WARL Chief On Warpath

[shasta]

WARL Chief On Warpath - I probably agree with David Gallop here. An NRL side would be OK by me but Perth is..........

FORCE TERRITORY!!!

The comparison of the win/loss ratio of the Reds to that of our Force boys is ludicrous. As is the assertion that the Reds are a "top level" football club.

See Video of Gallop Interview on the Footy Show - WA Reds Rugby League - News



Geoff Baldwin, Chairman of the WA Rugby League and the WA Reds, today called for Perth’s Rugby League supporters to stand up and be counted following David Gallop’s write off of Perth on the NRL Footy Show last night.

In his interview David Gallop discounted Perth as a possible contender for an NRL team by 2012 and this flies in the face of logic and is typical of the apparent ignorance to what is happening on the ground in Perth, Mr Baldwin said.

“If Perth fans are serious about wanting top level Rugby League back in Perth the time has come for them to vote with their feet by attending our last two WA Reds games starting Saturday 16th August at Lark Hill Sports Complex, a game hosted by Rockingham Coastal Sharks.

“I have a lot of respect for David Gallop and don’t envy his job managing the day to day demands of the National Rugby League but with respect, he seems to demonstrate little empathy with Rugby League anywhere outside the “heartland” of NSW, QLD and to a lesser degree Victoria.

“His negative comments regarding the chances of Perth having its own team in the National Rugby League, although they took no more than a few seconds, have the capacity to severely undermine years of work by a team of passionate, dedicated people, totally savage our credibility as the State Rugby League body and destroy the confidence of our fan base.

“To herald that Perth won’t be ready for an NRL team by 2012 based on the fact that we only had 4 to 5,000 people to our local grand final is about as relevant as the Central Coast having half that number to it’s grand final, keeping in mind that David is openly touting a team in that location.

“Surely if we attract that number to the WA Rugby League grand final, a level of competition that they do not even rate in the eastern states, then it stands to reason that we would attract at least twice or three times that to NRL games.

“Anyway, the argument is redundant as we have always averaged in excess of 9,000 people to NRL games, our record is around 30,000 people and we collectively attracted over 23,000 people to the trial and competition games we hosted as recently as 2005. In fact our demonstrated average crowds are better than many established NRL sides.

“The harsh reality is, like anywhere in Australia, significant crowds will not eventuate unless they have access to the top level of competition so, instead of dismantling years of hard work and planning with a few flippant comments I would encourage the NRL to take a more open minded and inclusive attitude to the game nationally.

“The wise men from the east said the Reds would not win a game in its first year however with 5 games still to play we have won 6 to this point which is twice as many as the Eagles, 2 more than the Dockers and one short of the Force.

“I expect the WA Reds, in its debut season, to finish as the most successful top level Perth football club on a win loss comparison and I believe this needs to be recognised and acknowledged by our governing bodies and a lot of other observers including the media.

“Rather than just accepting the outcome, WA Rugby League fans must stand up now and be counted and the best way to demonstrate their passion for an NRL team in Perth is to support the remaining two WA Reds games.

“Western Australian sports fans are very parochial people who do not like being judged by eastern staters and I am confident they will turn out at the Reds games and show David Gallop and other doubters that we do mean business and that we demand to be taken seriously”, Mr Baldwin said.