We all know how terrible the 2009 season was for the Sydney Roosters. In fact by the time you are finished reading this article its likely that one of their players will commit another crime against humanity.
So the club doesn’t know how to handle itself, that much is clear.
They have continued to allowed relaxed standards for player behavior, they have brought in players who have been sacked elsewhere for off field problems, they have misjudged the public’s reaction to all of these issues….and you get the feeling that deep down, they just don’t get it.
With all that in mind the Roosters feel like they need a fresh start, something to turn such a terrible season around, but stopping short of, ya know, sorting out the problem with their players carrying in like a fuel hungry hoard from Mad Max!
So what is the way to turn around a club? Change its name of course!
Eastern Suburbs, The Tri Colours, The Roosters, Sydney City, Sydney…..its all been done before, but this is a new one.
Now the club is thinking of changing its name to the Bondi Roosters. They have floated the idea in the media today, they are likely to do some market research and see how it sits with their five fans, and if it all goes how they want it too, they will make the switch.
Now, in isolation, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea really.
In such a spread out, tribal city such as Sydney, for one club to boldly proclaim the entire city as its own is ridiculous. Especially one that has so few fans!
The Roosters traditional heartland is Bondi. In fact their Leagues club is located in Bondi itself.
The name change would help with marketing you would imagine. The Sydney Roosters are the soulless plaything of a few rich men, however the Bondi Roosters would actually be able to have the backing of a community, and that has to be of some help to the club.
On top of that, Bondi is a world famous area, sure its only for the beach, but it’s still famous. People buy Bondi labeled gear every day, so why not buy a Bondi Roosters top?
So yes, over all, its a sound idea, however to use it as a band aid measure to cover over the festering, bleeding wound that is the culture of the Roosters, its cynical, its shallow and once again its completely misses the point.
Had the club cleared out all of the idiots, saked the CEO who made such a mess of everything, put forward this name change and then said it would never sign another player with a record of off field stupidity, I’d say it was great.
However this move is just trying to get away from the fact that the Roosters have some major problems with player discipline.
Until they sort that out, no one really cares what they call themselves. They could be the Mars Roosters, they are still that club that took the wooden spoon in 2009 but who topped the court appearance table by a record margin!
