Try as they might, no News Ltd means no Melbourne Storm
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Handled correctly, the NRL’s salary cap investigation into Cameron Smith can solve fifteen-sixteenths of the code’s problems as it heads towards an independent commission. All it needs to do is recommend that Smith’s club, the Melbourne Storm, be wound up. The Storm, like Paterson’s Curse, is a pretty-looking purple noxious weed. A very well-run and successful rugby league club, with three premierships in its first decade and a bit, a brilliant coach and some of the best players in the game’s history, Melbourne is the extravagant indulgence that is dragging everything else down. First, some history. Melbourne was founded as a sop, a gift to appease those who had tried, through Super League, to make the people’s game their own. The chief recipient was John Ribot, who in his playing days was a bullocking, exciting winger for Newtown, Wests, Manly and Australia. Ribot, a Queenslander, had formed a coalition with some Brisbane powerbrokers and News Limited to break the Australian Rugby League’s hold on the sport and was the founding CEO of Super League. After two years of separate competitions, Super League re-merged with the ARL to form the NRL, partly owned by News. To keep the peace, Ribot was given a club in Melbourne, which he ran for its first seven years. It suited him, and it suited the new league to expand into the southern “market”. Owned by News, the Storm was allowed to operate at a loss. Rugby league clubs have often depended on subsidies, but this was the first time the subsidising body was the code’s owner, a media organisation whose income derived indirectly from the fans of the other clubs. Melbourne became everyone’s gift to John Ribot. The Storm immediately won a premiership in 1999, its second season, and established the kind of club culture that flourishes in an environment of exile. Nobody recognises or bothers the players in Melbourne’s streets, the club is their family, they have nothing to do but focus on their football, and they are encumbered by none of the old-boys networks or habits of slackness that take root in clubs that are hundreds of years old. Run by competent administrators and utilising the best scouts, Melbourne has been able to spot players like Smith, Greg Inglis, Billy Slater, Israel Folau, Cooper Cronk, Ryan Hoffman, Scott Hill and Matt Geyer in their footballing infancy and hothouse them south of the border. All well and good. Another two premierships and four consecutive grand-final appearances followed. A great success. Why, then, isn’t there an overwhelming push for a second Melbourne NRL franchise? Because, for all of its onfield success, the Storm franchise is a failure. Melbourne has been haemorrhaging money at a rate that has only recently become clear. They have a tiny, if devoted, fan base which is not large enough to sustain the club. They have not been successful in attracting the media’s, sponsors’ or the public’s interest in Melbourne to the degree where they can be financially viable. They are kept alive by the largesse of News Limited. And now that News is pulling out of the game, Melbourne expects the other clubs to continue to help it win premierships at their expense. As the books have been opened in the process of forming the independent commission, from the other 15 clubs there has been a collective: “Eh? Come again?” Melbourne, with such deep pockets for players, coaches, staff and facilities, has been living beyond its means to the tune of about $6 million a year. News — which derives some of its income from the fans who subscribe to pay-TV and go to games — has been covering those losses. The main sticking point in the move towards an independent club-owned commission has been Melbourne holding out its hand asking everyone else to keep covering its losses and funding its success. Now, think how this looks to the other clubs. Of every dollar they scrap and beg for, in sponsorship drives or marketing pushes or merchandise ideas, some of it goes to a club that is allowed to walk away with premierships. Every other club has to fight tooth and nail to remain profitable. Cronulla has never won a premiership. St George hasn’t won one for 30 years. Souths haven’t won one for 40. North Queensland and the Gold Coast, two good new clubs in real rugby league communities, haven’t won a premiership. Meanwhile Melbourne, which has had its sugar daddy buying premierships for it, now wants them to keep up the inflow so it can continue to live beyond its means. Eh? Every other club has to compete under the salary cap for the best players. Not Melbourne, which has been able to spend what it likes and — in the ultimate outrage — keep the best forward in Australia, the club captain, due to News Limited, through Foxtel, actually paying him again. And for what? So the NRL can call itself a national game? Comparisons may be drawn with the benefits enjoyed by the Sydney Swans over the years. But at least there is a real, thriving interest in the AFL in Sydney. At least some players from Sydney, and NSW, actually play for and have played for the Swans. (Melbourne Storm’s count of locals: nil.) At least the Swans draw good crowds and the public’s affection even when they’re not winning. The Melbourne Storm, even having sucked the best playing talent out of the other clubs, even being winners, still can’t pay its way. How is that fair? And how is it fair that fans of the other clubs have to pay Cameron Smith’s wage not only once, but twice? The answer is simple. It only requires some brave souls to stand up and say to the Storm: you’re on your own now, and good luck to you. Malcolm Knox is an award-winning author and journalist. He writes for Back Page Lead, a new sports opinion site at backpagelead.com.au. |
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22 Comments
This is the most absurdly ill-timed article that I’ve seen in a long time.
Melbourne Storm today is where Sydney Swans were about 20 years ago (1990). The Swans had an established supporterbase in Melbourne (SMFC) and moved to Sydney in 1982. The Storm were started from scratch in 1998.
20 years ago the Sydney Swans were a complete joke. They played at a decrepit old stadium (tick) that was built for another code and just happened to be suitable for their game (tick). They had a small band of passionate local supporters (tick), another band of interstate supporters (tick) and a new stadium was being built (in their case out at Homebush) where they could play in some semblence of modernity (tick).
The Melbourne Storm’s new stadium opens for business in a few weeks, with swish corporate facilities and modern stands for the crowds. Malcolm Knox seems to think this won’t change much in terms of attendance (ding), corporate support (ding) or local interest (ding).
Have you ever been to Olympic Park? That decrepit old stadium had seats so close together that any potential fan that is over 180cm tall would probably rather sit at home and watch it there, because your knees are firmly jammed into the painful rear rim of the seat in front. Of course, you can’t watch it at home, because the games are not put live onto Free to Air, and when the game is one of the 3 (out of
games a week that is on Free to Air in Sydney, it’s not aired until Midnight. You can’t even watch it live if you pay for Foxtel!
The AFL is much more serious about ensuring Sydney locals get to watch those games, by banning them from Friday Night games (no TV coverage in Sydney) and ensuring that the TV networks are required to show the games at the scheduled time on Saturday or Sunday. If the NRL at least did that much, it’d be a start.
OMG!
Malcolm Knox your a dim wit!
Gee I hope you don’t get paid for this dribble, better still rubbish…. “sugar daddy buying premierships for it”, gives you away.
This so calleds “…award-winning author and journalist” needs to do some research… NO but lets hope that the next time a STORM Member bumps into you, they give you a good “sugar daddy buying” STORM Tackle on your girly body.
What a low life you are….
YUCK!
The notion of a Melbourne rugby league team was in fact first pushed by the ARL in 1996, before the SuperLeague war, in response to amazing crowds and ratings for State of Origin in the southern capital. It was going to happen, Superleague war or not. Ken Arthurson himself has recently supported the retention of the Melbourne Storm when the independent commission is formed, , saying the club is a very important part of the game’s future. News Limited’s subsidy of the Storm is in reality about $3.5 million after tax considerations — - compare this to the $200 million the AFL is prepared to put into GWS which it admits won’t turn a profit for a very, very long time, and the fortune in investment the AFL has poured into Brisbane and the Swans over many, many years. Any reasonable person with rugby league’s best interests at heart will see the value of the relatively small investment in the Storm.
Malcolm correctly describes the onfield success of the club, which has set new standards in team and individual performance for the NRL over the past 10 years, contributing significantly to a better quality game across the park. But to imply this is not recognized by the Melbourne public is incorrect. The Storm have carved a small but viable membership base in the southern capital, in the face of active suppression by Channel Nine of rugby league games in Melbourne at reasonable viewing hours, and possibly the worst home ground of any elite sport in Australia. Despite this, TV ratings for the Storm and rugby league in general in Melbourne are outstanding whenever the game is shown at a reasonable time…witness the near-million viewer peak during last season’s grand final. The value of Storm to the NRL is further underlined by the fact the club has one one of the highest ratings on pay tv. Contrast this to the appalling FTA ratings of the Swans in Sydney even when their games are shown in prime time.
There are many enemies of rugby league who would love to see the Storm fail. The rugby league community just ain’t going to let it happen.
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To the replies here, I ask two questions:
Are they running 6million in the red?
Are they breaching salary cap rules?
Maybe answer those questions without attacking the author with ad hominem remarks.
No to both.
The dissolution of the NRL partnership is often protrayed as some kind of looming disaster for Rugby league and the Melbourne Storm when it is nothing of the sort. Rather than being the editorial-skewing cash cow the game’s detractors think it is, News’ involvement has been basically detrimental - from the Super League rift to it’s TV deal-limiting conflict of interest. Once they’ve gone the creation of the Storm will be it’s only positive legacy.
So, the Storm are finished once News walks away? Of course not. Considering News Ltd draws down $8m per year from the NRL’s revenue and uses most of it to fund the Storm the game is essentially paying for the team’s losses, plus some, already. The NRL Clubs understand the importance of the club to the game’s revenue streams - both in terms of the next TV deal and the exposure for sponsors - and will not allow the club to fail. Any new owner will get the benefit of this, receiving around $30m for the first 6 years to cover losses which will are forecast to more than halve with the move to a new stadium. Also, when you consider the fact that the Storm jersey sponsorship is worth over $2m with both major sponsors signing on until 2013 it’s pretty clear the club has potential.
A final matter… on one hand the author suggests Melbourne have built a winning team and culture through hard work and skill while on the other suggesting the team has “bought” the players required for success with News’ money. It may come as a surprise to the author that Melbourne have built their winning dynasty under the same salary cap every other club is under. They deserve a lot more respect, and this is coming from a Parramatta supporter…
What really annoys me about a well written rant like this is the narrow-minded provincialism and disregard for the game that lies at its heart.
The Storm’s on field success has given an extra dimension to a competition worn down by tired old Sydney rivalries.
Don’t Sydney fans feel just a little proud when they see their sport being represented so well in the AFL State? I used to hate seeing the great Brisbane Lions side dismantle the Victorian teams until I realised many of the avid Gabba fans were Queenslanders.The Sydney Swans, the first real “foreigners” in the AFL, are looked upon fondly by many Victorians.
Can you believe an utterance like “the Storm has sucked the best playing talent out of the other teams”? Sydney clubs couldn’t develop E.coli in an open sewer. They chew up their talent and spit it out or don’t recognise it when they see it.
The history of Melbourne’s Origin and/or Test players during Craig Bellamy’s reign is as follows:-
Cameron Smith wasn’t wanted by the Broncos, Billy Slater was a track work jockey, Matt King couldn’t get a starting spot for Cronulla’s reserve grade team, Brett White was a Dragon’s reject, Steve Turner was a Panthers reject and Jeff Lima was recruited while playing part time for a second tier French team. As his agent explained: “I offered him to four NRL clubs for nothing but still no one wanted him”. Now, of course, everyone wants him. Then there is the ONLY star signing of the era, Michael Crocker, who was sacked by the Roosters. Other rejects to become Storm premiership players include Clint Newton, Brett Finch and Ryan Tandy. And who ever wanted Matt Geyer?
The trend continued as Luke MacDougall, Todd Lowrie, and Rory Kostjaysn (who?) tasted glory at the World Cup Challenge.
The other teams should be paying the Storm for providing quality players to poach. Without junior talent of its own the Storm has learnt to take the scraps thrown across the border and assemble a magnificent feast.
The only valid point in the article is that the Storm is losing money. Well the money can’t be going towards facilities as they share an old AFL ground with Carlton that has broken plumbing and a sagging roof. It can’t be due to money spent on conditioning or training as all clubs appear to follow similiar procedures (perhaps with the exception of Manly who have been experimenting with calves’ blood supplements).
Obviously it has been spent on such things as providing accommodation to the players who have moved away from home and family. Then there is promotion of the game in Victoria and a vigorous youth development program that is beginning to bear fruit - the under 18s, containing a number of locals with genuine NRL prospects, reached the grand final last year and the under 20s won the premiership. Several members of that team have been promoted to the NRL squad.
If “tiny” describes Storm’s fan base then it should also be used for Cronulla, Canberra Parramatta and the Roosters whose average 2009 attendances were less or comparable to that of Melbourne. I’m sure the opposition players can vouch for the passionate and intimidating atmosphere of a Melbourne game.
Interest in and knowledge of the Storm is widespread even among AFL followers. Hopefully the new stadium will encourage them to attend the matches. It will also attract corporate backing and a revenue raising social club.
If Melbourne Storm survives financial independence the bitter bleaters from the north will finally run out of excuses for their failings.
This article is complete BS…Try checking your facts before posting such rubbish…
1) Firstly we have not ‘bought our way to a premiership.’ Players such as Cam Smith, Cronk, Slater etc were all put on the scrapheap by other clubs… Storm were smart enough to see their potential. Greg Inglis has been with the since he was 14 years old, and what about all the players who made their debut with the Storm and are now superstars…And what about the players we’ve helped develop into superstars Tandy, Tolman, Blair, Lima etc,etc
2) If you check facts…Current 2010 Memberships has the Storm sitting 8th (5,032). More than the Tigers, Titans, Warriors, Raiders, Sharks, Panthers, Sea Eagles and Roosters (5 of which are Sydney based clubs). Additionally, last year (2009) the Storm had the fifth highest number of members.
3) Storms average home attendance continues to rise, last year averaged out 12 thousand….Considering they play at one of the worst facilities in the world a good effort. ..And when they played at Etihad last year numbers rose dramatically 20-30 thousands…No doubt this will continue to rise with a new stadium.
4) The Storm get no support from any media down in Melbourne…Channel 9 fail to play Friday night games live..and are shown on replay at 12am…Sunday afternoon games are played on replay at 12am on Monday….The NRL should be looking into this….And people are crying out for live/suitable coverage
Oh lord! guys a bit of comment
Peter Cook . I’m a league supporter (St George) I also know and support aussie rules (Richmond Never said Iwas sane). and I know Melbourne. A bit of history. Aussie rules has a 100 year history in Sydney. the North shore league regularly contibuting players to all the clubs. it is also close to Canberra a known AFL nursery. Slow begining good investment. Lots of people in Sydney converted to the swans frorm loyalty to other clubs.
There is no league background in Melbourne.
“Build a stadium and they will come.” Sure, like that AFL white elephant on the Gold Coast.
“The notion of a Melbourne rugby league team was in fact first pushed by the ARL in 1996” Oh come on mdonaldson I too remember the over exuberance of the likes of Quayle and Arthurson in those days. Melburnians will watch any sport once.
@ andrew Sutherland “If “tiny” describes Storm’s fan base then it should also be used for Cronulla, Canberra Parramatta and the Roosters…”
Places Like Canberra/Queanbeyan which has a support base for league unlike Melbourne.
As to friends of Rugby league not letting the Storm fail, I suspect Murdoch is getting out because he has taken hits a a result of the financial crisis. If the league friends can bankroll the Storm all to the good. otherwise remember the Adelaide Rams?
First a history lesson.
There was only one year of separate competitions, 1997.
@ Dermot McGuire.
It’s pretty ironic that the ARL’s logic in 1996 was to move the Dragons to Melbourne (I distinctly remember the coverage at the time).
So in that sense, either your team could have: 1.) been dragged over the coals post-reunification like the Chargers, Rams etc, or 2.) morphed into a powerhouse team with only fond memories of the 1999 season. Would your thoughts be any different if your beloved Dragons were the team in question?
As for the original article, I think you’d find that the Storm and the Warriors are the teams that actually pay the bills when it comes to NRL sponsorship and broadcast (an oxymoron in Victoria) deals. These two teams target roughly the same population as the other 14 clubs combined.
Would the NRL as a whole still be thriving without these teams, considering how many Sydney teams depend on gaming for revenue?
no Simon mate. I wouldn’t. I’m not from canberra which aint dragons ground so it aint personal. Also i’m not that mad blind a supporter.
As well, supporting Richmond makes you used to adversity.
As to the Storm who knows it may work out. Hope it does.
peace Guys happy Easter DJ
Fair enough. Good point about Richmond there…
I can’t see why the lack of a “traditional” support base should necessarily hinder a side, when we can see the opposite in the NRL.
Queensland is meant to be a stranglehold, yet the Titans *seem* to have problems balancing the books, and they’re the fourth incarnation of a Gold Coast team. Plus there tends to be a degree of fairweather/bandwagon support with Sydney teams… a few certain teams come to mind.
DM: “The notion of a Melbourne rugby league team was in fact first pushed by the ARL in 1996” Oh come on mdonaldson I too remember the over exuberance of the likes of Quayle and Arthurson in those days. Melburnians will watch any sport once”
Wrong, at least in terms of rugby league, Victorians come back to it again and again when they get the chance to watch it in civilised conditions, in civilised hours.
You’re also wrong about the ARL’s seriousness about Melbourne. Plans were well in hand for a Melbourne club before Superleague, Arthurson was dead serious about it then, and he’s dead serious about the importance of Storm now. He sees it as one of his visions realised.
As for the Swans “success” in Sydney…well even Richard Colless disputes that!
What the NRL and Melbourne Storm needs to do is stop it’s hysterical competitiveness with the AFL because it only hurts NRL. NRL fans need to take a deep breath and accept that the AFL is the premier football league in Australia and let go of those desperate statistical contortions and anachronistic parochial attitudes.
The reason is simple, the AFL doesn’t need RL fans in Sydney, but the NRL needs AFL fans in Melbourne. The NRL in Sydney doesn’t have anything like the hold on the public consciousness that the AFL has on the public of Melbourne. The AFL has a huge untapped market to exploit in Sydney, while in Melbourne the NRL needs to win over AFL fans. You’re not going to attract AFL fans to the NRL by constantly beating the “code war” drum and calling the AFL names. Generally the Melbourne public is quite happy to support many sports, but don’t ask them to choose another over AFL because they’ll turn their backs on you. That Storms membership is down 30% in a period for which they’re experiencing incredible on field success should tell you something. The Storm will probably get a good crowd today but don’t forget that half that crowd will be AFL supporters as well. Same deal goes for soccer which is currently suffering delusions of grandeur.
The Melbourne Storm will not survive and the NRL will never be ‘national’ unless the absurd and hopeless unrealistic aspirations to be bigger than the AFL are let go. The NRL needs to drastically reel in costs across the board so that Storm can survive on its earnings and so that a true national competition can be supported. Just because the NRL is smaller than the AFL doesn’t mean it can’t thrive.
@Strike:
If numerical advantage in Australia was everything, this column would be about fishing, gardening, lawn bowls, golf, bushwalking, cricket or netball. It isn’t.
The real factors are business models. Storm’s business model appears to rely on having a new stadium, double benefits from the code and continual poaching of other clubs due to a lack of a local competition and player base.
If that is sustainable, I’ll eat a Knights home ground chair. At least they develop and support local juniors and try to be ambassadors for the sport. Beats fly-in-fly-out players every time.
I think tonights crowd of over 25 thousand at Etihad reinforces the Storms right to be in the NRL…It just goes to show that if they play at a decent stadium then the fans will turn up and support them…Bring on the new stadium and GO STORM!!!
Strke: What was that rant all about???
So, Hazza, are you now saying the Storm no longer require an additional few megabucks annually from the code?
If they can’d make ends meet with 25k attendees at their ground, they should not need assistance from outside. That is, of course, providing that they are paying attendees, not freebie kids and/or elastic arithmetic.
I can’t belive I read this on March 31 and didn’t think to put a bet on the Storm finishing last! Curses.
I posted this to my twitter account on March 31. I can’t believe the ramifications that I am seeing today… or perhaps I can
So the article wasn’t complete BS, given Melbourne Storm have lost all their points this year *and* lost their 2 recent premierships over it.