A Loyalty Article that Changed my mind on loyalty.

[Macarthur Saints]

Carting it up with Stevo
Written by: Geoff Stevenson
June 8th 2007 10:35 AM

Loyalty. It’s a word that has been thrown around a fair bit in the past few weeks. The mid-season player reshuffle coupled with the Knights and other teams indicating who they won’t need next year has almost everyone discussing the merits and demise of loyalty.

Personally I have a lot of trouble understanding what loyalty is considered to be in Rugby League. Is a club that has stuck with a player for over 5 years considered to be loyal? Is 8 or 10 years the right number?

Likewise, take a player that was born, bred and, up until their teenage years, developed in a town like Dubbo or Grafton. If he goes on to play 10 or so years with an NRL team, how much of a right do they have to claim them as one of their own. Players such as Willie Mason and Nathan Hindmarsh fit into this category and most fans of their clubs claim them as lifelong Bulldogs and Eels. Rugby League supporters in the Lake Macquarie and Southern Highlands districts respectively might argue that much of Mason and Hindmarsh’s skills and toughness was developed long before they moved to the big city.

The NRL, the salary cap and clubs seem to cop the brunt of the criticism surround the death of loyalty. They all play their part, but players are also a major factor in the loss of loyalty and rightfully so. If a player is developed by one club from any age and can better his opportunities and pay at another team why wouldn’t he leave. It doesn’t mean he isn’t loyal to his club, it’s probably that he is more loyal to his family and wants to chase his dream.

Likewise if a club decides that they must cut a number of players in order to improve their chances of success then why not. Sure they might not win the premiership in the next season but only one team a year can enjoy success to that degree.

And this is where the debate on loyalty becomes even murkier. If fans demand the return of loyalty in their clubs would they be willing to forgo top four or top eight spots or even a premiership to achieve it? I doubt it. Most fans want success or progress from their club and the releasing of dozens of reserve quality players every season highlights that loyalty isn’t their greatest concern.

Nor do fans cry foul when their team signs a star player. Sure many Newcastle fans were upset in the past fortnight, but if their coaching staff has got it right, and the Knights improve their performance in the next few seasons, then the tooing and froing of the past month will be quickly forgotten.

Just look at the Sea Eagles. A well balanced team, plenty of Manly juniors in the squad, but it’s their ‘purchased’ players that have made the difference in the past few seasons. The end result is players such as Ben Kennedy, Travis Burns, Michael Monaghan, Brent Kite, Matt Orford and Steven Bell are eventually considered as ‘locals’ in the Northern Beaches. Even if they don’t win a premiership, Manly fans will appreciate that their club is doing everything they can to get one.

And that’s ultimately where the loyalty debate needs to be focused: on the loyalty our fans have to their clubs. We fans have good reason to be proud of our commitment to our club. The kind of commitment that makes us upset when we’re unsure if our club is making the right decisions. And the commitment that will see us supporting our team to the end, bad decisions or not.

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[yeenar69]

Is success really measured by winning a Premiership ???? ywah sure WT won in 2005 but I beleive that they are having more success in developing their juniors sadly we are seeing some of their younfer players playing well at other clubs in FG these days

[Scorger Man]

big post, shit I dunno if I can top it. I agree, although I said what I said about changing clubs I agree that in the end it's up to the player and what they can get offered.

I think the NRL can take a leaf out of the AFL's book though and encourage players to either study or start businesses while they can. Like we all know, a players lifespan ain't that long and I think they need to start thinking about it. There is enough oportunity out there for them so I ain't feeling sorry for them, I just hope they got their shit together now so they can perform for the rest of their lives post footy