and no wonder why....
Roos an endangered species10 June 2006 Herald Sun
Mike Sheahan
THE Kangaroos are at crisis point. Probably at the most critical juncture in their VFL-AFL history.
They are floundering on the field (2-8), tracking towards their worst finish in more than 20 years.
It is an unexpected complication to familiar problems with membership, corporate support and exposure.
Despite best endeavours, admirable spirit and a willingness to explore every suggestion, the Roos are losing their battle.
They continue to carry a debt of $3.5-4 million, there has been a 25 per cent attrition rate in membership this year and there's a growing identity problem.
The tell-tale signs are subtle, yet profound: a diminishing presence at games; the number of blue and white jumpers on young backs; what we don't read, hear and see about players; the indecision over whether to stay with Canberra as a second home or move yet again, this time to the Gold Coast.
There is a disturbing level of indifference towards the Kangas. Newspapers rarely carry feature stories on players; no letters to the editor; the major television programs such as The Footy Show seem to ignore them as prospective guests; they are rarely heard at peak times on radio.
While the Roos-Sydney game in Canberra last Sunday drew almost 15,000 people, observers estimated Sydney supporters made up 75 per cent of the crowd.
The club used to boast more ambassadors than the national capital. Circumstances have changed the profile of some – Simon Crean, for example – but where have the others gone?
While Trevor Marmalade and Sam Kekovich continue to fly the flag, Ricky Ponting is one of the few fresh faces.
The Australian captain has genuine passion for his club, wherever he is in the world, and happily does anything asked of him.
If the Roos didn't have such a fine history of defying the odds, if we didn't admire them for their bravery and brilliance through the 1990s, they might be termed an irrelevance.
Chief executive Geoff Walsh angrily rejects that notion, yet is willing to classify the immediate future as "challenging".
"We're a club that will continue to be challenged; we're running a break-even business," he says.
Walsh, who has led the resistance movement for the past four years, said the Roos were enduring their worst start to a season in 20 years, adding: "You can bounce back pretty quickly if you make the right decisions."
He said the administration and coach Dean Laidley retained the passion to do what had to be done.
But do they have the time to rebuild?
It was Laidley who famously told the Herald Sun in October last year: "As much as St Kilda got their priority picks and the Bulldogs got their priority picks, we can't do that.
"If we did that for two years, (it would be) go and shut the doors."
He will have regretted saying that, but it was justification in part back then for the decisions to draft players, including Jonathan Hay, from other clubs.
So, where to from here for the Roos? Walsh says the redevelopment of Arden St is a major advance that will boost morale in all sections of the club.
While they are a chance to win their next three games, it now is a story more about a club's future than how many wins it can muster in a season.
The Kangaroos want to remain a Melbourne-based club, with a presence in Canberra or on the Gold Coast.
Given the AFL's commitment to develop south-east Queensland and the Roos' needs, it is likely they will forsake Canberra for the Gold Coast from next year.
Walsh said: "It's fair to say the decision on where we play will be significantly influenced by what the AFL will offer in a partnership sense."
The Roos, who previously tried and failed in Sydney, are going to have to address the thorny issue of relocation as a matter of urgency.
They need to bargain with the AFL from a position of some strength, not waste away like Fitzroy did, losing all bargaining power in the process.
Walsh and former chairman Allen Aylett have fought bravely, but Aylett stepped aside in favour of Racing Victoria chairman Graham Duff after 50 years as a player and official.
Hard to see Duff giving the same time, passion and level of commitment to his secondary interest.
Walsh, who has been acknowledged by the AFL for his work at Arden St, says he still enjoys the challenge.
Significantly, he adds: "Sometimes you look at other clubs and you wonder what life would be like in someone else's shoes.
"Is the whole North Melbourne community tired of continually supporting the team against the odds? Can your supporter base run out of steam?"
The flood waters keep rising for all: a hard-working administration, a player group struggling to replicate heroic deeds of their predecessors, a frustrated senior coach whose torment is so painfully obvious.
The Southport Sharks are understood to have made a written offer to the Roos this week to play three games on the Gold Coast from next year.
It must become more tempting by the day.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,19419681%255E19742,00.html
