Sorry for the delay in response, if you email the guys at this site they can put you (or who ever) in touch with me.

Cheers

Steve

Not sure property development alone is the best way forward for on-going survival of the Sharks. Feels a little too much like putting all your eggs in one basket – trying to sell such a development in a down turn has plenty of risks – let alone those already inherent in the construction and project management.

I think a hard look at private ownership, merger and relocation all have to be on table.

Obviously if the Sharks continue without fielding a team in 1st grade (like the Bears now) they should look after league in the Shire. In the event of a total collapse – I would see the Dragons as the logical team to step in.

everyone thought,”Well now the Bear are gone out of the NRL everyone will now follow Manly from that area”" wrong !! couldn’t be further from the truth.most walked away from the game. and as Gallop said at least 40 000 fans were lost when the Bears were removed…

The whole concept of the Central Coast Bears is to incorporate the North shore and the CC Juniors and supporters all..You’ll still have SG Ball and Harold matts teams playing out of Gosford and North Sydney oval.. both groups feeding into the Toyota cup and the NRL franchise known as the Central Coast Bears…

No wonder Manly are trying to stick their noses in.. they are rightly worried about the powerhouse known as the CCBears..well lets face it Mnaly have had it all their own way for way to long…Just bring on the CCBs… 2010 would even suit me…

WOW! That’s really bitter…..

“regather the great Southern region for St George alone” Huh? Not likely old mate. I grew up in the Shire and like all my school mates, we’re the same age (give or take a year) as the Sharkies. Lose the Sharks and Rugby League will lose many of us … those of us who stay interested will mostly follow other teams … Canberra, Newcastle, who knows? BUT NOT THE DRAGONS (or Manly).

Some of our parents may have followed St George, but few in the Shire do. I can still recall the disbelief when we heard that Sludge was moving to the Dragons …. “how COULD he?”.

The Sharks may move; they may fold; hopefully they pull through … but the Dragons as main beneficiaries if they go? Not likely.

DogsofWar
The Sharks did not have the luxury of time when dealing with green groups,govt red tape and council that makes snails look like ferraris. Matter of fact Shark’s fans are more frustrated with the length of time it has taken than anyone.The board by agreeing to an EGM after the AGM,admits a spill of the board will happen ,to enable new blood should it so choose get involved.

Steve K. how do we get in touch with you, I couldn’t find your email address, I know someone that wants to email you..

Sponsors are fickle. A clean out at the Sharks, the correct rebuilding and a few wins on the board and the sponsors will follow. I’d argue it is far from a lost cause, but i appreciate you are coming at it with a different agenda.

Dogs of War,

Yes, there have been PR disasters ad nauseum from the Sharks this year but I think if you boot the club you are only adding to the problems. The removal of Souths was hardly a solution.

The Bears did not build the stadium and the plight you talk of was down to the past management of the Bears. RL will only grow when its decision are based on growing the game and that means putting a team or teams in place to a an established set of criteria pre determined not wishful thinking of by gone teams that FAILED …

Interesting viewpoint. Whilst you “find it a bit odd that Super League seems to be the ultimate no go zone for anyone talking rugby league” I am more than happy to discuss the matter.

It is also interesting that the Sydney champions of the SL “vision” of rationalisation, namely: the Dogs, Sharks, Panthers have all struggled somewhat off the field in the the post SL war era.

The Dogs and Panthers with strong leagues club support had very little financial need to join SL, making their treason to the game at the time even worse.

I do believe that Cronulla after financial crisis’ of the 80s jumped at the opportunity to grab a wheel barrow full of SL dollars to try an ensure survival – giving very little thought in the process to the other ARL clubs who had done in most instances more to build the competition.

Many of the former Sydney based ARL clubs did their bit in the post war settlement with the mergers of the late 90s. I think some of the reluctance of the SL clubs of being involved in the process was a “I’ll be right” attitude as the SL cash was still sitting in the bank.

10 years later the Sharks come cap in hand to the NRL having spent their ill gotten gains and now expect the clubs who have borne the highest cost of the war to bail them out yet again. For that reason I can understand many of the views express above of letting them go by the wayside.

Despite their sins of the past and in the interests of not losing more fans of the game (and you would have to be a die hard league fan to still be going for the Sharks) and in providing the necessary games for the TV deal, I believe the Sharks should be given support in the interim and given time to get the house in order and a plan in place – be it private ownership, merger or relocation. This is something the game should do and who knows – much like Wests went onto success with West Tigers – the Sharks may go on to bigger and better things too.

If anything the team I support has shown what is needed to be done to turn things around, but you are showing the same signs as the current Sharks management in not listening to what needs to be done, hoping there is an easy solution around the corner. But the Bulldogs have shown there is no easy solution, the Bulldogs looked and tried to find one, but eventually realised that there wasn’t one. Difference between the Bulldogs and Sharks is that the Bulldogs were financially secure, and thus had the time to muck around until they found the right solution. The Sharks on the other hand don’t have that time, and need to act fast to secure there future. Can they make the required changes in time? Or is the answer still we will be fine when the development is approved? Because that is only half the answer, changes on the board are also required if they want to make sure their future is assured forever.

How about the parramatta penrith eels? just imagine the playing talent from both teams, Jarrod hayne , hindmarsh, mateo with Luke lewis, civoniceva and jennings or the manly easts sea eagles(coz the rooster is a stupid mascot)? Jamie lyon, orford, whatmough, with anasta, minichello and Im sure the roosters fans wouldnt mind having lyon and whatmough in their team right now. They could split their home games between brookvale and the SFS and the same applies to parramatta/penrith. Sure it would take some adjusting and it might even switch a few people off the game but eventually I think people will embrace it.

Ideally this is what Id like to see:

Brisbane
2nd Brisbane(Cronulla relocate)
Central QLD
Nth QLD
Gold Coast
Newcastle
Central Coast
Manly/Easts
Parramatta/Penrith
Canterbury
St george
Wests
Souths
Canberra
Melbourne
Auckland(warriors)
Wellington
Perth

I think thats a decent 18 team comp

I hope that was said tongue in cheek. The PR disaster that is the Sharks currently couldn’t be any worse with what is happening this year, and there board takes no responsibility for any of it.

I just wish they would do the rest of us a favour and move on. Sydney needs to lose one or two more clubs, and the weakest must go. Your numbers up Cronulla.

The Swans have hardly carved a swathe through rugby league support in Sydney and the A-League which tends to play most of its games at a different time of year have enough of their problems. I’d argue that the Swans and Sydney FC would be more worried about a second team in the west in their respective codes than the rugby league.

I must say I find it a bit odd that Super League seems to be the ultimate no go zone for anyone talking rugby league but suddenly everyone is saying there should be only 4-6 clubs. Sound familiar? Those that do propose a streamlining, please outline the various moves and marriages and how they will work.

Finally anyone who says they are having a poor year with crowds so the fans deserve to have their club taken away from them is missing the whole point. The crowds in Souths and Norths final year were both a joke and yet when they got booted all hell broke loose. I remember standing in a lift in the city and hearing a well known barrister say “The game can’t survive without the Souths” The Souths!?! Can’t have been much of fan if he didn’t know the name of the friggin’ club. Mark my words you remove the Sharks and you’ll have all these Piggins style fans from the Shire caliming they’ll never watch another game. It would be a PR disaster.

The Sharks have a very good junior base and their A-Grade comp is the envy of other clubs, it isn’t always about sponsors (who are incredibly fickle).

With LG deciding to end its’ association with the Sharks as the image of the club no longer suited LG’s brand they are in dire need of a new sponsor. (Apparently one of the creative types in marketing, who has probably never seen a game of rugby league in their latte sipping life, suggested that LG should no longer focus on the misogynistic, drug addicted, racist demographic that the sharks had carefully targeted in a progressive brand transformation campaign).

I believe the Sharks painstakingly constructed brand of controversy, one that would have Howard Stern sagely nodding his head in awestruck approval, has an obvious corporate connection. They need to link up with a tabloid media outlet.

At the moment aren’t the sharks practically writing a third of the Tele and Herald’s stories? They’ve turned once dedicated tabloid journalists, who previously had to scour and search for muck, into glorified stenographers.

Surely one of these outlets would offer a large sum for the exclusive scoop on any story. With the clubs impressive track record of delivery they could even offer performance hurdles such as at least two major incidents a year with a smattering of drunken hijinks, public nuisance claims and coaching tantrums?

Zappia it’s time to monetise the investment in your brand, not just for the Sharks fans who want to see their team remain in competition but for the greater good of rugby league. After all with banks now treating commercial property deals like over protective fathers treat an NRL after game party, your reputation is the best asset you have.