Fitzy sounds off!

LESStar58 · Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:41 pm

It had to happen sooner or later....

I hope this article is stuck to the locker of every Melbourne player this week!

source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 31,00.html

Fitzy throws grenade at Melbourne

Brent Read and Stuart Honeysett | September 17, 2007

ANTI-MELBOURNE crusader Denis Fitzgerald has ensured Sunday's preliminary final at Telstra Dome will be a bitter affair by again questioning whether the Storm has a future in Victoria.

Fitzgerald, the Parramatta chief executive, has been a critic of the Storm for five years, at one point comparing the promotion of rugby league in Melbourne to promoting beach volleyball in Iceland.

Yesterday, he claimed the jury was still out on the Melbourne experience despite the Storm's success in recent years.

His comments are likely to ensure the Eels receive a frosty reception when they fly to Melbourne to play in the preliminary final.

"My opinion is it's still a matter of them attracting good crowds," Fitzgerald said.

"It's a matter of whether the game is best suited having such a good team in such an area.

"It's not as if any of (the players) come from Melbourne.

"I think the majority of their supporters come from New Zealand or the northern states.

"I don't know if many AFL supporters have been converted to rugby league. I think very few."

Fitzgerald has avoided taking pot-shots at the Storm's future in recent years, although he reignited the bitterness between the clubs only last month when he sniped at Melbourne over the grapple tackle controversy.

Storm chief executive Brian Waldron, who expects a crowd in excess of 30,000 to attend Sunday's match, suggested that Fitzgerald should be concerned with his own city.

Waldron pointed out Melbourne's crowds had steadily increased in recent years, going from an average of less than 10,000 in 2005 to more than 11,000 this year.

Melbourne also sold out a State of Origin game last year at Telstra Dome, while the end-of-season Test attracted a crowd in excess of 30,000.

"It's like water off a duck's back," Waldron said yesterday of Fitzgerald's criticism.

"Denis is one voice. He's a protagonist and always has been.

"Why do you think they brought an Australia Test here? Why do you think they brought an Origin game to Melbourne?

"In his own backyard, they can't even fill the stadium for Origin games. Denis has only got to look at the last three years to see the people of Melbourne have embraced the Storm in dramatic fashion.

"He's probably dreaming of days when he could do over $1million in merchandise sales."

Former Melbourne chief executive Chris Johns, who was boss of the Storm when Fitzgerald first questioned the club's existence in 2002, was even more vitriolic.

"Poor old Denis, he's got no idea," Johns said.

"He's a dinosaur and hopefully the stone age is going to finish up sooner or later, and he'll be retired."

Fitzgerald is the longest serving administrator in the game - he has been at the helm of the Eels since 1978 - but Johns said he had very little to show for it since winning a string of premierships in the 1980s. "He's had the most money and the most resources out of any of the Sydney clubs to succeed and has done nothing," Johns said.

"Melbourne has gone ahead in leaps and bounds since I was there. We put some good foundations down but they have actually built a 10-storey building on top of it. The luckiest thing we've got is that Denis Fitzgerald is not running the NRL."

Fitzgerald's criticism of the Storm began in 2002, when he predicted the club would be axed from the NRL, citing its failure to capture the imagination of the Melbourne people.

Three years ago he declared the Storm should be shut down and moved to the Gold Coast, while a year later he said Melbourne didn't deserve to be in the NRL.

Fitzgerald said the real test for the Storm would be when its new stadium was built. Work has begun on the facility and it is due for completion in time for the 2010 season.

"That will be the defining thing," Fitzgerald said.

"Even when they won the competition in 1999 their crowds didn't grow."

Fitzgerald also taunted Melbourne over playing the game at Telstra Dome, pointing out the Eels had won their only previous game played at the venue, 54-10 in 2001.

In a pointed reference to the Storm's regular home ground of Olympic Park, which has often been criticised over its dimensions, Fitzgerald said it would be good to play on a "full-sized field".

Waldron replied: "Given he is the doyen of rugby league, maybe he will come down and mark the pitch himself."

I know the Broncos tried it and it didn't work and it's all mind games really but I hope we lima lima lima duck take the Eels apart and send the smary prick home with his tail between his legs!

LESStar58 · Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:44 pm

Also from today's Herald-Sun

source: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/ ... 23,00.html

Telstra Dome ground dimensions to be looked at

Dean Ritchie

September 17, 2007 12:00am
THE NRL was last night asked to ensure the ground dimensions at Telstra Dome for Sunday's preliminary final between Melbourne Storm and Parramatta are legal.

Parramatta chief executive Denis Fitzgerald has submitted a request that the game's governing body oversee ground markings to make sure they meet guidelines.

Storm's regular home ground, Olympic Park, is short in width and in-goal depth.

Melbourne has won 30 of its past 31 matches at the venue.

But Fitzgerald said Melbourne should, like all other teams, play on a full-size field in the finals. "Melbourne is the only team that has a home ground which is a mini-field," Fitzgerald said.

"I will be requesting that the NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley do a survey on the ground to ensure Telstra Dome meets the minimum requirements in terms of width and in-goal depth."

Storm chief executive Brian Waldron fired a shot back at Fitzgerald. "Given Denis's concerns, we welcome him down to Melbourne as early as possible this week to mark the ground himself," Waldron said last night.

Fantastic retort by Waldron!

All in favour of burning and/ort lynching Fitzy in effigy on Sunday raise your hands!

Andy · Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:47 pm

Let's burn him at the stake!

LESStar58 · Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:52 pm

Gotta love THIS quote

Dickhead Fitzwanker wrote:It's a matter of whether the game is best suited having such a good team in such an area.

Exactly. Fitzy would kill for a team that talented.

Silly prick. Spent all that money on players (Dymock, Pay, McCracken, Ritson) in 96 and again in 05 (Pig, Morra and Tinkerbell) and still has nothing to show for it!

Fitzy, literally, hasn't been able to buy a premiership since 1986!

Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:53 pm

Ah fantastic stuff, once again Fitzy proves that he has no brain. :lol:

LESStar58 · Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:54 pm

Andy wrote: Let's burn him at the stake!

Bugger that. I wanna gouge out his eyes and piss in the sockets!

Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:55 pm

Denis is either very smart (to get people talking about him & Parra) or very stupid.... I'll go with stupid :lol:

As Johnsy said, he's got no idea and he's older than me so he must be a dinosaur!!! ;-)

I can only hope and pray to the gods of all that is decent and good that him & his team are sent packing with their nuts in slings on Sunday nite!!! :P

mrpc · Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:00 pm

So you have to be born somewhere to truly count as a supporter of a club.

Can someone remind me, how many immigrants live in Parramatta?

LESStar58 · Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:01 pm

I'm waiting for Bunnies' input on this subject! ;D

MENACING*STORM · Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:05 pm

LESStar58 wrote: Fantastic retort by Waldron!

All in favour of burning and/ort lynching Fitzy in effigy on Sunday raise your hands!

Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:27 pm

Andy wrote: Let's burn him at the stake!

We don't want to kill him (Parra might start winning things if he departs) ... can't we just cut out his voice box and cut off his genitals?

BTW I'll have my "Enjoy Iceland" banner back in Melbourne again.

Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:41 pm

he runs his mouth but we let our boys do the talking on the field. cannot wait for this weekends game.

Diehard_Storm · Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:43 pm

Storm by 50..

Dani_ · Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:13 pm

LESStar58 wrote: "I think the majority of their supporters come from New Zealand or the northern states.

"I don't know if many AFL supporters have been converted to rugby league. I think very few."

Lets take a count.

Including my friends and family it's already up to 16. How about you guys?

He makes me want to kick him square in the testicles

Andy · Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:18 pm

What about sticking an electric eel up his date?

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Fitzy sounds off!