Friday, August 15, 2008

Souths' pokie plan flawed from start, byRay Chesterton - The Daily Telegraph - 15 August 2008

There must be a special place in the heaven of the naive for Souths supporters who really believed the leagues club could survive without poker machines.

We can only hope Souths supporters never receive those imaginative emails saying that sending your banking details will trigger the release of millions of dollars to you.

It would create embarrassing dislocation.

The "no pokies" policy at Souths Leagues Club will be rejected by members today at a meeting at the Redfern Town Hall.

The meeting cannot be held at the leagues club. It's closed with no obvious date for re-opening.

The formal defeat of such a illogical, pompously high-minded and morally judgmental - yet fatally flawed - concept was inevitable.

Geez, Souths supporters, haven't you been burned enough by the languid web-spinning of fractured fairy tales?

I don't have any time for poker machines but they are not necessarily the mechanical manifestations of the devil that some people claim.

Poker machines have been an integral part of Sydney's rugby league infrastructure for more than half a century. In a game that was driven by money for payments to players, transfer fees and increasing administration they became increasingly vital.

It was poker machine cash from St George Leagues Club, an edifice so lavish and ahead of its time it was called the Taj Mahal, that bought the players who won 11 titles in a row.

Poker machines also enabled club boards to sponsor cheaper meals and drinks, donate to charities and underwrite community sport and social projects - until the Carr Government allowing them in pubs and profits dropped.

Poker machines have been a river of gold in rugby league. Suddenly cutting off the financial drip - at any club - was at best unrealistic and at worst financially suicidal.

Yet Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court did just that, ignoring reality as they verbally spun straw into gold and filled the air with more dreams of heaven on earth than a TV evangelist.

No mention of what would replace the million dollars a year the leagues club provided to the football club.

Except it would not be coming out of their pockets. All they offered was haze and an obscure future.

One plan was to entice a restaurateur to open a fish cafe in the leagues club that would appeal to families.

"A place where families can gather for good food and conversation (without) the distracting din of pokies," Russell wrote to members.

Does Russell know the price of a good fillet of snapper, let alone barramundi?

Take your family to a feed of fish and you'd have to win a jackpot on the pokies to play the bill.

There was talk of a "club with no pokies" page on Facebook - an internet site perhaps not known to all of Souths' often economically challenged supporters.

Surely, Souths, you've had enough of this nonsense.

Holmes a Court and Crowe swept across Souths like a hot dry wind, searing every aspect of the club's culture into scorched earth.

Redfern Oval is gone. Souths' home ground is now the cavernous ANZ Stadium, which it shares with other clubs - ending a century of individuality.

The leagues club and the team, after an appalling start, are out of semi-final negotiations despite a praiseworthy recovery.

You need new heroes Souths. It won't be George Piggins. He's unavailable.

But you better find someone quick. Last year Souths lost $4 million despite making the final eight.

This year's losses will be worse.

And all is silence from Crowe and Holmes a Court.

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