Updated - Lockyer rules himself out of Manly match

[Dannymh]

Hey Dannymh - Question for you, since you sound like the only reasonble Manly fan with a brain these days.

Why is it that only 13,000 Manly "fans" attended the SFS in week 1. Do you agree that the SFS should get over 30,000 this Friday night?

There are a few reasons, and you have to remember melbourne only managed 14k the same weekend.

However a lot of fans sat out the game, simply as a protest, I would say about 1000 or so for that reason. Others like my family just couldn't make it over to the SFS. Whilst it is only 25kms as the crow flies, getting there is an absolute #### fight from the Northern beaches. There was no free transport and thus many would have had to have driven, given people want to get on the piss at the footy it made that part difficult, plus getting out of that car park after a game is an absolute joke. I sat there for over an hour trying to get out one day.

Add to that the transport to get there would have involved multiple buses, or ferry + bus or train, well it just wasn't worth the hassle.

Had it been at ANZ I think the result would have been different, or had the NRL put on free buses you would have seen more.

A lot of Manly fans weren't aware of the game being in the SFS right up until the week before, and felt they had been disadvantaged by the NRL, whether misguided or not is another debate, but the protest crowd was actually quite high from what I could tell.

If you have ever been to Sydney and tried to get from say Narrabeen to the SFS, you would know that in drive time it is minimum an hour plus bumper to bumper traffic all the way up through Mosman and Cremorne.

I completely understand the NRL trying to make big matches big, and move away from the suburban grounds, much like they have in the AFL, the problem is Sydney just doesn't have the facilities and ease of access as they do in Melbourne. The SFS is in what is really a rather awkward spot, there is no rail line and you have to pay about $15 in tolls getting there and back because of toll happy Sydney roads.

On top of that add that it was a Cowboys team they were playing, and you can see why the crowd was so small. Had it been Dragons or another Sydney team it would have been double the bums on seats.

The NRL has a few good ideas floating about, they just have such woeful execution, and planning behind them that they fail. Monday night crowds are often low for Manly, not because people don't want to be there, but because getting there is difficult when you work in the CBD. Think about what it is like getting from the South side of Brisbane to the North side in peak hour, that is pretty much what it is like getting from the CBD to Manly nearly every day, and worse in peak hour.

For instance, just before I left Sydney in 2007 I was living in a place called Artarmon, which was on the train line just north of the city, 5 stops between it and Wynyard. If you jumped on a train on the weekend, it would take you about 5 - 10 mins to get there. In peak hour, it used to take me about 1 hour to travel the same distance, and driving was impossible, even though I could get right on the freeway to the bridge. I played soccer in Harbord, which is not far from Brookvale oval. Late at night it was maybe a 15 minute drive to get there, give or take 5 minutes. To get there on the weekend or for training midweek it was easily and hour long drive.

I digress slightly.
But the main reason is that whilst the Northern Beaches are beautiful and a place I would dearly like to still be living, it is a #### fight to get anywhere from there, with only a few routes to the city and getting over there is a real mission, and certainly not worth the hassle.

I think things will change this week. Given they are doing free buses I know my elderly father has decided to go over, simply because he doesn't have to drive and fight traffic, he can jump on a bus at the end of the street and get there more easily. This was never meant to be a home final as well so the protest crowd should probably have gotten over themselves and attend.

I do think that Manly had a point however, and if it is a Sydney team playing an out of town team in the finals, then they should have the option of moving it. To me seeing a half empty stadium, was a bad look, and to be honest, the only ground that didn't have a half empty stadium was Suncorp. It is a bad advertisement for the game, and the NRL need to really start thinking these things through, rather than slapping themselves on the back and congratulating themselves for such great decisions that clearly aren't

Hope that answers your question, as fragmented as that answer is.

 

[Dannymh]

By the way, I don't of course speak for WAMF, he is just a member of my site, but I do apologize for the racism in his post. He was trying to defend Brett Stewart, I can see that, however his avenue for doing so was probably incorrect. Two wrongs do not make a right.

 

[Coxy]

By the way, I don't of course speak for WAMF, he is just a member of my site, but I do apologize for the racism in his post. He was trying to defend Brett Stewart, I can see that, however his avenue for doing so was probably incorrect. Two wrongs do not make a right.

Yeah. Seriously we're thick skinned, we can take most digs at our players, but anything racist or otherwise derogatory and prejudiced just can't be accepted.
I'm sure you understand.

 

[Dannymh]

Yeah. Seriously we're thick skinned, we can take most digs at our players, but anything racist or otherwise derogatory and prejudiced just can't be accepted.
I'm sure you understand.

Yes completely. Ribbing Manly players about Brett is also likely to trigger these responses though.

Brett is one of the nicest and kindest blokes you will ever meet. The stunt that, that girl tried on him, has pretty much ruined his life. Just about everyone on the Norther Beaches knew the true story well before the court case and it was an atrocity that the DPP let it go to trial, given the evidence was more than clear that the entire event was a complete and utter fabrication. Of any player in the Manly or any squad, this bloke deserved it least. His name will never be clear and he clearly did absolutely nothing wrong, he wasn't drunk and his group was asked to leave, not him personally, he helped a female colleague get a taxi, then jumped in one himself, only to be targeted for fraud outside his own house. I obviously can't go into too much details about the case, but with everything that was reported to us through our court reporter and other avenues, well blind freddy could have seen the entire thing was a BS story.

Happy for people to say things about Matai being a grub on the field, and happy for people to say things about Watmough, these guys are a product of their own actions, but Brett was an absolute gentlemen before and still is, and has never stepped a foot wrong.

 

[noisetheory]

ive been verbal in my bagging's of the manly supporters for not showing up but its all banter.

in reality i can completely see why the crowd was only 13k. if i was in that situation i probably would of boycotted the SFS too. i would of been livid they moved the game away from brooky.

 

[Nashy]

Brett Stewart is a bitch though.

 

[Dannymh]

Brett Stewart is a bitch though.

I think we can all agree the biggest bitch of the league is Robbie Farrah, can't we?

 

[Coxy]

Brett Stewart is a bitch though.

Leave him alone! He's diabetic! Rabs has gone to great lengths to ensure we all know it! :P

 

[Coxy]

I think we can all agree the biggest bitch of the league is Robbie Farrah, can't we?

Amen! I swear he wears that ridiculous beard to look like a hard core islamic extremist...but he just looks like a little !@#$

 

[Dannymh]

Amen! I swear he wears that ridiculous beard to look like a hard core islamic extremist...but he just looks like a little !@#$

it's good to establish some common ground.

I can't stand this bloke. He dives like a soccer player, constantly sounds on the cusp of tears when whinging at the ref about every single decision.

Seeing him with head in hands whilst he cried about the loss in the change rooms last Friday was one of the most satisfying moments of the 2011 season for me so far

 

[Nashy]

So now that we've got the cross forum taunts and the racist douche under control (although it seems he has an answer to you for anything you are going to say to him over there), how's about we discuss how upset you're all going to be when the Broncos progress to the Grand Final?

 

[Bucking Beads]

Brett Stewart is a top bloke if you aren't a teenage girl walking by when he is drunk. :haha:

 

[Porthoz]

First of all, welcome dannymh, and my thoughts go out to you to have to co-exist with that amount of idiots in your forum. :shake:

FTR, I am a Manly hater, mostly because I hate the tinfoil hat culture of the club, and because it's the club who has most arrogant illiterate bogans per capita.
Your forum is yet another proof of this fact, with a few condemning the Neanderthal who visited us, but as many or more patting him on the back.


I'm all for banter and giving each other crap. Hell, I do that on regular basis with one of my best mates who is a Manly fan, and this week we'll be giving to each other more than ever. We try to be witty and creative, but don’t resort to dumb insults or racism, and even less do we bring anyone's mums or other family into it. The remarks about Lockyer's mother in your forum are a disgrace, emanating from keyboard heroes who should have never reached a higher level of consciousness than that of a stain on a bed sheet.

But I digress, and there's really no need to tell you what you already know and diplomatically explained in your introduction post.

Having said that, I respect the brand of footy Manly plays under Hasler, and I respect Manly's team as a formidable adversary, just as much as I respect the Dragons and Storm for the same reasons.

Friday’s showdown is worthy of a Grand Final, and probably will be in the sense that the winner is more than likely to take the title imo.
Neither team will go down easy, both have class and quality across the park, and the lack of experience from our youth will be made up through the enthusiasm and emotion riding Locky’s farewell.

Had this game been at Brookvale, I would definitely be giving you the favoritism, but at the SFS the odds are pretty even, especially since there’ll only be 3 or 4 Manly fans for each Broncos fan, making it easy for us to dominate! :cheesy:

No matter what happens, I will be proud of my team and how far they came in a year no one expected them to even make the top 8. I’m sure you’ll feel the same about yours…

Good luck with your website/forum endeavours, and may the best win on Friday night!

P.S. As Coxy said, if your lot win, count on me to support the opposition, no matter who it is! :rolleyes:

 

[Coxy]

it's good to establish some common ground.

I can't stand this bloke. He dives like a soccer player, constantly sounds on the cusp of tears when whinging at the ref about every single decision.

Seeing him with head in hands whilst he cried about the loss in the change rooms last Friday was one of the most satisfying moments of the 2011 season for me so far

Absolutely!

The fact his face looks like female genitalia is just a superficial reason to LOL at him.

 

[dukey]

Yes completely. Ribbing Manly players about Brett is also likely to trigger these responses though.

Brett is one of the nicest and kindest blokes you will ever meet. The stunt that, that girl tried on him, has pretty much ruined his life. Just about everyone on the Norther Beaches knew the true story well before the court case and it was an atrocity that the DPP let it go to trial, given the evidence was more than clear that the entire event was a complete and utter fabrication. Of any player in the Manly or any squad, this bloke deserved it least. His name will never be clear and he clearly did absolutely nothing wrong, he wasn't drunk and his group was asked to leave, not him personally, he helped a female colleague get a taxi, then jumped in one himself, only to be targeted for fraud outside his own house. I obviously can't go into too much details about the case, but with everything that was reported to us through our court reporter and other avenues, well blind freddy could have seen the entire thing was a BS story.

Happy for people to say things about Matai being a grub on the field, and happy for people to say things about Watmough, these guys are a product of their own actions, but Brett was an absolute gentlemen before and still is, and has never stepped a foot wrong.

I've never been a fan of Brett, but I was genuinely happy to see him excused. You could hear in his voice what a toll that whole incident had taken on his life, and it's something nobody should have to go through.
However, when he did that little galloping taunt to have a go at David Gallop, he lost any goodwill he'd gained. That mentality that he's been wronged by the world and everybody owes him has spread to the rest of the team to the point where they play the victim card over everything that happens to them.

 

[Dannymh]

So now that we've got the cross forum taunts and the racist douche under control (although it seems he has an answer to you for anything you are going to say to him over there), how's about we discuss how upset you're all going to be when the Broncos progress to the Grand Final?

i'll be upset, because I will be in Sydney for the Grand Final and won't be going to see your blokes play the Storm, that's for sure.

Hopefully the Warriors get up so I can at least have some mild interest in the results

 

[Dannymh]

I've never been a fan of Brett, but I was genuinely happy to see him excused. You could hear in his voice what a toll that whole incident had taken on his life, and it's something nobody should have to go through.
However, when he did that little galloping taunt to have a go at David Gallop, he lost any goodwill he'd gained. That mentality that he's been wronged by the world and everybody owes him has spread to the rest of the team to the point where they play the victim card over everything that happens to them.

TBH I don't think the "Horse riding" had anything to do with Gallop, it was just a post try celebration, a "giddy'up" if you will, but as usual the tabloids got hold of it and put their own spin on it.

I have a deep ceded hatred for Gallop's version of the NRL, which has nothing to do with the Brett Stewart incident, so if that is the spin the media put on it, well so be it.

To be fair, Gallop had a knee jerk reaction to the Brett Stewart incident. and blaming being asked to leave a venue on the decision he made, is wafer thin and in my view insulting. Players have been asked to leave pubs since the inception of Rugby League, had the false sexual assault allegations never been made, then Brett wouldn't have missed a game. In other words, he was clearly condemned before trial. So I can see his point.

I think however it would be best that Brett try to put it behind him, but lets be honest, how would you feel in his situation, especially seeing the treatment that Teflon Todd gets every few weeks?

I'll be honest, I hate Gallop and have for many years, he is a dictator and has no understanding of the fans, or what they want, he will not listen to the fans and will always decide what he thinks best for his bosses and not for the game. The time it took to get the Grand final back to a reasonable time was a joke, The fact it is still on a Sunday, when Queensland has to work the next day, is another joke. Putting that aside however, I can easily empathise with Brett, but think the best thing for him, would be to try to move on

 

[Kaz]

I want the Warriors to beat the Storm.

I can't stand Bellamy.

I won't mention what I think of Hasler. (I will be nice to our Manly friend Dannymd)