The Roosters and Bulldogs meet your criteria best.

[commonwombat]

A tough ask, Magnesium. Like me you are an ex-Bear who got pissed off with the game when the Bears got shafted and could not stomach anything to do with the untreated cancer on the game, Manly.

A forms guide for yr perusal.

West Tigers: quite simply 2 sick clubs will not make 1 healthy one. Currently living on life support, which can't go on forever.

Souths: A joke. They were a rabble on and off field before they got booted and have remained so since they were let back in on misplaced sentiment. If they haven't got into a semblance of order within another few years, then it's curtains for good.

St George: Johnny's boys. A smug, self satisfied conservative club with piss-poor fundamentals who inexplicably came out with controlling interest of a merger with Illawarra who had far stronger fundamentals.

Newcastle: the pampered favourites of the ARL, who've been allowed to get away with murder by the authorities because they couldn't bear to give away this region. This organisation was insolvent for much of the 90's with no registered club behind them until @ 97-98 but such technicalities were swept under the carpet.

Parramatta: the power club of the early-mid 80's who became smug, complacent and flabby. Have failed to regain their status on filed and the previous adjectives describe their administration.

Bulldogs (Canterbury): a perrenially strong club who have had their own self inflicted wounds of recent years. Still are more resilient and forward looking than most others.

Cronulla: a club which grew out of a splintering of St George in the late 60's. On field, they frequently seem to grasp defeat out of the jaws of victory, hence their failure to win a competition despite being worthy of being champions at a number of times in their history. Off field, their power structure often resembles a war zone.

Canberra: strong on field but frequently short of money. Hard to beat at home , at night when it's freezing mid winter.

Panthers (Penrith): strong financially, funded by the massive Panthers pokie palace. Has strong juniors but despite it's advantages has not had the success that these should normally warrant.

Roosters (Easts): lots of money, no juniors, no supporters, lots of success though.

North Queensland: finacially viable, a great football bredding ground, good stadium but have yet to put it together on the field.

Brisbane: very bllody powerful, have the entire Brisbane region to draw from and have the media spotlight. Still to give them credit, they have not sat on their arses like other clubs and have made these things work for them. Therefore they deserve their successes. Will be interesting to see how things go when Bennett, their long time coach finally quits.

Manly: their are no words that can trlu describe this obscenity.

[Canberra]

I am biased as I have always been a Raiders fan. Since the Storm came into the competition I have always had a soft spot for them. If I was still living in Melbourne I would certainly follow the Storm. They have gone through a bit of a rebuild and look like they will be in the finals again this year.

[London Dave]

[MAGNESIUM- PIE]

Finally i have narrowed it down to 2 teams raiders and bulldogs. This is tricky stuff as aussie rules was just sooo easy and to follow norths in the nrl then only 2 years ago to fold i have now got challenge on my hands on selecting a team to barrick for.
So raiders or bulldogs it is or should I inculde sharks to that shortlist?
Green machine maybe.

[commonwombat]

Yr 3 possibilities are all worthy. The Sharks had been quite successful recently until a bad season last year saw the knives out and the coach sacked. Not sure how they'll gell this season.

The Doggies and the Raiders are more likely contenders this year with the Raiderts often liable to slip under most pundits radar. Yr pick mate.

[MAGNESIUM- PIE]

Thanks for all of yr feedback regerding nrl. It has been a while that i have been actively barricked for a team since my other one foled. Tthe new team or the winner is:
CANBERRA"THE GREEN MACHINE" RAIDERS.
Since they were a powerhouse club(Daley,Stuart,Meniga,Clyde etc...) when I was living in sydney i kind of had a soft spot for them and by the way the first league game i attended was between norths (bears) and canberra (raiders).
I ve even contacted today regarding membership packages and might take out the $30 a season interstate package. Which gets you an away game of your chose and one home of your choose sitting in premium reserved sections of the ground and drinks meet players after the game. Oh and also a Raider 2004 membership cap in green and black. Well all i need to do now is wish the storm all the best and will oboisly attend the storm games to get my nrl fix along with my magpie fix that is part of me. Thanks and cheers!

[commonwombat]

Best of luck mate. You can limber up for those important Carlton, Swans etc clashes by given Manly plenty of shit when they come down.

[tazza2000]

Good choice, it seems that the bulldogs have a few, uh, issues to deal with at the moment anyway, so good luck with the 2004 season

Go the knights!

[MAGNESIUM- PIE]

THE GREEN MACHINE!
The old green machine: Daley, Maninga, Walters,Stuart, Clyde,Mullins with Tim Sheens at the helm
The new green machine: Crocker, Wiki, O'Hara, Woolford, Mclinden and belive it or not Campese with Matty Ellot at the helm
If only we kept our own players think of the coaching panel: Stuart, Smith,Daley,Maninga,Clyde
Its amazing to think that the green machine was thought of been at the 'cutting edge' in 1980 when Canberra established a team in the NSWRL this would have beeen just as a breakthough like the south move to sydney in about the same year 1980.
And now its a club thats got a relivly short history compared with Souths ,St.George, Easts('Sydney Roosters'), Balmain,Newtown which I respect them all but come 1980 the raiders have probably taken the game to another level which where it is today was based on. But why Canberra? its got nothing but roundabouts and pollys but it does have Fyswick though which thats another roundabout all together. Cheers ! GO RAIDERS! oh yeah GO PIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Collingwood is the most uniquie club in the world nothing even come close. Its the best!

[MAGNESIUM- PIE]

Fyswick is were i will stay and take it easy in downtown Canberra when iam there cheering on the mighty green machine the RAIDERS.
Go Raiders!
I might need Victor the Viking to take me on a tour of the old bruce stadium and Lake burley griffen to check out his Viking boat!

[Canberra]

Good choice M-P. I have PM'd you a couple of links for the Raiders.

[Special Delivery]

What a truly, truly disgraceful decision.

You should be ashamed of yourself. Canberra? The only reason they managed to win the premiership in their existence was due to ... salary cap concessions-no doubt about it. So this team is somewhat synonymous with the arch enemy Lions.

And wombat what the hell is wrong with Manly? God's country has everything on any other location in the world.

But, being a Bulldogs supporter...I have issues at the moment so we'll leave it at that.

Canterbury are the team-the true Entertainers. The Family Club.

Also, Canberra came in to the comp in 1982 with Illawarra.

[MAGNESIUM- PIE]

Well special delivery i knew there would be some slimy bulldog "supporter" giving the mighty raiders some stick over aledged conessions that they were "handed out to".

I can tell you that they weren't given on a silver plater and worked extemely hard in their footy dept when they first joined not like freo are in the afl or the bri$sbane lions.

The raiders had the greatest players in the modern era such as daley, stuart, meniga and croker just to name a few. They were raiders because they had their heart to playe for a positve and progressive club promoting the club in 2 ways area ( where league and aussie rules meet wagga and surrounds).

I guess you should be raider since you travel from Sydney 2 Melbourne.
I guess you are just giving the raiders trash consisedering the bulldogs players have been acused of assults. I won't go further. Bulldisgrace.

Bring on the bulldogs thats if your team will be able to play in the nrl that is. And have become an interstate member just for good measure.
Cheers