The Central Coast is a rugby league stronghold and desperately want and should be given an NRL club. The NRL have said quite openly that there should be a team up there.

Sydney teams struggling to stay in the black (and battling the fact that there are too many games in the season) whore themselves off for a game or two in Gosford; Easts, Bulldogs, Souths and Manly. Now Cronulla want five games up there.

The problem with this is that the clubs aren’t trying to become the Central Coast club but rather just do it for a cash grab.

This SMH article covering the Storm’s victory over Easts last night starts off by saying ‘empty seats dotted Bluetongue Stadium. Will they really support an NRL team on the Central Coast?’ 

It totally misses the point, the people of the Central Coast WILL NOT go to ad hoc games played by teams that don’t represent their area.

That’s why none of them get huge crowds and that’s why the Northern Eagles failed.

With all due respect to the journo who wrote that, haven’t you learnt anything from the last eight or so years of league failure in that region?

Besides having over 8,000 for a Monday night game isn’t that much different to what Manly or Easts or most Sydney clubs would get for ‘Monday night football.’

BUT BACK to the main point here, the clubs going up there aren’t trying to become a Central Coast club, but rather just get a bit of cash.

This is totally against the long term interests of growing (or sustaining the interest) in the Central Coast.

The only team that are totally committed to playing in the area are playing in the NSW Cup; the Bears.

They also happen to be the only team that should be granted the ‘licence’ to play up there.

Here’s why:

v     It would reawaken the lost supporters on the North Shore who will a) attend the games at North Sydney Oval and b) probably watch it    games on tele. For some in that area hopping onto the F1 is quite easy and means going to games insn’t totally out of the question.

v     Finally give a strong rugby league area a team of their own, solidifying league’s stronghold on the area.

v     Give a lot of league fans, whatever their stripes the ‘feel good’ sense that a traditional club (albeit rebranded) is back in the game. Similar to how people felt when Souths were brought back in (no matter how quickly that seemed to have evapourated!)

v     Before the dreadful Northern Eagles experiment there was plenty of support for the Bears on the Coast. My sources tell me most people up on the Coast support a whole heap of different sides now but the ship hasn’t yet sailed into the sunset. The NRL must act immediately in getting a side up there.