Jets and Mariners off the mark



Fabio Ferreira scored twice for the Mariners in their 3-2 win over Perth.

Photo credit: Jason Pratt Photography
Source: www.ccmariners.com.au

The Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariners both started their seasons in style over the weekend recording wins in round one of the 2015/16 A-League competition. The clubs’ were given little chance to enjoy success this season by the experts with many predicting a finish at the bottom of the ladder. Most commentators had labelled them as re-building or bare of the star players the big-city sides fortuitously possess. But do the two east-coast teams have a genuine chance to kick-on from their solid showings and play consistent football for the rest of the season? Will the Mariners or Jets feature in the finals?

Rebuilding wasn’t in Mariners’ coach Tony Walmsley’s pre-season vocabulary after he appointed himself as the head-coach following an initial worldwide search for Phil Moss’s replacement. What’s clear is Walmsley doesn’t muck around; he has recruited former Sunderland player Roy O’Donovan from wherever he was in the Football world, gone about recruiting some handy players from within Australia, and told anyone who cares that the Mariners will be playing an attacking and exciting brand of football this season.

With the merry years under Graham Arnold long gone, the Mariners struggled to deliver last season and Coach Walmsley knew the club had to bring some spice to the pitch this voyage. Re-establishing their connection with the community has been the focus from owner Mike Charlesworth - who last year flirted with moving matches to the north of Sydney - and part of building and strengthening those bridges is offering a pleasing product. Enter Walmsley and his intentions.

Any sports’ fan just wants to see their team have a crack, and any football fan sure as hell doesn’t go to a football match to see a goalless draw, they want to see the ball put into the back of the net and this is what Walmsley is all about. While the Mariners might not win the majority of their matches this season, at least the fans will be able to walk away having seen a side willing to take risks in order to win the game. On the weekend they played with grit, determination and flair. They backed up Walmsley’s pre-season preaches and ended up having 24 shots on goal, compared to Perth’s 13. Their goals might have come from penalties and a re-bound, but they were loading the cannons and finding their range.

Just like their F3 counterparts, the Newcastle Jets began their pre-season with a new coach. Former Fulham Assistant Coach, Scott Miller, has taken on his first head-coaching role and with Football Australia controlling the club; Miller had little room to spend big on new arrivals. After a mass-exodus following the stripping of the club from Nathan Tinkler, he did however; have to bring in some of his own recruits. The Jets were able to secure new-captain; Nigel Boogaard, defensive-midfielder; Mateo Poljack, and Serbian striker; Milos Trifunović.

The Jets started their round one game against the Wellington Pheonix as big outsiders, but they were able to clinch a victory with goals from former Socceroo, David Carney, and the Serb, Milos Trifunović. Despite being expected to lose the game in New Zealand, Coach Miller interestingly stated after the game that the team fully expected to win the game, showing his high expectations of the side. Many have questioned whether Miller was ready for a Manager’s role, but don’t be fooled, he has spent almost a decade working in and around the English Premier League with Fulham, and that is invaluable experience. So far, he has been all class in his media appearances for the Jets, who are also trying to re-establish a community connection.

Much like the Mariners, the Jets are looking to have a big year both on and off the field after their fallout from the Nathan Tinkler ownership. However with problems come opportunities, and the Jets have a real chance to fire this year and move away from the stench of Tinkler’s reign. They are probably going to wait longer for some sustained success than the Mariners but it’s hard to say they will be waiting long after knocking off one of last year’s best sides in their opening game. The Jets face a real test on the field Saturday night against Sydney FC along with a test of their community engagement at the turnstiles. They have put in some real work to cement a solid association with the Hunter football fans and hopefully the fresh start pays off.

The two teams’ border on each other’s territory and it’s going to fascinating to see how their seasons unfold after their indifferent yet similar winter build ups. They both have new and stimulating coaches; are almost desperately trying to build their link in their respective communities, and have both started the season with impressive victories. Here’s to hoping they can continue to bump shoulders with the big boys in 2015/16.

How good is that photo by Jason Pratt of a celebrating Fabio Ferreira at the picturesque Central Coast Stadium. In the coming weeks Sport/Life/Australia will be reviewing both the Mariners and Jets game-day experiences.

A-League must learn from NRL mistakes



The 2014 A-League Grand Final had an attendance of 51,153.

The A-league was last night gifted its dream grand finale after Sydney FC powered past Adelaide United in unstoppable fashion. Sydney will join Melbourne Victory for arguably the A-league’s biggest grand final in its ten year history. The league’s two most prevalent teams in that time, who share the game’s strongest rivalry, are set for a showdown like never before. Both teams have been riding a wave of momentum and are the deserving finalists after finishing the regular season in the top-two spots. The only thing stopping the day becoming one of the most memorable in Australian sport’s history is the capacity of the host stadium, AAMI Park, of 30,500.

To put it simply, the game must be moved.

Shifting the game to the MCG would not only allow all the Victory and FC fans to watch their teams, but open the event up for the everyday sports fan and leisure seeker’s of Melbourne. The move could potentially result in upwards of 100,000 people in attendance. A spectacle of that size would cement the A-League alongside the biggest sporting codes in the country. Over the last 10 years the A-League has been building to this moment. The international marquee signings, the All Star games against European clubs, the moments’ only football can provide, the battles between the clubs and the impact of the Western Sydney Wanderers have all contributed to the sport now being on the verge of sitting alongside the NRL and AFL in terms of popularity.

Only one man has the power to change the course of Football history in this country forever, and that’s Football Australia CEO David Gallop. Since Gallop joined the FFA in 2012, he has been lauded by many in the game for finally pushing the sport in Australia to match that of its world status. While the accolades may well deserve a pat on the back, surely this is the golden opportunity for the CEO to put a stamp on his sport like no other could.

The real question to be asked is whether Gallop has learnt from his mistakes? You see, back in 2009 when Gallop was the CEO of the NRL, he encountered a similar situation involving finals-matches stadium allocations.

The Parramatta Eels had rode a wave of momentum from last second last place on the competition ladder mid-year, to scrape into eighth place and earn a spot in the finals. At the time, the Eels were drawing supporters out of the closest like never before, the Dragons too had just won the minor premiership and fans were flocking to their games. Set to play each other in the first week of the finals, the game was set down to be hosted at the 23,000 capacity Kogarah Oval. The location would effectively lock-out thousands of supporters from both teams, and Rugby League would be robbed of an incredible match-up that would have filled the 45,000 seat Allianz Stadium. Despite an outpouring of complaints from fans and a fierce media campaign, the Gallop-ran NRL decided not to switch to a bigger stadium. That match would be the start of a driving force that eventually led to the changing of the NRL finals stadium policy. Two years later it was changed; three years later Gallop was thrown out of his chair.

The MCG has a capacity of 100,000. Isn't the idea to grow, year on year?

While many will argue that it’s too late to change such a big game, that the idea was already looked at and deemed unfeasible, but what do good leaders do? They make things happen. They get things done. The AFL will argue they have a game scheduled at the MCG, but who owns the MCG? Surely the Victorian Government can be lobbied to force a change. Imagine the economic benefit from a 100,000 plus crowd, many from interstate. If the AFL needs compensating to switch their game, then pay it.

The FFA last week unveiled a 20 year master plan for the sport, a strategic vision for the future. Well you won’t get to the future without actions in the present. Having a sold-out MCG for a match that has been building for the last ten years, would be like pouring petrol onto the already well alight fire that is the sport of Football. With over 80,000 expected to fill ANZ stadium next month to watch A-League teams play EPL giants Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea F.C, a 30,500 crowd for the country’s domestic competition grand final could be considered laughable and embarrassing.

Make the move, Gallop.

Tomkins makes wrong move, again.

Two years ago, Super League’s best player decided to follow the trend of English Rugby League players and head to the sport’s most professional competition, the NRL. His decision featured the usual spin off lines, and was cited as a challenge and to experience something different. The fact that he signed a whopping $750,000 a year contract, and his Super League club Wigan received a $1.2 million dollar transfer fee, apparently had, little to do with it.

Tomkins will head back to England at the end of the 2015 NRL season.
Photo: Jason Gottenham (Getty Images Asia/Pacific)

At the time, there had been whispers of Sam Tomkins coming out to the NRL for well over a year, but he was the poster boy for the English competition, having just won the premiership for the second time in 2013, so it still came as a surprise when he announced he would be joined the New Zealand Warriors in 2014 for the next three seasons. At 24 years-of-age, Tomkins was about to enter a new domain. No longer would he be the best there is, no longer would be even be the best in the team, no longer would he be in his comfort zone.

Having dominated the Super League for what seemed like such a long time, despite being so young, many commentators thought Tomkins move was going to be a blinding success, and we finally would have met the ‘English Billy Slater’, or a set of appearances in which he was unable to handle the week in, week out rigorous of the more professionalised NRL. But it’s in fact been somewhere in between with Tomkins playing 25 games last season, scoring 13 tries. The moderate success could be considered a good season for a player in his first NRL season and one to build on, but after just over one year, Tomkins has decided to head back to England at the 2015 season’s end. The boy from Wigan is reportedly homesick and will shift competitions after playing out this season with the Auckland based side.

Tomkins original decision to sign with the Warriors is where he went wrong. Even Russel Crowe told him on a red carpet movie premiere not to sign with an NRL club outside of Australia. However the decision to now leave the Warriors comes as even more of a surprise and is his second mistake.

Tomkins and his officials’ believed that the warriors would be a good fit for his game, being a running fullback, darting through holes in broken play and relishing offload opportunities. In many respects, they were right, this is how the Warriors tend to play a lot of their football, but what they failed to look for in a club, was a coach who could nurture and guide him through the transition into the NRL. The warriors went through three different coaches from the time Tomkins signed until now. How that would help anyone smoothly blend into the tougher competition beggars belief. Tomkins should have sought out a club with a steady coaching staff, and someone that has ushered through some of the best fullback’s in the game. Des Hasler and Craig Bellamy come to mind. Sure he may not have got the money he was after, but if Tomkins actually came to the NRL to improve his football, he had to head to one of those clubs.

What we have now is one of the sport’s most tricky and sharp players, who was the best there was in the only other professional competition in the world, heading back after failing to improve his game, and failing to make a real impact. Initially, Tomkins looked like he could form an exciting and potent attacking partnership with Shaun Johnson, but after limited and modest combination strike, it looks like that won’t get a chance to fully develop. Johnson won the Golden Boot in 2014, crowned the best Rugby League player in the world; despite the Warriors failing to make the NRL Finals. He is reaching the peak of his playing power, having been the team’s halfback since the played in the 2011 Grand Final. With Johnson firing on all cylinders, and Tomkins having experienced a second pre-season in the Southern Hemisphere, many pundits were expecting the Warriors to come flying out the blocks this season, piecing together a game to take on the big clubs. However it has not yet proven to be, as after 6 rounds of football, Tomkins has played just two games and already has his ticket back to Heathrow booked.

The winner from the Tomkins move is current Roosters fullback, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who has signed with Warriors for 2016 and beyond. Effectively taking Tomkins marquee money of $750,000 a season along with his sport at fullback, the Warriors will prove a good fit for Tuivasa-Sheck. The Kiwi international will enjoy being back in his home country and should actually gel well with halfback, Shaun Johnson.

The loser however, is former Warriors fullback Kevin Locke, currently playing for English Super League club Salford. Locke seems almost lost and bewildered in the Super League, having strayed from his previous form and late last year he even tried to switch to Scottish Rugby Union. At the time of Tomkins signing to the Warriors, Locke was the incumbent and established custodian for both the New Zealand national side, and the Warriors. He had actually just won the battle of the fullbacks in the 2013 World Cup Final where New Zealand beat England at the death, displaying a far more impressive performance than Tomkins did for England.

The disappointing factor of it all is one that is all too common in the sporting world, the notion of what could have been. Tomkins came as THE best, and if he had of gone elsewhere, or the Warriors had of put a coach in place, or if he now had of stayed to give things time to work, we might have seen something special. NRL fans have seen glimpses of the real Sam Tomkins but it’s unlikely we’ll get to see him fully flourish. With only 20 rounds to go, Tomkins is running out of time to prove himself at the truly elite level of the NRL.

From a Rugby League point of view, it’s good that Tomkins is staying in the game and not taking up the huge offers Rugby Union clubs from around the world are throwing up to every Tom, Dick and Harry. The Super League is turning itself around from a retirement home from NRL players and will massively benefit from his return. Salford owner and billionaire, Marwan Koukash, will surely have his check book written and ready for Tomkins to sign when he gets off the plane, but it’s more likely he will return to the club that made him famous, the Wigan Warriors. Wigan, who two years ago filled their pockets, will have to reimburse the New Zealand Warriors some of the world-record transfer fee of £700,000 they received.

NRL must spread All Stars magic

Following the All Stars match last weekend, the NRL announced it would be moving the fixture back to Brisbane for its sixth appearance on the Rugby League calendar. Whilst the All Stars has been a resounding success since its inception in 2010, the NRL has missed a tremendous opportunity to take both the concept, and Rugby League to other parts of the country. 

Inaugural try-scorer Wendall Sailor starts the All Stars magic

The NRL All stars original idea was conceived by Preston Campbell, an Indigenous Rugby League player who at the time was playing for the Gold Coast Titans. Campbell’s idea for the game came after representing the indigenous side that played a lead-up game to the 2008 Rugby League World Cup against a New Zealand Maori team. His sentiments about the amount of indigenous players in the sport and the opportunity such a match would provide for them to represent their indigenous culture, led to then Titans CEO Michael Searle bringing the concept to life in partnership with the NRL. 

The first three years were played on the Gold Coast at the Titans home ground in Robina, in the fourth year it was played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Becoming an annual event with a week-long build up, the players hours of community work, mix with the public during open training sessions and importantly, participate in specific events with Indigenous students from around Australia who earned their trip through positive contributions at school. 

These off-field activities in the lead up to the game have proved to be far more important than any of the normal indicators the NRL would use to judge the success of a game like crowd figures and financial gain. The sunshine state and in particular south-east Queensland has proven to be the quintessential location for the week with the nearby theme parks and idyllic beaches. 

However, with the game about to enter its sixth edition in 2016, the NRL has failed to take a chance  on spreading its gospel to new parts of Australia. Parts of the country that are new ground for professional Rugby League, are also areas where the indigenous community would rally behind the concept. Perth, Adelaide and Darwin would provide the perfect place to continue the All Stars event. All are capital cities in states with large indigenous populations, are new markets the NRL will be looking to expand to, and would still able to maintain the community events and focus on fun being located on the Australian coastline. 

Shifting the All Stars game as opposed to a representative fixture like State of Origin or a Kangaroos match is much easier given that it is essentially an exhibition match. While the popularity of State of Origin would sell out any ground around the country, the All Stars game is represented by each and every NRL club, and the indigenous players from the competition. The opportunity the week would provide to support the growth of Rugby League in these markets would be priceless given the media attention it would attract. 

With expansion touted as on the plans when the new broadcast deal is done in 2017, the next two years would be a wise time to test the water in proposed areas. The NRL knows it has to grow the sport and its own domestic competition, and has appointed former South Sydney CEO and current news story, Shane Richardson as its Head of Strategy to formulate its expansion plans. Richardson has been a big supporter of international Rugby League, expansion and any event based on growing the game. At South Sydney he took games to Perth, was the architect of the expanded World Club Challenge, and was eager to take on the Chief Executive role of the International Rugby League. Hopefully with him at the helm of strategy, the game can be shifted to new locations in years to come. 

The NRL stated that Brisbane was secured as the location for the 2016 All Stars game 'in partnership Tourism and Events Queesnland’. Whether this deal is the end of a multi-year partnership of a former agreement with the state government or a new one year deal remains to be seen, but with falling crowds on the Gold Coast over the last few years with disgruntled Rugby League supporters, surely the time is right for the event to be taken elsewhere. Even Townsville and Cairns shape as  healthier options than keeping the game on the Gold Coast. Imagine the experience that could be delivered if the game was one day played in Alice Springs. Think outside the box, give the fans something new to experience, the players somewhere to different to play, and the country a taste of the greatest game of all. 

The Relationship: Super League & NRL

One of the most successful Rugby League clubs,
Wigan, will take part in the World Club Series next week

Last week Paul Gallen expressed his desire to finish his career in the English Super League after a final year at Cronulla in 2016. The comments came as a surprise given Gallen’s position in the game as captain of Cronulla and NSW, and vice captain of Australia. His remarks were honest and based on a lifestyle ambition to experience something different in his career. He is one of only a select few in recent times to state a genuine desire to play in the Super League, rather than chase the money in European or Japanese Rugby. Being the only other professional Rugby League competition in the world, the Super League has often been a last resort for players out of the loop in Australia, finishing their careers, or when all other options have been exhausted.

In the mid 2000’s Super League was thriving, at its height stealing hundreds of players from Australia. The exchange rate and a dismal salary cap in the NRL saw many players leave the game and head to England to play in the northern hemisphere competition. The trend was to head to Super League for the money.

Over the last five years, the exodus has actually swung the other way, with a trend of English-based players leaving British shores and heading to Australia. The global financial crisis affected the exchange rate, and the NRL finally realised it needed to boost its salary cap which swung the trend in the NRL’s favour, but majority of players have to come to experience more, soaking up the Australian lifestyle. Sam Burgess was one of the first in 2010 to make the move down-under and ever since there has been no end of players following his transition.

Much like the NRL, the Super League has had a broad variety of changes happening behind the scenes. The professionalism of the competition has lifted, they have followed many rule changes of the NRL and on the back of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup played in Europe the game has been looking to build its popularity. Much of the push for change in England has come from Salford City Red’s owner, Marwan Koukash. Koukash is the man who has been searching for an NRL franchise to purchase. The cashed up billionaire may appear like other rich owners who buy sporting teams across the world and play with them for fun, but Koukash backs up his words, having injected millions into his Salford club.  His ambitious idea of entering a team in the NRL competition based out of England and playing games in England, Dubai and Australia is fairly far-fetched, but there’s no denying his enthusiasm. His interest in the NRL is significant, but Koukash would be better kept in England and focusing on growing the game there. He has been peppering the league about introducing a marquee player allowance, has ideas for the competition and the game itself, and his obvious wealth shows he is a man who can get things done.

Ambitious ideas or realistic plans - Marwan Koukash

Koukash’s recent comments that the only way for Rugby League to grow is for ‘integration between the two competitions’, is spot on. The newly appointed NRL Head of Strategy, Shane Richardson, is a big believer in the international game and was the mastermind behind the upcoming World Club Series where three NRL teams will player three Super League teams, an expansion of the World Club Challenge where each competition’s winners play each other.

Detractors of Rugby League will write Super League off as nothing more than a game played in Northern parts of England, but Rugby League is much bigger and the 2013 world cup showed that countries in Europe do play the game.

With further integration between the leagues, and a push towards the 2017 world cup in Australia, Rugby League must grow itself both domestically and internationally. The opportunities are now there to jump on, with the pacific island nations now running teams out full of first grade level players. The same could be said for the smaller nations in Europe like France, Scotland, Italy and Ireland.

Celebrating ten years in the Super League this year, the Catalan Dragons in the south of France currently represent the most important team in both competitions as they are the key to growing the game in Europe. Todd Carney’s albeit forced-decision to join them is the best of his career. Carney will dominate the Super League and now out of the spotlight he will flourish purely focusing on his football. He has an opportunity to take a franchise to its first title, ignite the Rugby League scene in France and make up for his lost opportunities with success. 

Carney has the best chance of his career to succeed

 Carney will take Catalan to a title and his story will plant the seed of playing in Europe for other NRL players for lifestyle reasons as opposed to ‘double the money’ in the mid 2000’s. Justin Hodges this week claimed he wanted to finish his career in England and that he had held ambitions of winning a Super League title for most of his career. “My dream has always been to go over there and win a comp there,” Hodges claimed.

Further integration would occur between the competitions if players in the Super League were allowed to play in State of Origin and Australian representative teams. Allowing this would boost interest in the game in general, generating more media coverage and interest from abroad. Imagine if Todd Carney was named in the NSW team while playing in France, the interest from Super League would be immense.

Super League is on the verge of becoming as big as it was at the height of its popularity in the mid 2000’s. The ‘New Era’ it has branded itself with, a sleek professional look with new players and people like Koukash backing it, will see it grow and become a competitive option for Australian based players to consider when searching for a new contract.

Super League still retains a true sense of tribalism which seems to be disappearing from the NRL. You can walk to games with ease, stadiums are purpose built and hold an atmosphere even when there aren’t full attendances. The fans are much like football fans; loud and proud, singing for most of the game. The buzz around stadiums in local pubs is exciting. The games have one referee, decisions are made swiftly and without weeks of arguing after a bad call, the tickets are cheap and the grounds are easily accessible from public transport.

The NRL could learn a lot from its little brother on the other side of the world instead of going all corporate and trying to be so politically correct. The significant drop in crowd numbers last year was no coincidence, sports fans in Australia are becoming fed up and taking an interest in what else is on offer. Yes, become a big business and build the game financially but don’t forget to focus on retaining what Rugby League is all about, get your product right and the fans will return. You’ve only got to look back to where the game originally came from for a few ideas and answers.  

Arnold disrespected by Mariners in return to the coast

A-League Football returns to the Central Coast on Saturday night with Sydney FC visiting Central Coast Stadium for the first time this season, up against a Mariners side still trying to return to their best form. The game is an important clash for both sides, with Sydney looking to keep pace with the top four sides, and the Mariners trying to claw their way up from the bottom depths of the ladder. In what should have been a dignified and respected return to Gosford for former Mariners, and now Sydney FC Coach Graham Arnold, the match has been tarnished by the Mariners cheap and tardy advertisement released this week.

Arnold will now be out to make the Mariners eat their words

Arnold, who coached the Mariners for three years, leading them to two grand finals, a premiership and the club’s first and only championship, was the subject of a distasteful advertisement showering him in money and branding him ‘cashed up’. Asking fans to ‘be there as we take on the bling’, the Mariners have failed to truly capitalise on an opportunity to get fans back through the gates for the right reasons, and have instead embarrassed themselves to their own, and rival clubs’ fans. Graham Arnold is the reason the Mariners have got through the last few seasons, with his development of players leading to over $4.5 million in transfer fees for the club. The little club that punches above its weight just threw a low blow and ran away; back stepping faster than a dancer doing the foxtrot when Arnold mentioned defamation and legal options. At times during his three years on the coast, Arnold would have to lend players money when they weren’t paid on time, personally mow training fields and built his team on the lowest budget in the A-League. But this is not to say he wasn’t happy; Arnold, who regularly enjoyed a schooner of VB at the Terrigal Bowling Club, used the club’s predicament to build his culture and ultimately further the club’s identity as the battlers who no one gives a chance.

The Mariners as a club should have positively promoted Arnold’s return with close NSW rivals Sydney FC and tried to capitalise on the sunny Central Coast weather, grabbing those still on School holidays and visitors for the Australia Day long weekend. In what is the third of their School holiday matches, the club has posted crowd totals of 9932 and 7409 failing to meet the number required by owner Mike Charlesworth to be deemed viable for keeping matches in Gosford. With a continued trend by Charlesworth this season to move games into the North of Sydney, the Mariners need a response from local fans this weekend and one has to wonder what effect the advertisement will have on the already tough-to-get-through-gate coasties’.  

Positive showings from the Mariners in their last two outings against Brisbane Roar (3-3) and Melbourne City (2-0) before the Asian Cup break should have left supporters eager to return to the grass under the palms for the enticing encounter with Sydney FC. Building on such results will be in the minds of both Coach Phil Moss and Captain John Hutchinson, who will both be desperate for a win. The Mariners welcome back Nick Montgomery and Matt Simon from injury to the side after a three week break.

Sydney FC will be with new signings Jacques Faty, Mickael Tavares and Robert Stambolziev, who have all been purchased by Arnold to cover for indefinite injury losses to key players Nick Carle, Sasa Ognenovski and Ali Abbas. Sydney will also be without Terry Antonis who is on international duty with the Socceroos at the Asian Cup. Arnold will be using the deep knowledge of his former side to his advantage, and will run with Shane Smeltz up front trying to penetrate the Mariners line.  

The spirited clash will no doubt be well attended by true Mariners fans, and with Josh Rose inking a new two-year deal with the club last week and their recent results, the Mariners have plenty to be building on. The figure of Arnold back on the sidelines, albeit on a different end than usual, will be a startling scene for fans, which were used to Arnold’s at times dramatic presence while leading the navy and yellow. Hopefully Sydney fans make the trip up the Freeway for the long weekend and holiday-makers take the opportunity to watch a first class game on the Central Coast. With tickets under $25, there’s no better time of the year to take in the sunset overlooking Brisbane Water from the picturesque Central Coast Stadium stands.

See you on Saturday night folks!

Liverpool: Most important game of the sesaon - AFC Wimbledon.

Steven Gerrard’s decision over the weekend to leave Liverpool Football Club at this season’s Barclays Premier League end, poses a startling scenario for all those involved with the club. Liverpool fans are faced with the end of an era, players are poised to play into the future without their inspirational captain, Coach Brendan Rodgers has the impossible task of replacing a legend, and Gerrard himself will be dealing with ending a 25 year association with his hometown and only club.

Steven Gerrard will say goodbye in 2015

Although having played his entire career with Liverpool, Gerrard’s decision was hardly surprising considering the way this season has played out for the reds. What a difference a year can make, this time last year Liverpool were a top of the Premier League Ladder, flying high on the attacking style employed by Rodgers, led by the season’s player of the year and best striker, Luis Suarez. This season, Gerrard and his men sit in 8^th place on the EPL ladder, having already been knocked of the Champions League in the round stage, and their magical striker is long gone.

Liverpool’s dismal season thus far can ultimately be traced back to Suarez’s extraordinary ‘not again’ moment at the World Cup in Brazil. Leaving the club with no choice but to offload him and pick up a handsome transfer fee when it was there for the taking, the exit of Suarez caused two problems. One, the ultimate loss of one of the world’s best who scored a remarkable 31 goals in season 13/14 from just 33 appearances; and two, the effect on confidence of the players still in the team without their gun striker. Brendan Rodgers bought players who he claimed would become ‘world class’ under his guidance, and made the somewhat panic buy of Mario Balotelli just after the season started.

With limited success on the horizon and the knowledge his best ever chance at winning a premier league – the only title that he hasn’t claimed – was last year, Gerrard has made a decision for himself to leave on a high, still as regular starting player, and as captain. While Gerrard’s commitment to the club for the rest of the season cannot be questioned, the players around him must now lift and ensure the Steven Gerrard Farewell Tour is as successful as it can be. And that starts tomorrow morning Australian time, when Liverpool travel to Kingsmeadow and take on AFC Wimbledon in the Third round of the FA Cup. This is by far and away the most important game of the season thus far for Liverpool, who must now shift their focus to sending out their club legend on a high. With recent measly performances against mediocre sides, Rodgers must send out a strong line up and send a clear message to fans with a dominant performance against ‘The Dons’ in the first game since Gerrard’s announcement. The Reds do not return to Anfield until January 20, when they ironically face Chelsea, who ended their chance of a Premier League title last year when Gerrard ‘let it slip’.

As a Liverpool fan, it’s just so hard not to wonder what would have happened this season if Suarez had of stayed. Would Liverpool be currently on top of the table? Would Gerrard have already been resigned for another year? Would Liverpool again be on the cusp of their first Premier League era title? It’s a case of what ifs; for the team of 13/14 it’s a case of what could have been, for Liverpool as a club it’s a case of what’s next, for the fans it’s the thought and anxiety of what’s to come without their captain of the last 12 years. While time can be spent wondering, in reality it’s the grim realisation of what’s happened and what can’t be changed. The only thing that’s in Liverpool’s control is their commitment to the rest of the season, and with seven FA Cups to their name, surely they must now chase their eighth and help deliver Gerrard’s third to send out their club’s greatest a winner.

Corporate NRL ‘dumps’ Blatchys Blues

Blatchy's Blues fans celebrate with Michael Ennis

Recently I went to the Ticketek website to investigate the logistics of my mates’ annual pilgrimage to State of Origin games in Sydney. Every year for the last 5 years, around 10 mates and I, have donned the blue wigs, shirts and morph suits, and joined ‘Blatchys Blues’. The first year we went, I was fascinated by how a bloke, who held his 18^th birthday at the 2^nd state of origin game in 1999 with a group similar to myself, had transformed the origin scenery forever by growing his group year-by-year to establish a mass of coveted blues fans. Last year, 15,000 people stood with him, donning those familiar wigs and shirts.

What I found on the Ticketek website was nothing short of disgraceful.

Blatchys Blues = Gone.

Completely removed from any marketing material appearing on the website and replaced by the very corporate and smug public relations sensitive tagline of ‘NSW supporters section’. As if the NRL is trying to take credit for organising this feature of the crowd, much like they took credit for the NRL Auckland Nines, when in fact it was organised by 2 blokes with a vision. Much like those 2 blokes who had a vision and should have been much more recognised, Dan Blatch’s vision of Blatchy’s Blues has now become null en void.

The disgusting decision by the NRL in which they have thrown tradition and history out the door of the plane they are charting to become the ‘greatest game of all’ leaves them on course for a destination void of all passion, notoriety and stigma. Without history and tradition, you’ve got nothing.

Why the reason to dump the fascinating story behind Blatchys Blues? To make it more appealing for families? To aid those who can’t read a paragraph stipulating what Blatchys Blues actually is?

Seriously, if you want fans ‘engaged’ you need to have things to keep them ‘engaged’, and the story behind Blatchys Blues was just one of those that keep fans and the public talking.

I put it to Dave Smith, CEO of the NRL ,to immediately install ‘Blatchys Blues’ back onto marketing and promotional material to truly recognise the group that has become the largest organised supporters group in Australia. The group that lets the ‘suits’ sit in their corporate box and marvel at the beast that is origin.

We are Blatchy’s Blues. We are the ones the players come to thank at the end of the game. The ones Michael Jennings salutes to after an origin try. The ones who remind Billy Slater he is a ‘banker’ when in Sydney. We play our part in making sure origin is the most watched, most attended and most talked about sporting event in Australia.

You might think I’m being over the top, but, would Cricket Australia let go of the Barmy Army on an Ashes Tour? Where would the Western Sydney Wanderers be if not for the RBB? Supporters groups have long been established around the world, and are a growing trend in Australian sport. They are a transcending part of sporting contests and produce as much hype as the game often does. Liverpool’s KOP, South Sydney’s Burrow, The Fanatics at the Australian Open and the hundreds of other supporters groups around the world, they all have their place.

You see it’s not the fact we’re all sectioned together dressed in blue paraphernalia that makes us different from any other fan at the game, it’s the emotional investment we put in. It’s the recognition and understanding of where the group has come from. What we’ve been trough. The choice you make at the time of purchasing tickets to go the extra mile, do something, anything, which might help us win.  

This year, Blatchy’s Blues will be entering its 16^th year, a remarkable feat considering our leader Dan Blatch is now well into his thirties. With literally nearly a decade of dominance by Queensland upon us, this year shapes up no different to the last, bigger and more important than ever. The missed chances, the what if’s, the refereeing blunders, the maroon arrogance, the heart break’s and devastated train trips home all drive the motivation to don the blue wig’s once more, in the belief that finally, the drought can be broken.

Finally, we go one-in-a-row.

If you’re still having trouble getting your Blatchy’s belief back, type ‘state of origin pump up’ into the YouTube search bar. You’re welcome.