I'm sure it also draws a lot of intelligent people to this site, the appeal of robust but intelligent debate......as opposed to, well I'll let you draw your own conclusions there

I'm glad you qualified your statement with 'based on traffic', because that is all it is

True, but things change and being fair to all, one site now stands head and shoulders above the others, at least based on traffic although I must say that this thread has excelled 😂

Your statement: Arguably they struggle to maintain what they're got as is, (quote from above) is the biggest load of codswallop I've ever heard. Firstly they have $1.6 million in the bank and secondly to quote a trainer at the Jump-outs last Thursday, "these have to be the best tie-ups in the North Island except for Ellerslie"

Take out the word "finally" and you are 100% correct.   I think that it all started to go wrong when the funding model(s) changed around the time of Garry Chittick's reign as Chairman of the RIB. I am not blaming Garry, simply saying that's about when the funding models started changing and all clubs were forced to live beyond their means. Virtually ever club has had to sell property to survive. Take a look at the housing that now surrounds Ellerslie, Awapuni, Trentham and Riccarton. Then look at the retirement village at Te Rapa, the Hospital at Hastings and oh I forgot, the Hospital and Hotel at Ellerslie. No wonder they now want Avondale and Levin's money.  I rest my case!