Frankenstien's monster

Discussion on anything to do with Melbourne Storm - games, players, rumours - anything!
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Cameron
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The greatest problem for the Melbourne Storm is we are an outpost

And we have been treated with great disdain by the NRL and News Corp who actually own the game. They have done nothing to try and make the game prosper in the city of Melbourne.

No matter the premierships (some they have taken from us but not other teams who have had salary cap breaks) or the great underpinning people behind and infront of the scenes at the Melbourne Storm; eventually we are treated like we started out as. As a Frankenstiens monster that good too big, too success, too good, too professional for the head office people at the NRL and News Corp and they have tried everything in their power to bring us down.

Look at the commentary esp on Foxtel, it is seriously biased against the Storm.

Eniis, Glasnier, Alexander less so Walters and Roach. Gus Gould is terrible in the way he barracks against the Storm. He just can;t help himself. You would never eve hear the AFL commentators on any channel barrack against the Sydney Swans or the GWS.

And just like the Gold Coast teams; eventually players want to go somewhere else. Yes, Cameron and Billy stayed. But virtually everyone else has gone back somewhere else or is thinking about it. The kiwis want to go home. The sydneysiders want to go home and the queenslanders want to go to sydney where they can subsidie their money by making tv appearances.

And the absolute hate that gets spewed towards Cameron Smith is disgusting. The whole 60 minutes thing, the whole Cameron referees every game. It starts off as a laugh and then is turned into a serous credibility bashing session. The hate that gets spewed towards Cameron by a totally biased media is terrible.

I fear if Munster leaves, with Billy and Cameron going, we will be a shell team. A feeder Club for others who pick and choose the players they want whenever they want.

Yes we have had success on the field and yes we have developed a great culture as a team off it. But substantially we are caught between two cities that hate each other. Melbourne people are born and breed AFL and unless the Storm are successful they will turn off immediately. Sydney people want to bash the Storm because they represent something they hate. The game moving forward and away from bring sydney centric. Sydney people dont want a national game; they want a sydney game with maybe the Brisbane Broncos thrown.

just look at the way the Sydney Liberal political mafia implode in Canberra all the time is enough of a reference to see what and how Sydney people operate.

As Rothfield said last night on NRL 360, I fear for the Melbourne Storm, they are in a lot of trouble. He didn't mean the injuries and suspensions form this week; he meant the long term prosperity and yes we can go around and play with the best coach in the NRL (how lucky we were to get Bellyache) but if players leave at the drop of the hate then Melbourne fans who only have a cordial interest in the game will fall away.

The game itself is in a lot of trouble. meanwhile AFL, basketball and soccer just get bigger and bigger across Australia with a vision of a national identity.

NRL, the N should be taken out. It is the sydneycentric and Brisbane Broncos RL

Even the decision not to have a second team out of Brisbane is ludicrous

We are playing a game on other peoples terms and conditions (as proven when we got our premierships stolen) and that means it never will be a level playing field or fair. We are being used like a mouse by a cat . Just for sport and someone elses fun.

There is no one at NRL headquarters or at News Corp in our corner fighting for us.
aussiestorm
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Phil Rothfield is a hate mongerer not only to Storm but anywhere he can get a sensational line in. It would be the biggest backward step ever to not have a competitive storm outfit. Sure the bulk of commentators hate us as their blood runs in Sydney colours however over the next several years I expect to see more retired Storm players in the media.

Most times I watch games on TV I tend to turn the sound off as it makes me sick to the stomach to listen to the commentators blow up about a perceived Storm forward pass or a supposed penalty not given against us (Chambers would have got life based on their comments last week). Yet at the same time, a "giggle" when the opposition gets away with something blatant ie last week with the Eels non-try.

I don't believe the Storm is an outpost for players coming here. Look at the recent survey of players when asked which club would they play for if not their own, Melbourne rated in the top two. We forget that one big advantage of playing for the Storm is not being recognised as much when you are out and about (the amount of Sydney players that are harassed by opposition supporters in their own City or abused by their own supporters).

Opposition supporters hating us (of course when you are successful like us). But read any other game report (not involving us) and they hate each other just as much.

I am very confident that Storm will continue to thrive and survive. Whilst we may not have the highest number of paid up supporters I would say over 90% of Melbourne love and follow the Storm. Over the years whenever I have gone to a game and parked at the MCG, on the way back if the footy is finished 50 people want to know how the Storm went.

Sure at some stage we may have a few lean years again. But the Storm will remain. Rothfield saying he is worried for the Storm, he should be worried more about some of the Sydney clubs.
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mystormboys
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Well said Aussiestorm
Cameron
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So basically, you are giving me the – We will endure speech. But will we prosper? To just be enduring is not enough. Because that is on their terms and conditions and not ours.

We will be set up a bit like the New Zeeland Warriors are set up in New Zeeland as a punching bag and really not convincing anyone in New Zeeland to support rugby league, infact emphasising why people should stay rugby union tragic. Because the NRL does not really support the New Zeeland Warriors and the Warriors haven’t had gods own luck to stumble upon two or three of the best players of all time. The Warriors will always be what the Melbourne Storm will become, and mark my words it will happen, just a club that makes up the numbers and no one in a decision-making position within the NRL really cares about. ???

Where is the NRL’s 5-year plan of expansion so again as I say, they can put the N into NRL.

At the moment the NRL and the Newscorp and Foxtel media are so incredibly biased it doesn’t matter and not only that they don’t care if they are biased and cant even see this as a problem if they are trying to expand the game. Now I hate comparing NRL to AFL but the AFL go out of their way to make interstate teams especially in growth markets feel included and see the game from the team from the interstate markets perspective. I listened to the Brisbane v Collingwood game a couple of weeks ago and you would swear that the commentators were barracking for Brisbane who are the growth corridor team rather than Collingwood, who are the established team with the bigger supporter base and backing almost like the AFL have told them to do it.

From day dot, we have had everything throw in the path of our progression forwards. And now unless we can replace Billy and Cameron with some sort of faces that everybody recognises and endures then we will go backwards. If you had anyone other than Billy or Cameron walk down the streets of Frankston or Point cook or Sunshine, no one would know them or care about them. Yes, there are some players who crave animonity for a while but if you can get some profile though the NSW media, we have seen that players will transfer back up there when they get to a certain point of fascination of their careers and they can make an extra buck or set themselves up with a post playing career in the media.

Those blokes are told what to say and if you were from another country and came over and saw the Professors Last Tour, you would think “what is going on here?!?!” but you know, it is out of NSW and somebody’s mate gets to get his head on telly.

It is a constant struggle for the Melbourne Storm to get any real love at all no matter how many game we have won, we have become the instant enemy of each team and the media plays that up with the wrestling which every club and I mean every club does. But it is us, the Melbourne Storm who go lumbered with the chicken wing and this and that tackle, and even with Will Chambers, there were a lot of other tackle;s that were bad on the weekend but Will Chambers tackle was dubbed “The Crusher” and once it had a name you can bet he was doomed and then the whole history of the Melbourne Storm and it is not even the real history, it is the perceived history that has been made up in the media of us being this terrible bad bully obsessed with bringing in wrestling to the game when wrestling has been happening since 1908 and most teams do it far worse than us.

But the problem is we have no one in the NRL central to protect us and put forward our view. The Roosters and other teams have NRL heavyweights in co-operation with the club and we have no one. So as I said, when they want the NRL can treat us like a cat with a rat like they did of the premierships being taken off us when almost every other successful team in the era has been found guilty of salary cap breaches yet somehow been able to keep their flags. One rule for Sydney Clubs and one rule for us.

I think it is poor and badly done by the Sydney centric NRL administration and media outlets who are short and narrow minded to the extreme and as many have said, really struggle to run the day to day issues let alone have a manifesto for the future that could make our great game grow and prosper across Australia.

Just stay Sydney centric and force everyone else to cop it.

We are Frankienstiens monster because so far we have been created, we know who we are and we threaten our creator. Surely the struggle to be Melbourne Storm should be more than that. Just like the AFL with the Sydney Swans, which have been given preferential treatment with academies and more draft picks so the NRL should help us to grow the great game of rugby league throughout the second most populous city in Australia. Which is on the way to being the biggest.
Daeman
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TL;DR...... Get a life ya sook.
Cameron
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What does that mean, this is a serious issue and impacts us every year so it is every Melbourne Storm supporters job to make sure the set up we operate in is true and fair and we have someone at NRL head office who is in our corner and fighting for us.
Itzbek the Purple
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1. Rothfield is paid to have an opinion, not a well informed, studied and intellectual opinion, just a opinion that will please his readers.
2. Every club has it's ups and downs and so will the Storm.
3. Expecting other supporters to even respect us is absolutely laughable. Just have a look at the league unlimited forum. Every entry has a large dollop of hate against all other teams. It's probably greater against non NSW teams.
4. Broncos have had a clause in their contract that prevented any rival team being set up in Brisbane.
5. It's not unreasonable to expect every commentator to have a bias for their home team. It happens in every single sporting broadcast I've ever seen or heard in any sport or any country.
6. NRL is a business. As in any business, they will all be in your corner as long us you generate income.
7. You support your team through membership, support at the games, merchandise or conversation with any one who will listen, whether through the Bellamy years or the Murray years. That way they will endure.
8. Frankenstein not Frankienstien.
Cameron
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I think those are fine points but there is a bigger issue here. I think we have faced down the barrel of the beast and had almost every single kitchen utensil thrown at us and given no respect. And I reckon that isnt right. All the points you raise are not good things. And they should not happen. Seriously is that the world you really want to live in. think about it.

A world where bullies just bully whomever they like. Think about it.

It is time we implemented change in the way that only Victorians can in this great country of ours. All the things you talk about are so New South Wales but now it is time to ump that past and that sad sad history and dream it up again and dream it up ina level and fair playing field. Where everyone gets opportunity.

As for the Brisbane Broncos, why are they dictating to anyone? Why are they not being told, this is what is best for Rugby League. Not You. Not selfish little old you.

And this is why we need a new commissioner and a new commission who can at least smell the flowers and rip it all up and rework it so it is a level playing field not only for us but for certain other Sydney teams who can never get off the bottom meanwhile other teams just buy their way to success and everyone turns a blind eye.

As for biased commentators, so where are ours. Why dont Foxtel have a Melbourne Storm direct commentary of Melbourne Storm games by ex Melbourne Storm players being biased to the Melbourne Storm directly for Melbourne Storm supporters. Maybe head by someone like Robbie Kearns. Why cant we get some of that....

because everyone else has

and with the drivel that Foxtel put out like the Professors tour, they could easily do something more specific for fans who are sick of listening to Ennis Gasiner and Alexander barrack for the Opposition EVERY single game.

You see, your version of the world is not a fair one and we just accept rather than fight; one where we just sit here and get bullied and accept the punishment. But that is not the way the world is or has to be.

We need to energise ourselves and emancipate ourselves to fight the good fight and tell the world we are not going to be bullied or treated like scum again.

WE are the Melbourne Storm, WE are as mad as hell and WE are not taking it any more.

O0

We are the Champions and We deserve better.
SunshineCoastStormer
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Wel said Cameron

You either mull under the rock and feel done to or get out there and force positive change...

It’s cool to be loved to be hated especially if you are top dog or amongst the games elite...

For some of the specific points:

Rothfield - who cares? Cronulla loving NSW bummer. I’ve renamed that show NSW 360 when I talk about it thankfully Ben Ikin gives it some balance. Crawley is terrible and outdated and also a Wayne Bennett /Gould lover. James Hooper talks more sense and you start to see it’s a generational thing - the older fuddies still hold their NSW bias while younger journalists and ex players tend not to be as bad

Commentary - some shockers like Gasnier and Gould but also some good neutrals who appreciate Storm like Walters, Buderus and dare I say it Ennis. As players like Cronk and maybe Slater/Smith do more media work that bias will get levelled out. There is also bias against Broncs and Cowboys too.

Future of playing staff - we have an excellent feeder system but must keep producing and giving young players the chance to show their talent. As we recruit primarily from QLD cup youngsters wise it’s only natural many of these players will want to go home at some point. We do need to improve our signing from other clubs though - Kasiano type signings can only set us back. More Finucane type signings please!

Club growth in Vic - Melbourne always will be an AFL first town so look for ways to co exist. Work with AFL to avoid major fixture clashes if possible, maybe play out in the sticks a game a year and encourage a Vic RL comp. partnership on community stuff.

I’m not worried. Sure the team is going to drop off when Smith hangs up the boots but there is also some exciting guys to come through to get excited about too.

Look up not down and forward not back...
Mattpoet
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Fox league hates us, even their grand final ads are transparently against us - they shiw the finals from 2013-2016 but ignore the current premiers :evil:
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