Hoops

Petition for change at the Taipans

"thats all well and good but what's the problem??"

Crowd numbers dropped by 5-6% this season, so there's a fairly significant problem for a start. If sponsorship/season membership drops at the same rate then there could be serious problems.
When you have high profile businessmen on the news questioning some of the business practices of the club, I tend to take notice.

"is it maybe the fan base that needs to down grade its expectations of its community owned team??"

I couldn't disagree with this statement any more. This is professional sport. It's a business. It's not under-10s where everyone gets a prize. If I'm in business and consumers believe my product is not up to standard, should I tell them to lower their expectation? No, I either improve my product to one a consumer wants to buy or I go out of business.
There's no way I will lower my expectations. I expect this team to be striving to win a championship every season. Great teams in any sporting arena despise losing - why should the Taipans and their fans accept it just because it's all warm and fuzzy to have a team in the NBL?? That sort of attitude just breeds complacency and I think that's certainly been an on-court issue for some of the players over the journey - happy to run around and take home a nice pay cheque rather than having that brutal, never-want-to-lose mentality.

I also can't buy into this argument that not spending to the cap is holding the club back. Fearne has had the ability to put together very impressive squads - and this past season pretty much every pundit and expert had the Taipans in the finals given their roster.

But now we're hearing that Loughton, Steindl, Wilson and most probably McCamey will not be back next season, for a start. So it's a rebuild again. Great teams have stability and Cairns doesn't seem to have that atm, either on or off the court.

There's no reason why the Taipans shouldn't have made the finals in the past two season given the roster they had. FFS people were saying Cairns had one of the deepest teams in the league this year!!

missed the story on tv....what was it about?

Just Me - thats all well and good but what's the problem??
if the Taipans had won the few games they lost, and did reach the finals,would there still be this movement?
im a long term season ticket holder and have watched the NBL get stronger each year(as more money is pumped in by clubs)
is it maybe the fan base that needs to down grade its expectations of its community owned team??

Re: Anonymous #467889 That fact is every "foundation" member actually does own the club - physically, mentally AND financially, AND they deserve the respect that any other owner of any other sporting club commands.

Physically - the paperwork says the foundation members own the community owned club.

Mentally - we have a great interest in what goes on at the club we actually own .. even more so because we own them.

Financially - we put up the hard earned cash to buy the club.

King Podge loves Skull? Thats scary...

Democracy Vs Dictatorship.....remember,somebody has to steer the ship otherwise it ends up like a state school P&C.....lots of people who have know idea!!

I'm just sad Mickey Rooney died with this bickering going on..... he was a massive Taipans fan.... RIP Mickey....

Anon #467976

So you're insinuating there is some kind of financial impropriety now? Come on..... The President just resigned to take a post with the NBL (he's an accountant FYI & i dont think he'd risk his business fixing the books), from what i remember the books are audited by at least 3 different organisations (one of which is the council/state gov) and the financial position is discussed openly and transparently at the AGM.

This is what i mean about the hyperbole FTW...... *sigh*

"I will say I do think that debate is always healthy, hyperbole isn't."

This is true, but differentiating between the two is sometimes blurry.

At the very least, right now, it seems the club has some work to do in reconnecting with its fan base. A lot of long-time members, fans and sponsors I speak to are disillusioned - while others like you Podge seem more than happy with the status quo.

A place like Cairns, though, can't afford to have a fractured fan base imo. Something has to give and unless these issues are sorted very quickly it could have disastrous long-term effects for the club.

My husband and I are foundation members and 'were' season ticket holders for 14 years .... never received any financial statements.

ouch..... an Anonymous calling me a chump..... whatever will I do...

Not sure what i'm denying, I thought your 'sources' would be better than that... but thanks for thinking of me.... i guess?

Oh....from the outside looking in, I don't see too much wrong....lost a few games they should've won !!

I'm not sure how you could accuse the fans of being greedy anon. They're the ones who have put in $ after $, year after year. I don't think anyone is expecting to make the grand final every year, but if the fans feel disconnected from the club then something is definitely wrong and needs to be fixed. It's a community club so they're entitled to have a sense of ownership in how it's run.

Denis Donaghy is a person who has personally pumped a LOT of money into the club, was a catalyst for both Cairns having a club in the first place and saving the club through the community model, so when he's leading the charge I tend to think something is seriously wrong.

have heard the rumblings from within....Denis is a good guy so must be something up.
Taipans fans need to understand that it is highly unlikely they will ever be in a grandfinal again,i said it then and I will say it again.

im a season ticket holder and understand the restraints on a professional sports franchise roster when there is limited funds available.
I also heard Denis is extremely critical of the performance of Alex Loughton....he obviously knows what $$ he is being paid Vs performance.

Haha I'm part of the problem?? Given I've got nothing to do with the clubs management or anything outside of being a season ticket holder, you give me far too much credit.

I'm too busy being part of other problems elsewhere.... And I'm far too busy trying to think of ways to insult wildcats fans to get involved with this.

Over the last three seasons the Taipans have the third most wins. NZB & Perth 1 and 2, then Cairns. Not a bad effort.

Sounds like TSV all over again