No Gosford Sharks, but fans needed
By AAP, 3 Jul 2010 AAP is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Cronulla Sharks, Damian Irvine, NRL, Rugby League
Cronulla’s proposal to play five NRL games in Gosford may be history, but chairman Damian Irvine has warned big crowds are needed to ensure the Sharks continue playing out of Toyota Stadium.
As Ricky Stuart’s side prepares for Saturday night’s “home” clash with Canterbury at Bluetongue Stadium, Irvine has indicated the Sharks’ bottom line needs to keep improving for it to call the Sutherland Shire its only home long-term.
Former chief executive Tony Zappia hatched a plan in 2009 for Cronulla to move five home games a year to the Central Coast venue but failed to get the support of the NRL.
“It’s a rather lazy option to say we’re taking five games (away) so it’s certainly not in our thinking,” Irvine told AAP on Friday.
“We’re in a far better position now than when that decision was being made.
“I can understand why it was mooted but what we need is to keep playing at Toyota Stadium for our fans.
“We do need big numbers at the ground, no question. If we fail to draw large crowds there on a consistent basis then the financial viability of playing there in the mid-term future, three-to-five years away, might not be as strong.”
The Sharks will consider taking a maximum of two games away from the Sutherland Shire from next year and have had approaches from various venues.
The main attraction is cash, with Bluetongue reportedly offering guarantees of around $100,000 to NRL sides taking games to the stadium.
Cronulla played North Queensland at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium last year but opted not to go back in 2010.
“It might not be two (games), it might only be one,” Irvine said.
“They’re commercial decisions like all clubs make on taking them away so it would depend on the draw.
“It might not necessarily be Gosford, it might be interstate, it could be somewhere else in Sydney, it could be internationally.
“Preferably it would only be one game, it wouldn’t be any more than two but we haven’t got any plans to take two away, it just depends on what comes up.”
Stuart’s side have managed something of a mid-season revival, winning three of their last five and being far from disgraced against big guns St George Illawarra and Brisbane.
But they will be without NSW reps Trent Barrett, Paul Gallen and Kade Snowden against a Bulldogs outfit missing only hooker Michael Ennis.
Kevin Moore’s men will also be hoping their season has turned the corner after ending a six-match losing streak with Monday night’s 18-10 victory over Canberra.
Bulldogs winger Steve Turner has been ruled out after dislocating his elbow against the Raiders and will be sidelined for 3-6 weeks.
Giant teenager Jamal Idris, who was named in the second row, will shift back to the centres in a backline reshuffle.
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Col the bear said | July 3rd 2010 @ 6:54am | Report comment
I think the 100grand gaurantee is not on the table anymore for playing at bluetongue.I’m pretty sure that’s what stadium management said in the press from last year.and with NRL stopping them moving 5games there.you must wonder where they might play the away game. We won’t be having our major bear presence as we had at the past 2games at gosford.we are on out on the hustings today on a membership drive over the coast today.and then on the upper north shore tomorrow
Dogs Of War said | July 3rd 2010 @ 4:54pm | Report comment
It wasn’t the stadium management paying that, rather the NRL. Thus why they weren’t allowed to take 5 games there, because the NRL wanted to share that money around.
Col the bear said | July 3rd 2010 @ 6:25pm | Report comment
Is that right? I thought it was Singo in an attempt to lure games to gosford to fill the stadium which he owned 80% of and the bears 20%..also. I remember Monique well ,when she was the marketing person with the bears in the 90s when we were in the NRL she has been at blue tongue ever since we were going to relocate there.sheight just get to see the bears there afterall.
Crosscoder said | July 3rd 2010 @ 7:13am | Report comment
I think the 1 game for $100,000 guarantee is still in place,else the Sharks wouldn’t have considered it.
To maximise revenue for the next couple of years the Sharks,should play 2 of their home games1 at Christchurch against the Warriors ,and 1 against the Broncos at Suncorp.
The CC should from 2011 onwards be the Bears Den.
And a year where it doesn’t squirt with precipitation whenever the Sharks play at home,would help.
Col the Bear said | July 3rd 2010 @ 1:00pm | Report comment
Yes CC definitely the Bears Den.. but first we have to get the junior reps up, the Central Coast Cubs, hopefully we can achieve that next year, afterall the CC public did vote for that name for this year but were vetoed by the CRL..??when is that IC suppose to kick off, can’t come soon enough for some of us..
rugbyfuture said | July 3rd 2010 @ 1:25pm | Report comment
im just wondering from leagueys views, do you think that having a dual based side (the cc bears) would eventually erode away the support from manly? of course it didnt exactly happen that way in the south (with StGI and cronulla sutherland) but i suspect it is having some effect. thats of course not to say that it would be a bad thing if eventually two sydney sides would have to leave sydney, but wondering what your reaction to this theory is?
Emperor Penguin said | July 6th 2010 @ 5:22pm | Report comment
I have thought about this for a while now rugbyfuture and I think the multi region clubs are a threat to small region clubs as they have more potential long term to grow and compete with the likes of Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, Auckland (and Perth eventually).
I don’t think the Sharks are a good example though. They only survived the 90s because of SL handouts and a bailout, and now that money is all gone they are going belly up again. This is despite having a largish region with +300k people.
I don’t necissarily think the Dragons success is killing the Sharks, more that the Sharks are (and have been for a long time now) redundant. They have limited growth prospects. No different to most Sydney clubs.
Multi region clubs may speed up the rationalisation that will slowly happen naturally.
Beowulf said | July 3rd 2010 @ 2:58pm | Report comment
Fair question. A far as I can tell, the CC Bears bid is 90% Central Coast oriented – headquarters at Erina, home ground Bluetongue (aside from 1 game v Manly at N.S Oval), and I would suspect 90% of the players are envisaged to come from the Central Coast and Hornsby/Hills District league areas…there aren’t many junior League Clubs on the lower north shore that would be within Manly’s sphere of influence. The main contribution of North Sydney to the franchise is corporate support from corporations in North Sydney, Chatswood, North Ryde, the red and black jersey and the Bear logo. Hence the impact on Cronulla from the St.G-Illawarra merger would be greater than the impact on Manly of the Central Coast Bears.
Given the fact Norths assisted Manly to establish themselves in 1947 (despite knowing it would severely affect their chances of winning premierships) for the good of the game on the north side, it seems only fair that Manly should do what it can to assist the CC Bears…..good karma.
Col the bear said | July 3rd 2010 @ 4:14pm | Report comment
Manly assist the Bears??Hmm I wouldn’t hold my breath for that day. I have my own views on this but for another day.I saw what happened when the bears were removed from the JV in 2001.when you get constantly called a dead club for 10years by a certain manly stalwart every 2 nd week on air. It just spurs you on to keep going.just so we can finally say here are the bears alive and kicking.plus it finally will correct one of the biggest injustice dealt out to any league team.with the bears back in the comp.
the peninsular and the north shore are completely different areas .Beowulf explains it very well.what the north shore brings is the business and our history.thus the recent Bears@work function was held at the new business centre of the north at Macquarie pk.and that evening still continues to deliver dividends.
Beowulf said | July 3rd 2010 @ 9:21pm | Report comment
Yeah Col, I’m not holding my breath waiting for Manly to call Flo to offer assistance….I’ll be screaming from the hill along with you and no doubt 22,000 others come Heritage Round 2013.
Col the bear said | July 3rd 2010 @ 4:19pm | Report comment
Manly and Norths lived beside each other since 47.and both clubs fierce rivalry has always been there.they were matches you come from miles around to go to. I can’t wait just bring it on again.
Col the bear said | July 3rd 2010 @ 4:33pm | Report comment
You have just the 2 junior clubs now on the lower north shore. North Sydney brothers and a very old club from 1912 I believe Willoughby Roos. We did have many more once Mcmahons point, Crows nest and Lane Cove just few which are no more.The powerhouse junior clubs are the upper north shore Berowra and Asquith hop skip and jump to the CC and pennant hills and hills hawks have strong numbers of kids also.just waiting for their NRL team again now.
Dogs Of War said | July 3rd 2010 @ 4:58pm | Report comment
One thing that is good to hear in this article is Daniel Irvine urging the fans to get behind the club, or otherwise they will consider other options. It suggests that they understand that the future of the club may not be in Cronulla, which may come up when the next TV rights provide some more cash, that the NRL can dangle that carrot that makes a move to a new area all too enticing.
After that we really only need one more Sydney club to move on (C’mon Roosters!), and I feel the Sydney market would be well covered by the remaining clubs who all seem to have there own area to draw from, each club with their own strengths.
Col the bear said | July 3rd 2010 @ 6:29pm | Report comment
Sunshine coast is crying for a team also.Manly have to give up the sunshine coast next year as the nswrl have enforced the no dual registration rule this also means Canberra have to give up souths Logan