Gold Coast sports curse

Does the Gold Coast sports curse exist?

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GC2015

GC2015

Norm Smith Medallist
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May 27, 2013
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Gold Coast
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_sports_curse

I was reading the above link earlier this morning and started thinking that perhaps we Gold Coasters also have a sports curse. I probably don't need to tell most of you that the premiership/championship drought in major sports for the Gold Coast currently stands at 27 years and is very likely to tick over to 28 in 2 weeks. Here are the pro teams we have had in national competitions so far.

VFL/AFL: Brisbane Bears (Carrara) 1987-1992
NSWRL/NRL: Gold Coast Giants/Seagulls/Chargers (Tweed/Carrara) 1988-1998
ABL: Gold Coast Clippers/Dolphins/Cougars (Carrara/Palm Meadows) 1989-1999
NBL: Gold Coast Cougars/Rollers (Carrara) 1990-1996
NRL: Gold Coast Titans (Carrara/Robina) 2007-present
NBL: Gold Coast Blaze (Broadbeach) 2007-2012
A-League: Gold Coast United (Robina) 2009-2012
AFL: Gold Coast Suns (Carrara) 2011-present

The baseball team did actually win two championships in the 90s but I don't consider that to be a major sport in Australia and I'd be very surprised if many people on the Gold Coast even knew they won those titles. Funny piece of trivia - the Gold Coast Cougars baseball team won the last ABL championship in 1998-1999 on what is now the GWS Giants' home ground.

It's an interesting history if you look into it. One of the biggest controversies to do with the Cleveland sports curse happened when owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore. This can be directly related to owner Reuben Pelerman's decision to move the Bears to Brisbane in 1992. Sure, there was no where near as much opposition to the move but there would have been a small group of people very sad to see them leave Carrara. We might even have a few of them on this very forum.

Poor results also seem to be a theme of Gold Coast teams. It's well documented that the Bears in the Carrara days were very poor performers in the competition with 2 wooden spoons, 3 second lasts and their best finish coming in 1989 when they sat 10th on the ladder, 4 spots from last. The media tried to blame it purely on the ground at the time and labelled it the "Carrara Curse" but you will see shortly that this trend is not exclusive to Carrara Stadium.

The Gold Coast Giants/Seagulls were established as a knee jerk reaction to the Broncos in 1988 and were actually based just over the border in Tweed Heads but the Gold Coast embraced them as their own. The Giants/Seagulls managed 8 years in the league which included 3 wooden spoons, 3 second lasts and 2 seasons at third last. A rebranded team known as the Chargers took up tenancy at Carrara and managed to make the Gold Coast's first ever finals appearance in a major sport in 1997. They even managed to win a finals match against Illawarra which was a first for the city but fell in the next round to the Roosters. The two other seasons saw them finish low on the ladder and they were forced to shut up shop at the end of 1998. If you're ever down Tweed Heads way you might want to stop in at the Seagulls leagues club as it still exists and competes in the local Queensland competition.

The Gold Coast Cougars/Rollers basketball team weren't much better. By the end of 1999 we had no teams left and looked like nothing more than a graveyard. It wasn't until 8 years later when the Titans entered the NRL that we had pro sport back on the coast. Then suddenly everyone wanted to jump on board. We had the NBL and A-League establish teams within 2 years of the Titans starting up and the AFL shortly to announce a new Gold Coast team as well. Things were finally looking up for the Gold Coast when it came to sport and the results were encouraging as well.

The Blaze was the first of the four new teams to make the finals in 2008 but were eliminated by Townsville in the first round. The following year we saw the Titans make the finals for the first time with a 3rd placed finish on the ladder. The double chance didn't do them any favours as they were taken out in straight sets by the Broncos and Roosters. So here we are at the end of 2009 and we still have just one victory in a finals match back in 1997. The Gold Coast United soccer team was then established and surprised a few by finishing 3rd on the ladder. Once again we would fall to Newcastle in a penalty shootout and fail to register another finals win. 3 days later the Gold Coast Blaze would play an elimination final against Perth and would also fall. How could this keep happening? Are we really cursed?

Later in 2010 the Titans would finished 4th on the ladder to reach the finals and made it a perfect 3 from 3 for our sports teams in 2010. Easily our best sports year ever. Finally the moment had come, the Titans came out the victors over the New Zealand Warriors in front of a sell out home crowd at Robina and earned a home preliminary final in the process. We'd never experienced this before, one game from a Grand Final! Could the dream really become a reality? Was the little city that couldn't about to break the preconceived ideas of its sporting prowess?

No, it wasn't. Not only did the NRL slap the team in the face by forcing them to play a home final in Brisbane but the Sydney Roosters handed our boys a belting in the biggest sports match in our history. Although disappointment was felt through all sports circles in 2010 we did have the newly established Suns in the AFL to look forward to in 2011. But first we had the Blaze and United seasons to follow in the summer months. The Blaze weren't able to return to the NBL finals but Gold Coast United were able to secure a home final with a 4th placed finish. Here we were again 5 months later hoping our soccer team could go on the dream run and win our city our first national championship/premiership in a major sport. We managed to scrape through against the Melbourne Victory with a 91st minute goal and set up a show down with Adelaide in the semifinals.

An away trip to Adelaide seemed like a daunting task but our boys showed up to play and a 79th minute goal from the local boy Shane Smeltz saw us win 3-2. So here we are again, one game from a Grand Final but this time we had to do it away. This was a big one and would set up a Grand Final against big brother Brisbane the following week. 90 minutes in Gosford could change the fortunes of Gold Coast sport forever but were we good enough? No. The Central Coast Mariners beat us 1-0 in a heartbreaking preliminary final.

We'd just experienced our best 12 months in sports ever. Our 5 season campaigns in 2010-11 had resulted in 3 preliminary finals and 1 other finals appearances. On top of that we just established a new team in the AFL. Things are looking good, right? Wrong. The Titans and Suns both finished with the wooden spoon in 2011 while Gold Coast United would pick up the city's 3rd wooden spoon in a matter of 5 months in after their 2011-12 season. The one shining light that year was the Gold Coast Blaze who fell just 1 game shy of the NBL Grand Final in 2012. Shortly after we find out the FFA had revoked the A-League licence from Clive Palmer and we no longer have a soccer team anymore. Adding injury to insult was the news that the Blaze had also been removed from the NBL. Fair to say it was a tough 12 months for us.

Later in 2012 neither the Titans or Suns made the finals and we were starting to look like the graveyard of old. Finals didn't return in 2013 either. And here we are now, 2 teams in national competitions, 2 weeks from the seasons end and very unlikely to see either team make finals. Are we cursed sports wise? I think so. We've suffered heartache for too many years for me to say otherwise. We've been 1 game from the Grand Final 4 times in 3 different sports and have fallen every time. Our 27 year journey to a Grand Final is very unlikely to end this year so our drought will stretch to at least 28 years total.

I'm hoping the Suns break this 28 year curse next year hence my username GC2015. We have waited long enough!
 
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So what you're saying is the Suns are positioned to become a glorious beacon of light in an otherwise dark world?
 
vide0n said:
So what you're saying is the Suns are positioned to become a glorious beacon of light in an otherwise dark world?
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Sure. Or the Titans. Hard to argue the Suns aren't closer to the holy grail though. I just hope someone breaks the curse soon because 30 years is too long for an entire city in any sport.
 

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28 years since the Bears were established
20 years with at least one team in the AFL/NRL/NBL/A-League
9 wooden spoons
8 finals campaigns
4 preliminary finals
0 Grand Finals
0 Premierships/Championships
 
the giant were robber by their owner and the arl closed them down because of his rorting.

the suns have a better chance of being in finals than the tittens.. all you guys need to do is to buy a few more mature guys, to help the young fellas when there is no bench, no go to man , the dig deep for the club , team and fans attitude is the only thing missing......
 
Big Red Machine said:
We are the hero this city deserves. We are the Sun. We are the Daylight.
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Yes we are!

TARGETMAN said:
the giant were robber by their owner and the arl closed them down because of his rorting.

the suns have a better chance of being in finals than the tittens.. all you guys need to do is to buy a few more mature guys, to help the young fellas when there is no bench, no go to man , the dig deep for the club , team and fans attitude is the only thing missing......
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Can you go into the Giants history a little bit more? How did they become the Seagulls?
 
GC2015 said:
Yes we are!


Can you go into the Giants history a little bit more? How did they become the Seagulls?
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seagull was the richest club in NSW before the gold coast casino opened. people used to travel from Toowoomba noosa etc to go and play the pokies. the seagulls football team, back in the 80s was tuff. john brass( easts grand final captain, john searl (Michael searls dad..Tittans ceo) . they we pretty much un beatable. the super league war started and formed the first tweed heads nrl team. seagulls sponsored them for a few years but the club was going backwards due to the casinos pokies. then a few name changes, the gc chargers, then gc giants and then gc seagulls and also I think the gc gladiators. the guy who rorted them and didn't pay the players nor the arl fees was (someone )muller. a millionare builder on the gold coast.
I guess what broke the early gold coast franchise was the lack of national sponsors. all the sponsors back then were local based companies, instead of the dick smiths, Harvey normans so to speak.
 
TARGETMAN said:
seagull was the richest club in NSW before the gold coast casino opened. people used to travel from Toowoomba noosa etc to go and play the pokies. the seagulls football team, back in the 80s was tuff. john brass( easts grand final captain, john searl (Michael searls dad..Tittans ceo) . they we pretty much un beatable. the super league war started and formed the first tweed heads nrl team. seagulls sponsored them for a few years but the club was going backwards due to the casinos pokies. then a few name changes, the gc chargers, then gc giants and then gc seagulls and also I think the gc gladiators. the guy who rorted them and didn't pay the players nor the arl fees was (someone )muller. a millionare builder on the gold coast.
I guess what broke the early gold coast franchise was the lack of national sponsors. all the sponsors back then were local based companies, instead of the dick smiths, Harvey normans so to speak.
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Ok so if we go through a little chronology of events we get a better idea of what happened.
  • Late 1987 - Brisbane Rugby League granted licence into the NSWRL. The Broncos were able to acquire a lot of the QLD State of Origin team as they had a few months head start on the Gold Coast team.
  • Early 1988 - The NSWRL contacted the unsuccessful Brisbane bid team consisting of John Sattler, Peter Gallagher and Bob Hagan to ask them if they would start a team on the Gold Coast. Of course they accepted the challenge but didn't have a lot of players left to recruit after the Broncos had virtually finalised their list. Another problem was a lack of money even from the beginning.
  • The newly formed (and privately owned) Gold Coast-Tweed Giants would play out of Seagulls Stadium in Tweed Heads, New South Wales which is located just over the Queensland-New South Wales border. The team colours were black, grey and white.
  • The Giants' financial situation was a worry for the two seasons of their existence and this probably had to do with a lack of sponsors as TARGETMAN pointed out. Their struggles on field (second last in 1988 and third last in 1989) drastically affected their crowds with the worst crowd average in 1988 and second worst in 1989.
  • By the end of 1989 it was obvious the Giants weren't going to survive. The financially well off Tweed Heads Seagulls purchased the licence in 1989 with plans to rebrand the team.
  • Early 1990 - The rebranded Gold Coast Seagulls were established and continued to play home games out of Seagulls Stadium in Tweed Heads. The team colours were black, white and red.
  • 1990 - Poor on field results and crowds continued for the Seagulls as they finished second last in both categories.
  • Late 1990 - The well off Seagulls were able to secure legendary Queenslander Wally Lewis for the 1991 season after a falling out with the Broncos. Things were looking good for the Seagulls; they now had a marquee player, a young list and were financially secure.
  • 1991 - Perhaps to everyone's surprise, the Seagulls ran last in the 1991 season but did experience a 35% increase in crowds.
  • Late 1991 - Captain Wally Lewis was appointed captain-coach of the team in a bid to turn the franchise's fortunes around.
  • February 1992 - Premier Wayne Goss legalises gaming machines in Queensland. The decision heavily affected the Seagulls as they were no longer relying on Queenslanders to feed their gaming machines.
  • 1992 - The Seagulls would again receive the wooden spoon in 1992 and this would see Wally Lewis retire from the game. The cracks were starting to form; no marquee player and poor on field results. The Seagulls did again have an increase in crowds in 1992 but that was about to plummet.
  • 1993 - The Seagulls were only able to win one game in 1993 and experienced the worst season of their existence. The crowd average dropped by 30%, the club had little money to spend on new players and they just picked up their third consecutive wooden spoon.
  • 1994 - The Seagulls would finish second last in 1994 with the one highlight being a win over the defending premiers the Brisbane Broncos in front of 22,000 people at Carrara Stadium. That one game allowed the Seagulls to experience an increase in crowds but outside of that game the crowds were worse than 1993.
  • 1995 - The Seagulls finished the season in 17th spot as they only managed four wins for the season. The bleeding finally finished at the end of 1995 as the Seagulls withdrew from the ARL competition.
  • Late 1995 - The super league war saw the creation of the Gold Coast Gladiators which was privately owned by Jeff Muller.
  • The Gladiators would base themselves at Carrara Stadium and actually managed to win the World Sevens pre-season tournament. In just two months of existence the Gladiators managed to go through several CEOs and five coaches.
  • The ARL decided to revoke the licence and even though Muller took them to court, the ARL won.
  • Early 1996 - The ARL established the Gold Coast Chargers. Wearing the colours jade, purple and gold while playing out of Carrara Stadium.
  • 1996 - The Chargers struggled for crowds in 1996 and finished 18th out of 20 teams.
  • 1997 - A split competition saw the ARL lose quite a few teams but the Chargers stayed true. The Chargers managed to finish 7th on the ladder and secure their first ever finals campaign. The Chargers managed to win one game in the finals but were knocked out in the second round. Crowds also increased 24% in 1997.
  • Late 1997 - The Chargers were to merge with the South Queensland Crushers at the end of 1997 but the deal fell through late in the year.
  • Early 1998 - The ARL and Super League merged for the 1998 season and went about culling unnecessary teams from the competition. The Chargers managed to avoid the cut for 1998.
  • 1998 - The Chargers went back to their losing ways in 1998 and finished second last on the ladder. The crowds dropped once again by 20%. During the season the Hunter Mariners attempted to merge with the Chargers and even offered the club five million dollars as insentive but the Charged turned down the offer.
  • Late 1998 - With four millions dollars in the bank, the Chargers officially disbanded in December 1998. Poor support from the community and boardroom agendas were seen to have been the big reasons the club folded.
 
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One thing is safe to say. Private ownership doesn't work on the Gold Coast and the Titans still have this problem. Skase, Pelerman, Sattler and Muller have all failed. It's probably fair to say Searle almost did the same thing to the Titans. Thank god we don't have private ownership at the suns.
 
TARGETMAN said:
gotta love wiki
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Wiki certainly played its part but some of that info was really hard to find. The Bears had similar issues when it came to private ownership with Skase and Pelerman so it wasn't exclusive to league. I hate the fact that the Gold Coast has been heartbreak city for 20+ years when it comes to sport. I just wish we had something to hang our hat on but so far we have nothing.'

You may have no idea but did the 1992 gaming machines law change result in Queenslanders going to the Southport Sharks for their pokies fix? I seem to remember reading somewhere that 1992 was a huge year of turn around for the Sharks because they were on the brink of leaving the Brisbane competition, despite being very dominant on field since entering.
 

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I wish the gold coast council has a promotions department and they could sponsor the sun. a bit of gccc funding as a major sponsor would work a treat.
 
sunsofanarchy said:
Dot points
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From the wiki article:
  • Poor on field performances. 11 wooden spoons, 8 finals appearances, 0 premierships/championships and 0 Grand Final appearances over a combined 45-year period.
  • Financial problems. The Bears lost $39 million while based on the GC, the Seagulls ran into financial problems in 1995 and withdrew from the NSWRL, the Titans were in $35 million debt in 2012, Clive Palmer sunk $18 million into Gold Coast United and the Blaze owners invested $12 million before folding.
  • Ownership issues. Christopher Skase, Jeff Muller, Michael Searle and Clive Palmer all caused problems for their team while at the helm.
  • Marquee signings without team success. Warwick Capper, Rob Gibbs, Wally Lewis, Scott Prince, Shane Heal, Jason Culina, Jamal Idris and Gary Ablett Jr (so far) all came to the Gold Coast as prized recruits and couldn't achieve the ultimate success. Quite a few of them also left in the middle of their big money contracts.
  • Curse of Carrara. Local media outlets during the Bears days suggested Carrara Stadium was cursed and tenants would continue to have poor on field results and small crowds. Former Titans owner also suggested the Suns would fall into the Carrara 'black hole' after five years. It is yet to be seen whether the stadium's demolition in 2009 broke the curse.
  • The graveyard. The media will often refer to the Gold Coast as a sports graveyard. The city has gone through 9 pro sports teams in the AFL, NRL, NBL, ARC and A-League over the last 3 decades. They either folded, rebranded or relocated.
The wiki article suggests that a combination of these problems has resulted in the downfall of every Gold Coast-based professional sports team. If you want to buy into the whole superstition thing then I think the idea that the curse may have been lifted when the old Carrara Stadium was demolished in 2009 is the most interesting.
 
the gold coast has no sporting culture. its a ses pool of ethnic diversity, a variety of sporting distractions and no real loyality to just one sport. It has too many transient people eager to make a quick buck. Ive seen lots of people go bust up here due to a lack of research, resources and commitment. im a born and breed local and care for the coast but watching the financial collapse of sporting clubs is a disgrace and the governing bodies should share some of the responsibilities for the clubs demise. The Suns will prosper as the AFL wont let them fail . The AFL will always back their comp and the teams in it, and they have the coin to do so. they will always save face over looking bad. Look at Melb, they've been rebuilding now for over 50 years, if they were a league team they would be the Alice Springs Demons.
 
The exact origin of the curse is unknown but various theories have been put forward. One of the more popular theories involves a broken 30-year agreement between the Bears and the Albert Shire Council. In early 1989 Bears owner Christopher Skase took out a 30-year lease on Carrara Stadium and just a few short years later the team relocated to Brisbane and broke the agreement. The theory states that the Gold Coast has been cursed for the duration of the 30-year lease that will expire in 2018, the year the city hosts the Commonwealth Games.
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It's an interesting theory.
 
TARGETMAN said:
the gold coast has no sporting culture. its a ses pool of ethnic diversity, a variety of sporting distractions and no real loyality to just one sport. It has too many transient people eager to make a quick buck. Ive seen lots of people go bust up here due to a lack of research, resources and commitment. im a born and breed local and care for the coast but watching the financial collapse of sporting clubs is a disgrace and the governing bodies should share some of the responsibilities for the clubs demise. The Suns will prosper as the AFL wont let them fail . The AFL will always back their comp and the teams in it, and they have the coin to do so. they will always save face over looking bad. Look at Melb, they've been rebuilding now for over 50 years, if they were a league team they would be the Alice Springs Demons.
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The Gold Coast attracts a lot of people for very good reason. Weather, beaches, hinterland, entertainment, food, etc.

Embracing the culture and lifestyle that exists on the GC is something clubs should do. It should be looked at as a great opportunity to keep players happy, and become an attractive place for players to want to come. Only Freo and perhaps Perth would come close to the same weather and lifestyle of the GC.

Would a Player prefer to live play and train on the GC, playing and training in its winter warmth, or shivering to death in a cold, bleak place like Geelong? The GC has a huge advantage over other clubs. Use it, promote it. Success will attract fans.
 
On 16 April 2015, an AFL-owned racehorse named Geeceegazza was leading a 3200m steeplechase in Bendigo before falling at the last fence. Coincidentally, the horse and its jockey Lee Horner crashed to the turf and both landed on their shoulders. Horner suffered a shoulder injury very similar to the one sustained by Gary Ablett in 2014.[40]
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Anyone see this on the wiki page?
 
Well I massively support Cleveland in all codes and the Gold Coast in all codes. My life is constant disappointment
 
shaqsuns said:
Well I massively support Cleveland in all codes and the Gold Coast in all codes. My life is constant disappointment
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Brutal. Says a lot about your character to stick with them though. Do you think the Cavs can finally break the curse this year?
 
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