Super League
Throughout the mid-90's, rumours of a separate League developed into a major split of the code in Australia. With News Ltd's backing, the Brisbane Broncos and Canberra Raiders pushed hard for better input to the game, feeling that the Sydney-centric ARL was not meeting their needs. Despite all the rhetoric of better player conditions, the resultant Super League developed into a push by Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd to develop a competition that would be used as the flagship of his fledging Pay TV sports channel, Fox Sports.
The club remained solid with the ARL with only a handful of players, including Matthew Ridge, Ian Roberts and Owen Cunningham, committing to Super League.
The support for the ARL by the club during the Super League war was not rewarded during the reconciliation of the warring factions before the 1998 NRL season. Falling into financial difficulties, the club agreed to form a joint venture arrangement with the insolvent North Sydney Bears for the 2000 competition.
Read more about this topic: History Of The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Famous quotes containing the word league:
“We’re the victims of a disease called social prejudice, my child. These dear ladies of the law and order league are scouring out the dregs of the town. C’mon be a glorified wreck like me.”
—Dudley Nichols (1895–1960)