Easts teams out

[JB_Cloey]

I used to be involved in junior league. This year unfortunately my son hit high school and the numbers fell short so his team folded (very disappointing to both of us). As somebody with years of involvement I have a few things to say:

1. Most of the Souths juniors (and their volunteers and staff) are very welcoming and friendly to Easts juniors. They are not without their mongrels, but those are a small minority (and we have a couple too).
2. Souths are shooting themselves in the foot here just to spite Easts - they need our juniors to bolster their comp which is also dwindling. It is only by virtue of their larger geographical area (that's partly thanks to Easts too) that they are decades behind Easts in losing players, but take a drive through their catchment areas and you will see the league playing demographic being pushed out too. Had a look at property prices in Redfern, Mascot or Malabar recently?
3. I can't honestly believe that such a stupid, vindictive decision is really going to stick. Surely somebody at Souths will be screaming for a reasonable approach - I think that they're just trying to send a strong message because they are tired of their juniors heading for greener (or rather blue-and-whiter) pastures.
4. If I'm wrong about 3, then the only possible response from Easts will have to be very strong, namely:
a. start showing easts juniors a MASSIVE amount of financial support (eg pay for all their rego and kit like Souths do).
b. Invest heavily in setting up a local comp by adding schools and giving incentives to young kids to play league instead of AFL or soccer - the kids are definitely out there!
c. start AGRRESIVELY poaching Souths Juniors, even if it's just to keep them away from souths and rub their noses in their own mess.

If they don't do this and Souths won't have them back, this will be the death of Easts juniors.

[The Brain]

https://26rounds.com/2013/07/16/call...uths-acquired/

Go Freddy CALLS FOR EASTS JRLFC TO RETURN — LET’S START BY GETTING BACK THE TERRITORIES SOUTHS “ACQUIRED”.

July 16, 2013 · by jakejarmel · in Blog, Reminiscing. ·
For those who missed the story in the Sydney Morning Herald over the weekend, former Roosters second-rower and local junior Brian Fletcher has called for the revival of the Eastern Suburbs local juniors competition.

Currently, the Easts juniors are made up of the Clovelly Crocodiles, Bondi United, Paddo Tigers and St Charles — and all four are resigned to playing in the Souths Juniors competition at a significant cost.
So Fletch said he’s been talking to Freddy/God about getting the local league up and running again, to create a greater pipeline for youngsters in the area to play for the Roosters.
But the one thing missing from Fletch’s call is that the Roosters didn’t stop having a junior league off their own bat: South Sydney actually “acquired” many of the regions back in the 1950s.
After complaining that the typical Souths areas — Redfern, Waterloo etc — were no longer producing the players they needed thanks to the areas changing demographics and the typical Rabbitohs areas being de-populated, the Rabbitohs begged the NSWRL to change the territory outlines.
Catering to the pleas, to “even the competition”, the NSWRL handed traditional Roosters territories to South Sydney — territories that have not been handed back despite the remaining Roosters territories being decimated by similar de-population and the lack of working-class families in those former strongholds.
The canard that is the SSJRLFC.
This is the story lost in history, only brought to the fore in recent years by a very well-known Roosters fan who sent an email to Phil Gould back in 2008, from which Phil published his take verbatim. The full story, published in the Herald, can be found here.
For hardened Roosters fans, this excerpt is a must-read if you haven’t read it already:
“Many Roosters supporters resent the way their own junior teams, who participate in joint competitions with Souths, are treated by the administrators of those competitions. Local Sydney league boundaries were based on local government boundaries when clubs were formed back in the early 20th century. Souths’ boundaries were based on the municipalities of Redfern, Botany, Alexandria, Mascot and Waterloo, while the Roosters’ boundaries were those of the eastern municipalities of Paddington, Woollahra, Vaucluse, Randwick and Waverley.
“Many of these councils have since amalgamated, as demographic changes affected the inner and eastern suburbs of Sydney. Randwick Council has a western boundary of Anzac Parade and incorporates all those eastern suburbs east of Anzac Parade, and these suburbs like Randwick, Coogee and Maroubra were all part of the Roosters’ territory from 1908 to 1929. Does anyone living in those suburbs then or now not claim to live in the eastern suburbs?
The Glebe RLC 2011. Souths worked to have them booted from the competition.

“But in 1929 a number of clubs led by Souths and Balmain helped change the NSWRL constitution so that instead of needing 75 per cent [of the vote] to remove a team from the competition, only 50 per cent was needed. Once the constitution was changed, Balmain, with Souths’ help, moved to kick foundation club Glebe from the competition. Roosters fans can’t miss the irony in this, given the events 70 years later.
“Soon after, these same clubs changed the constitution back, to protect themselves from future expulsion, so 75 per cent of the vote was again required to remove a club from the then NSWRL. As part of the deal to remove Glebe, Balmain took over Glebe’s territory and Souths annexed that part of the Roosters territory east of Anzac Parade and south of Alison Road.
The Roosters were as a result left without much of their natural territory, and a large future source of young talent. This was very relevant because for many years you needed to reside within your team’s boundaries to play for that club.
“Souths won seven of their 20 premierships with a significant part of the Roosters’ territory, while the residential rule was in place. The two players in recent years that Souths have so resented playing for the Roosters, Craig Wing and Braith Anasta, due to their alleged status as Souths juniors, did in fact play their junior football for clubs in the eastern suburbs, which was original Roosters territory, and should still be.”
You can’t really say it any better than that.
The following Eastern Suburbs junior rugby league clubs have since either folded or become affiliated with the Souths Juniors competition (not including the four teams already mentioned as they remain Roosters clubs):
Paddington (Paddo) Colts (became affiliated with South Sydney shortly before folding); Coogee Dolphins (formed under the auspices of the Eastern Suburbs Junior League but now affiliated with the South Sydney League); Dunbar United (Paddington); Nelson Sharks (Bondi Junction) – known as Denison Devils from 1958-1982; East Randwick; Rose Bay Rams; Woolloomooloo Warriors; Brothers (combined Eastern Subs Catholic Club & Marcellin College Randwick); Paddington CYO; Brighton Hotel Jets (Darlinghurst); Coogee Bay Hotel; Astra Hotel Knights (Bondi); Bondi Royals; Bondi Sharks; and Waverley Waratah.
Paddo Colts: a proud club no more.

So while some of the lack of a junior league — at least in recent years — can be attributed to the Roosters not financially backing a league in the way the absurdly-rich Souths Juniors leagues club can, the idea that the Roosters simply can’t be bothered to back it is a canard, one that religiously lives on among the ill-informed — namely, Souths fans.
They were prevented from nurturing the areas early in the piece thanks to the ruthless nature of their neighbours — the very neighbours many Roosters fans marched for in 2001 and the very neighbours the Roosters helped to keep alive when they aligned with the poorer ARL during the Super League war.
This is a club that reportedly made a gentleman’s agreement with the Balmain Tigers to forfeit the 1909 Grand Final in protest to the game being played as a curtain-raiser to a Kangaroos versus Wallabies match — yet they turned up, kicked off and scored against no opposition to claim the win.
They then have the nerve to claim they’ve won 20 premierships.
Do we really doubt that a club that would break an agreement and claim a premiership won under dubious circumstances would actually have a problem taking others’ territories for their own gain?
Do we really doubt that a club that would change the rules, kick teams out and change them back to protect themselves just so they could get their hands on a few more territories, would blink at claiming beach-side suburbs that could only be more east if they were New Zealand?
The South Sydney rugby league team is a club that has bent the rules, reportedly broken agreements and acted in a manner that suits their own purposes, including claiming others’ territories and keeping them — as expertly put by others more qualified than this writer.
And besides, calling those areas Souths territories has already been disestablished, using nothing more than a couple of maps and some absolute facts.
The Eastern Suburbs as defined by Common Sense. And Maps.
The following is a map of the “Eastern Suburbs” as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which publishes the Census:
Screen shot of a map of the Eastern Suburbs from the ABS website.

Not only that, an interactive map showing the memberships of the eastern suburbs area, as sent to this writer at the start of the season from a reader called Max, details fans who have a membership and have “staked their claim” by registering on the NRL’s website. Pretty shocking results in the areas the ABS has designated the Eastern Suburbs:
Screenshot from NRL.com.

Certainly a lot of Roosters emblems on that map, isn’t there?
Under every metric, using every map and anecdote, many of the areas that play in the Souths Juniors competition are Roosters areas, or at the very least should be. Therefore, an Easts junior rugby league program has all the makings and areas to begin again, should the Souths juniors leagues club allow it.
Heck, we just proved that the fanbase in the area is pro-Roosters.
A new ESJRLFC. And a new territory to claim following its abandonment by Souths.
So if the Easts juniors competition were to start again, clubs that should come under the league’s remit would be the Coogee Dolphins, Coogee-Randwick Wombats, Bondi United, Clovelly Crocodiles, Kensington Saints, Kensington United, Maroubra Lions, St Charles and the Paddington Tigers.
These areas were removed from the eastern suburbs umbrella despite all evidence pointing to the areas being part of Easts.
And from what I am hearing, many clubs would be happy to leave.
Anecdotally, this writer recalls hearing the story of a Souths juniors board meeting when the Roosters signed Braith Anasta, a Maroubra Lions junior. Board members and stakeholders were up in arms about the signature, claiming it was “another slap to the face” and all that shit. They threatened to kick all the Roosters’ junior clubs out of their league.
Well, the manager of one of those Roosters clubs, who shall remain nameless as will the club, was in attendance along with the heads of the remaining juniors clubs. He told the packed room of rabid fans that “Fine, we’ll leave: but we are taking our money with us”.
The league quickly reconsidered its bitter, twisted and ridiculous threat.
If a junior league is formed under the Easts umbrella, perhaps it’s high time to re-draw the territories and provide clubs — Roosters or not — with an out, rather than the clubs being threatened to be expelled whenever Souths Juniors higher-ups throw a tantrum.
We can start by declaring Redfern a Roosters territory. Yes, I said it.
Redfern Oval. Source: City of Sydney.

The Souths club are aiming to move their training grounds to Heffron Park in Maroubra, meaning the training facilities at Redfern Oval will be abandoned and, with the senior’s leagues club being placed in administration, would literally have no footing in their “traditional heartland”.
They will play all their games 20km west out at Homebush, and be based at Maroubra. There is nothing keeping the area under the Rabbitohs remit besides some soon-to-be-irrelevant discussions of the area being the Rabbitohs’ “spiritual home”.
With Redfern being the suburb next to the “latte-sipping” hipster-lovin’ Surry Hills area, a suburb synonymous with the Roosters, the area is more Rooster than Bunny anyway. The coffee shops sell good coffee, they have hipster restaurants like the Milk Bar and hipster pubs like The Norfolk.
If the Bunnies are determined to get out of the area, then the Roosters are entitled to take it.
UPDATED: a previous version of this article doubled up by saying both the Coogee Wombats and Coogee-Randwick would come under the Roosters’ remit. Those clubs are one and the same.

[JB_Cloey]

Great blog.

So to update now, Paddo Tigers are sadly gone. Paddo Colts are back, but have basically cannibalised existing players from other clubs rather than recruit new players.

While on one hand it injected life back into Easts juniors, on the other hand it left a lot of ill will with teams that had players move out. This might have contributed to the problem with souths - noting some people with stronger views and their comments earlier in the thread....

Another thing that easts should do if souths doesn't retracts is to aggressively poach the souths affiliated clubs mentioned above that are geographically in the east, and try to set up a new comp with them.

If Easts play it right and ignore the politics that souths are so hamstrung by, then it can end up with a stronger comp than the one run by souths.

Wouldn't it be ironic if souths end up having to merge with Wests Tigers as a result.....

[Kingbilly]

seems like there are lots of drugs being smoked in the last couple of days

[GRC]

As someone with a kid who plays for one of the teams, the following email was sent out recently by the club secretary. I've blanked out the team's name, but it is obvious which team it isn't.

SEASON 2017

Following the recent press articles, talk and social media, I am sure many of you have heard about the dispute between South Sydney Juniors and The Sydney Roosters. Whilst South Sydney are painted the villains the responsible parties, by their actions, are actually the Sydney Roosters and the Paddington Colts, a newly reformed Club. Negotiations are still ongoing and Sydney Roosters are aware of what needs to be done. Therefore please do not address any complaints to South Sydney as this year they have supported XXXX above and beyond what was required. In contrast XXXX received no support from the Sydney Roosters.

Not withstanding, be assured XXXX will be playing Rugby League in 2017.

[milanja]

As someone with a kid who plays for one of the teams, the following email was sent out recently by the club secretary. I've blanked out the team's name, but it is obvious which team it isn't.

SEASON 2017

Following the recent press articles, talk and social media, I am sure many of you have heard about the dispute between South Sydney Juniors and The Sydney Roosters. Whilst South Sydney are painted the villains the responsible parties, by their actions, are actually the Sydney Roosters and the Paddington Colts, a newly reformed Club. Negotiations are still ongoing and Sydney Roosters are aware of what needs to be done. Therefore please do not address any complaints to South Sydney as this year they have supported XXXX above and beyond what was required. In contrast XXXX received no support from the Sydney Roosters.

Not withstanding, be assured XXXX will be playing Rugby League in 2017.

If true, it is the same as what happened many years ago, with most of the junior teams happy to be offloaded to the souths juniors, because easts didn't look after them.

If i was a souths supporter i would want easts out of the comp also, and pretty sure vice versa.

[novice chook]

As someone with a kid who plays for one of the teams, the following email was sent out recently by the club secretary. I've blanked out the team's name, but it is obvious which team it isn't.

SEASON 2017

Following the recent press articles, talk and social media, I am sure many of you have heard about the dispute between South Sydney Juniors and The Sydney Roosters. Whilst South Sydney are painted the villains the responsible parties, by their actions, are actually the Sydney Roosters and the Paddington Colts, a newly reformed Club. Negotiations are still ongoing and Sydney Roosters are aware of what needs to be done. Therefore please do not address any complaints to South Sydney as this year they have supported XXXX above and beyond what was required. In contrast XXXX received no support from the Sydney Roosters.

Not withstanding, be assured XXXX will be playing Rugby League in 2017.

The Vermin are so good at playing the victim, no doubt from years of experience. And always ready to paint Easts as the villains.

There should be a chapter in the Rusty's Book of Feuds about it.

I suspect that letter has been drafted by the Vermin (probably Fat Richo himself), and the clubs 'encouraged' to copy it onto their letterhead and send it out if they want to continue playing in the Vermin competition.

It's a shame that politics and power is getting in the way of kids just wanting to play footy. Both the Vermin and the Roosters should be doing all they can to sort this out, both financially and strategically.

[GRC]

The Vermin are so good at playing the victim, no doubt from years of experience. And always ready to paint Easts as the villains.

There should be a chapter in the Rusty's Book of Feuds about it.

I suspect that letter has been drafted by the Vermin (probably Fat Richo himself), and the clubs 'encouraged' to copy it onto their letterhead and send it out if they want to continue playing in the Vermin competition.

It's a shame that politics and power is getting in the way of kids just wanting to play footy. Both the Vermin and the Roosters should be doing all they can to sort this out, both financially and strategically.

If you knew the club secretary involved, there is no way he would let anyone tell him what to say. He would've hated writing that in the email.

[Johnny Tobin]

If you knew the club secretary involved, there is no way he would let anyone tell him what to say. He would've hated writing that in the email.

So what is the club that you have blacked out? And who is this secretary that is sucking up to Souffs Juniors and pissing all over Easts?

[GRC]

So what is the club that you have blacked out? And who is this secretary that is sucking up to Souffs Juniors and pissing all over Easts?

And you wonder why I didn't post the team name. Maybe it's this sort of attitude that is causing the problem in the first place.

As I said, my kid plays for the team, if you don't believe the authenticity of the email that's your perogative. Just because it doesn't match what you want to hear doesn't mean it isn't real.

[Johnny Tobin]

And you wonder why I didn't post the team name. Maybe it's this sort of attitude that is causing the problem in the first place.

As I said, my kid plays for the team, if you don't believe the authenticity of the email that's your perogative. Just because it doesn't match what you want to hear doesn't mean it isn't real.

I don't recall saying I don't believe the email is authentic.

I am just interested to know which Easts club and administrator is selling out our club to stay in the good graces of their Souffs masters.

I'll save you the trouble. It's St Charles.

And the email is bullshit - just like Souffs Juniors reasons for doing this.

[Red.]

The bloke that runs St Charles had a beef with Paddington Colts. The email doesn't surprise me.

[Johnny Tobin]

The bloke that runs St Charles had a beef with Paddington Colts. The email doesn't surprise me.

He does.

But that doesn't excuse slotting the roosters and siding with Souffs (I know you don't think it does). What a disgrace.

He should take his shithouse club and join Souffs Juniors.

Sell out.

[Tedley]

Granted its not a good email, but he is far from the villain here. Paddington Colts are a disgrace, at least the most of the people are .
The things did to St Charles and this person particularly are in excusable.
Its a pity that the Roosters insisted on Paddo being re admitted , that are doing so much damage to our junior league.

Did you know the Colts were a Souths team when they folded. They didn't just become an Easts team playing in the Souths Comp, they jumped ship as traitors and a Souths Juniors club.

[Johnny Tobin]

Granted its not a good email, but he is far from the villain here. Paddington Colts are a disgrace, at least the most of the people are .
The things did to St Charles and this person particularly are in excusable.
Its a pity that the Roosters insisted on Paddo being re admitted , that are doing so much damage to our junior league.

Did you know the Colts were a Souths team when they folded. They didn't just become an Easts team playing in the Souths Comp, they jumped ship as traitors and a Souths Juniors club.

Can't disagree on the Colts.

But that doesn't mean Benjamin Franklin has to become a mouthpiece for Souffs Juniors.

And the "Colts" reason for throwing them out is a joke. A convenient scapegoat for someone with too much power and a vendetta against Easts. If they really are the problem throw them out - not everyone.

It's bullshit and this clown is spruiking it from inside our tent.