Sharks for hire: league’s corporate outcasts
Columnist 
The Sharks looking dejected during the round 25 NRL match between the North Queensland Cowboys and the Cronulla Sharks. AAP Image/Action Photographics, Colin Whelan
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The Cronulla Sharks’ wheelers and dealers spent the off-season scouting for personnel in the wrong positions.
While they performed admirably in their first grade recruitment drive, adding two star Tigers and a pair of Panthers to the bulk of their finals roster from last year, it was the Sharks’ front office which needed a boost.
More than anyone, they desperately needed to sign up a marketing guru, one who could and would sell the Cronulla Sharks brand to a willing backer, or backers.
In this day and age, it beggars belief that any NRL club, let alone an outfit freely tipped to achieve big things in 2013, could find itself without a major jumper or sleeve sponsor along with a company tipping in cash for ground naming rights.
But that’s Cronulla’s sorry predicament and there does not seem to be a magic wand solution in the near future.
“It’s a really tough market at the moment,” Patrick Woods (Sharks General Manager of Commercial Operations and Marketing) told the Sun Herald.
Sure, Mr Woods, but just about every major sporting organisation in the nation is comfortably in bed with a major sponsor, with some so rich with benefactors there is little room left on their playing strips, shorts and socks.
I read where Cronulla has – apart from Patrick Woods – a marketing and brand manager, a community engagement and social planning officer, a sponsor servicing manager and a commercial co-ordinator.
Sounds great, but one is entitled to ask: What have these guys been doing in the off-season? Catching waves off the Cronulla point? Improving their tans? Navel gazing?
The club had a long-running sponsor (Toyota) in place as naming rights sponsor for its ground but lost the motor car giant’s support when they upped the ante.
“They (Toyota) wanted to maintain it (the sponsorship) at the current level,” explained Wood. “We simply can’t sustain that.”
I don’t intimately know the machinations of Cronulla’s administration but suspect they could have tried a little harder, even if they have only been in their jobs for a handful of months.
There are plenty of great vibes about Shane Flanagan and his team for 2013 but the club’s off-field team looks to have dropped the ball before the season begins.
It looks a very talented but expensive team to me and sponsorship money would come in handy when the time comes to pay the wages.
As I see it, sponsors should be knocking down the doors to align themselves with the Sharkies as they sharpen their teeth for what could be an historic, title-winning year.
Instead the Cronulla club, which owns its own home ground and recently announced a super-duper redevelopment of its Caringbah complex, could begin the 2013 campaign as league’s corporate outcasts.
Is there anyone out there who would be interested in lending their name to a potential premiership-winning team for a reasonable spend?
Hang on, that’s not my job.
But that’s kind of how you do it, all of you Cronulla marketing types, pony-tails and suits.
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- Cronulla Sharks, NRL, Rugby League, Shane Flanagan
January 30th 2013 @ 4:31am
Johnno said | January 30th 2013 @ 4:31am | Report comment
“Sharks for hire”, just no biting in the “Shire” . Has cronulla ever got it right in the shire, every year no team builds itself up more than Cronulla, maybe other than the roosters. This is out year , we have heard it every year in the sharkies history. But never delivered.
2009, 2001,2000,1988,1997,1973 so many years of teams destined for the promised land but failing , for one reason or another.
Not much has changed in the shire, and it’s house is not completely in order again it seems. And it’s a shame, coz despite the many knockers over the years off the sharks, for me if they had the right administration, they should of been one of the game’s iconic clubs.
Great jersey, great little boutique stadium gets a little bit windy from the botany bay wind’s and the atmosphere of the old Lucas Heights nuclear reactor and the ghost of Captain Cook looking on form Kurnell way, passionate real grass roots fans, and real rugby league people , great local junior comp, a classic old school rivalry with the Dragons, a real true Sydney club.
Like the Bears the Sharkies should never die, and should really grow there brand, and have been the NRL’s underachievers for me, since they started out in the NRL. And produced some of the best local juniors ever, and had some of the best coaches of all time coach them Jack Gibson no less, Johnny Lang, Arthur Beetson the great man. So the sharkies still have a lot to do, but if managed right they could offer so much tot he NRL.
ANd on a side not, the chinese restaurant at sharks league club, used to be delicious, good yum Cha’s I used to eat there when going to watch sharkies home matches when visiting the match. i am a bulldogs fan but used to love the away trip to shark park.
And good fish and chips too at shark’s leagues club.
Old Peter Gow , ex sharks boss and Elle Mcpherson’s dad, you’d see at game day having a Yum Cha before the big game, was good stuff.
I hope it’s the year of the shark, but don’t hold your breath sharks fans, the sharks still wont be able to breathe on land this year and win the NRL title.
January 30th 2013 @ 6:52am
AndyMack said | January 30th 2013 @ 6:52am | Report comment
you are an old romantic Johnno…..
January 30th 2013 @ 7:06am
Johnno said | January 30th 2013 @ 7:06am | Report comment
I know Andy Mack, mate i am, I i am a product of generation X, the 80′s and 90′s, grew up on Sydney clubs it gave me my footy.
And used to love a picnic at guttamatta bay, or a surf at cronulla beach, with all the other grommets and skater’s, followed by a big night out at one of the shire clubs down there. And a good feed from Brighton-le Sands,. Heck I bought a bed from down at Joyce Mayne , the shire bedding institution down there in the 80′s. A good day’s fishing down in the lovely parts of the shire. And a day of boating was always good fun too. And a good day at miranda shopping centre too.
January 30th 2013 @ 6:54am
AndyMack said | January 30th 2013 @ 6:54am | Report comment
Tim, without being part of the inner sanctum at the sharks, its hard to judge, but i tend to agree on the naming rights issue. Surely 100% of the 2012 value is better than 0% of the 2013 value when it comes to naming rights. Maybe they should have taken the offer on board. Time will tell I guess.
January 30th 2013 @ 7:01am
Crosscoder said | January 30th 2013 @ 7:01am | Report comment
The club has had interest(bites) from companies.They are just not going to undersell the sponsorship,as was done on the last occasion with the Shark’s Drink mob. And it is tough out there no question ,with companies tightening their belts,downsizing etc.
The Shark’s brand is deemed to be more valuable than it was last year.
Why?
For a start,the club wil be underpinned/surrounded by a $300m development,of which they will receive annual rental from the retail side and part profits form the residential side.Yes it will be a couple of years before it is forthcoming.
They now have a fairly high profile with the rl community that is,football team of a decent standard.
Their membership numbers are already at record levels ,before a ball has been kicked and a month away for season’s start.
If they were that desperate ,they would have accepted Toyota’s offer.
It’s akin to bringing out a new model Lexus and asking a Toyota Camry selling price.I thought we were past the chook raffle mentality.
I don’t care if the marketing people wear pony tails,cravats,braces or horror of horrors red bandanas,as long as they maximise the clubs income and membership’(the latter is well on the way already).
January 30th 2013 @ 7:10am
peeeko said | January 30th 2013 @ 7:10am | Report comment
dont want to sound like a pessimist but i wouldn’t be totally sold on the 300 mln development being a success.
January 30th 2013 @ 10:30am
Kasey said | January 30th 2013 @ 10:30am | Report comment
Anybody for the Adelaide Sharks playing out of Hindmarsh Stadium?
January 30th 2013 @ 7:27am
Crosscoder said | January 30th 2013 @ 7:27am | Report comment
There are no guarantees in life with any development,but I suggest an organisation who has been involved in many of the Rhodes(Sydney) developments,and has pre paid the club $10m into the coffers,offers some form of confidence.Plus top line supermarket Cos have declared their interest.
The Cronulla shopping centre is already operating at full capacity when it comes to car parking,and a new Green hills development is under construction down the road from the club.
I further note the residential units,many of which will have water views, in an area where a house or units are put up for sale and the sold sign appears a week later,indicates some sort of demand in a very liveable area.
Peter Gow no slouch as a businessman(started up Miranda Hi Fi) commented at one of the meetings,it was the best and most realisitc proposal he has seen ,from any of the ones put up for the club over the many years.
January 30th 2013 @ 7:36am
Johnno said | January 30th 2013 @ 7:36am | Report comment
Plus all or most of the Cronulla shire is on a train line further helping the Cronulla footy club. You just get an express bus on game day from Woollaware train station and your at shark park. But having a train line helps locals, and away fans on game day, or 10 minute walk form Woollaware train station easy as.
http://www.sharks.com.au/transport-info
January 30th 2013 @ 9:25am
peeeko said | January 30th 2013 @ 9:25am | Report comment
good to hear, i hope it does work being a temporarily dislocated shire resident
January 30th 2013 @ 7:59am
oikee said | January 30th 2013 @ 7:59am | Report comment
The Shark’s have been there own worst enemies. This club had the chance to aligne themselves with Adelaide and threw it against the wall. Any club who does not want to move forward in this day and age deserves no sympathy.
There is a little club in Perth with better marketing skills than the Cronulla sharks. They are called the Shark’s as well, they have a members club called the great whites fan club.
The Shark’s jersey’s are the worst in the comp, the ground is out in the open and you either get wet or blown away every game. They did not even have a CEO at one stage, and they are living off a development that could still go pair-shaped, let’s not kid ourselves. Many a development gone bust.
The Shark’s should be looking to move to Adelaide, even with no support, that is there future, not in the shire.
The Dragons can take over that whole area, like they did with the Illawarra.
It’s time, time we rid the shire of sharkies. They also dont have a large fanbase, crowds of 10 thousand or less are common. That is girlscout stuff in this comp. We should be looking to relocate any team who cant get 20 thousand crowds or 20 thousand members.
Peeth, Adelaide, Ipswich and Central Queensland, and a second team in Melbourne and New Zealand are all areas where future growth would be assured. Time the game understood the future and started to make plans. We cant keep kidding ourselves, we can pretend all we like, but the new CEO has to start chopping and moving teams, take no prisoners.
We have been held back for too long, it is time gentlemen for the demolition to begin,. 5 years and we announce full expansion and relocation. The criteria has been set. The Shark’;s are top of the list. If you live in the shire, start looking for another team, or go surfing, or you can sulk and sit in a corner. The shire cant hold this code back any more. We have cities of millions waiting to help us grow, while the Sharks wither on a vine.
January 30th 2013 @ 8:32am
AndyMack said | January 30th 2013 @ 8:32am | Report comment
Whatever.
You do realise people in Adelaide dont even realise there are 2 codes of rugby dont you??? Great place for expansion. They want footy, nothing else. You really think central qld, or a second team in melbourne will get crowds and supporter numbers greater than the sharks??
You sound like one of those “lets take rugby league to the top of the world and lets not worry about trampling on the little guy” type of people Oikee.
This is the worst post I have read on the Roar ever. A little consideration and kindness goes a long way.
January 30th 2013 @ 9:14am
oikee said | January 30th 2013 @ 9:14am | Report comment
AndyMack wrote,
This is the worst post I have read on the Roar ever. A little consideration and kindness goes a long way.
You haven’t been around long AndyMack, ? I was being kind, sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.
January 30th 2013 @ 9:24am
planko said | January 30th 2013 @ 9:24am | Report comment
Oikee forget Adelaide I am happy for you to go on about central coast, Central QLD , Perth , 2nd NZ team. I would even consider Hobart before as they want it ? Adelaide pass…
January 30th 2013 @ 9:27am
peeeko said | January 30th 2013 @ 9:27am | Report comment
actually i think you have a stranglehold on the top ten worst posts ever on the Roar, not Andy mack. pretty sure i would have a lot of backers with that call
January 30th 2013 @ 9:44am
AGO74 said | January 30th 2013 @ 9:44am | Report comment
Have you ever been to the Shire oikee? I think not. You suggest that all sharks fans would become dragons fans. Most shire residents would rather cut their hands off than follow St. George.
Lets cut the sharks so we can put a team in adelaide. Sounds like youve been listening too much John Ribot’s vision klaptrap.
January 30th 2013 @ 9:57am
oikee said | January 30th 2013 @ 9:57am | Report comment
Who said anything about cutting the Sharks, ? I am trying to get them to align with Adelaide, that is all.
The Sharks had a chance to take some games to Adelaide, they had a chance to have Adelaide, build Adelaide as a feeder club, the hillbillies running the Shark’s could not see a opportunity if it bit them on the bottom.
All i am saying, if the Sharkies die because of bad management, so be it.
The game wont fold because we lose a few Shark fans, we pick up a million Adelaide and 2 million Perth patrons. Yes that is exagerated, but if we get the game on TV in those cities, we can grow our tv veiwers numbers, at the moment, they are close to zero, about 50 thousand eaxch city. That is awful, the game needs to act.
January 30th 2013 @ 2:26pm
nachos supreme said | January 30th 2013 @ 2:26pm | Report comment
Millions of RL enthusiasts in Adelaide.Rams went well.
Specially in their second season where they managed to really kick on they even managed to pack out the Adelaide oval with over 11K one game…
If you knew anything at all about the Sutherland Shire you’d not suggest removing the Sharks.
January 30th 2013 @ 12:58pm
Crosscoder said | January 30th 2013 @ 12:58pm | Report comment
Fair crack of the whip Oikee.”Should be looking at moving to Adelaide even with no support.”
I will make a suggestion,perhaps you should get your expert marketeers at the Broncos(where they are the only NRL club in Town) to drive their membership up to 30,000.The 15,000 plus to date is tres ordinaire,and says little for their marketeers.Absolutely disgraceful.
No wonder the Broncos don’t want another NRL team in that city,they are hardly setting the world on fire of it.
And you state getting 20,000 members and crowds is a criteria needed.Cough,splutter!!!
You have learnt not one lesson from the SL war,of which your club was deeply involved in the concept.remove or relocate clubs with an established fan base,disenfranchises them,in order to gain similar numbers elsewhere.
“The Sharks are withering on the vine”.Please provide examples or links.And please don’t use a lack of current sponsor as the criteria.
And note they do not depend on poker machine funding to any extent, that other clubs do.They also have more lower tier sponsorship, than last year already.
January 30th 2013 @ 1:37pm
oikee said | January 30th 2013 @ 1:37pm | Report comment
Gee Crosscoder, i thought if anyone was going to go off halfcocked, it would never be you. Time for a lesson my friend. The Broncos had a 10 thousand increase on Memberships last years, took them to 26 thousand, a record by any club. And this year they are tracking above that.
As for taking the code to Adelaide, mate are you now against growth. ????
That is what you are saying, and here is a good example, if AFL can take the game, take a team to Wellington in NZ, and also have a 3-5 year deal to take a game or 3 games a year over their, what the ell is our code doing if we cant even crack Adelaide.
No i am here to say this, Rugby League needs to pull its finger out and start taking games to these major cities ASAP. Wellington holds what. ???200 300 thousand, i dont know 500 thousand, and your trying to tell me we cant crack cities twice or 4 times this size as in Perth. Adelaide. AUSTRALIA.
Look, as far as i am concerned, the Sharks had a chnce to take games to Adelaide, they threw that chance away. While AFL are taking games to our heartlands, making millions, we are wallowing in self pity and negative attitudes, it needs to change mate.
Gloves are now off. When one of your own starts to attack, something has gone wrong.
Mr Polite is gone, now Ted is out, or bad Bear.
January 31st 2013 @ 7:09am
Crosscoder said | January 31st 2013 @ 7:09am | Report comment
The last figures I had were 15,000 plus(that is all I can go on) ,if they have updated the figures and they are tracking upwards then good on them.But I tell you what as a reality check,as Brisbane is supposedly rl central,ru Reds can get 30,000.On that basis the Broncos should be 40,000 members.One team ,one city remember.
The GC needs support crowdwise,in fact Nth Qld.
How do you achieve growth by cutting off a fan base well established ,into a new non heartland area.Against growth !!!I am probably more pro growth of the code than you are,nationally and internationally I care about,if you check my history of postings.
Learn the harsh lessons of what happened with Nth Sydney,Souths and the merging of clubs.People drifted off compeletely and some went to other codes.
The Sharks threw nothing away,the money and crowds were not there.They played a game in Taupo NZ and then the local council, did not receive the required funding for further visits.
i am convinced Oikee you have little idea of Cronulla,with the 3rd biggest junior league in sydney,owning their own ground,population increase with new developments.Actually visited Green Hills yesterday and saw about 10 new homes in the throes of construction,part of 480 to be built in that area.
Try attending a local derby Saints v Sharks,you have to park kms away.,and that on a wet night
When the suggestion of the Sharks relocating come up,from someone living 1000knm away,obviously not involved in the inner workings of the club,then expect a vigorous response.You stirred a white pointer melad .One who chews more than the side of a surfboard.
January 31st 2013 @ 8:12am
oikee said | January 31st 2013 @ 8:12am | Report comment
And you know little about Brisbane , the local comp or the Broncos. As you know Crosscoder, Brisbane had there own local comp before the Broncos got introduced into the Sydney comp.
That local comp is still alive and growing today. Wynnum/Manly, (i supported as i lived their for a few years) Easts, (I was a Member along with my Dad for over 20 years) Logan Magpies, Ipswich Jets, Redcliffe, Norths Devils, these clubs have 20 to 30 thousand members who regularly turn up to these massive clubs. These clubs win awards for best clubs in Queensland, best caterers,,,etc.
These clubs all compete against the Broncos who in turn have massive support as well. Not all who attend the Broncos club are members of the Broncos NRL team.
The Reds as you say are a State team, their is no second tier below them, maybe a few grammer schools and what-not playing, but nothing to write home about. Everyone of those schools and union supporters join the Reds. That is the reason they can get big crowds when they are doing well or winning.
When you think about this, your following a state team.
The equiverlent would be Queensland State of Origin team playing every weekend, there is no comparison.
The Broncos are a Brisbane team yes, but they still have alot of diehards that dislike them for damaging the local comp. It was on its knees when the Broncos entered the NRL, the local comp has only just recovered to 100% the last couple of years.
January 31st 2013 @ 8:33am
Crosscoder said | January 31st 2013 @ 8:33am | Report comment
Then Oiks I can’t see your point in bagging the Sharks,when they already have 6,400 plus members with a Shire population of 180,000 plus at present(and average crowds on average 13,000 plus,with other Sydney clubs not that far away distancewise.So all the NRL clubs in sydney compete against Cronulla.They and Penrith knew that when they came in in 67.That’s life.,it’s called competition.
The Shark’s memebership already bigger than the Tigers,Panthers,and not that far behind the Dogs.
When on the other hand you have Brisbane with at best 25,000 members and a population 7 times the size.
I actually attended the very first SL meeting at the Sharks League’s club ,where Ribot,Meninga,Quayle,Arthurson were in attendance and I have attended all meetings and discussions groups regarding the development.
The SARL know they are not ready for an NRL team at present,there has also been no bid to have one,incontrast with Perth.
Tthe one thing I will agree ,there are quite a few Brisbaneites who dislike the Broncos.I am for a 2nd brisbane side,a Perth one and CC,but not at the expense of current clubs and their locale.
January 31st 2013 @ 1:49pm
Harry said | January 31st 2013 @ 1:49pm | Report comment
This figure is totally incorrect, the Broncos are at 15000.
January 31st 2013 @ 6:49pm
Crosscoder said | January 31st 2013 @ 6:49pm | Report comment
Thanks Harry.That proves my point to Oikee.
January 31st 2013 @ 9:02pm
Floyd Calhoun said | January 31st 2013 @ 9:02pm | Report comment
Time for your lesson Oikee. Brisbane claims 26 thousand members. Brisbane is a one team town. Impressive numbers?!! By way of comparison, AFL’s Richmond, a club who has seen finals action twice in thirty years, still managed 53,000 members last year. 8,000 of those were interstate memberships! These simple, but glaring comparisons are evidence of the gulf that exists between the two codes in terms of the willingness of grass roots supporters to get behind their clubs. I’m not sure even you are aware of the sheer size of the mountain that Rugby League needs to climb! Just an observation.
January 30th 2013 @ 8:20am
LK said | January 30th 2013 @ 8:20am | Report comment
The front office guys are an easy target, aren’t they? It’s just sooo easy to bag them. Why not look at the reasons they can’t get sponsors. Too hard, eh? Let’s start with the tv deal, the Sharkies have less games on FTA this season than the Eels. This is despite their respective ladder positions in 2012. The richest team in terms of sponsors? That would be the Broncos and they are on FTA tv every single week, or so it seems. The reality is unfashionable teams like the Raiders and Sharks will struggle to get sponsors under the this tv deal. Channel 9 have a responsibility to maxmise their return on investment, but geez there has to be a compromise between giving teams exposure and ratings. As a neutral fan, I can’t stand having the Broncos on every single Friday night, it is boring.
January 30th 2013 @ 9:20am
oikee said | January 30th 2013 @ 9:20am | Report comment
Friday night broncos are paying the players wages, it is tv deals that pay wages, not the Sharkies crowd figures or sponsershops deals. Be careful what you wish for, Sharkies are lucky to even be in the comp, any other comp in the world would have cut them loose by now.
Why should the Broncos have to prop up this team. You can normally count the Shark travelling fans on one hand, even Manly has more.
January 30th 2013 @ 9:29am
peeeko said | January 30th 2013 @ 9:29am | Report comment
That is because Brisbane is under represented in the number of teams. For the only team in a city of over 1 million their crowds are quite poor. really for a team that represents such a large area the broncos are not pulling their weight
January 30th 2013 @ 9:42am
oikee said | January 30th 2013 @ 9:42am | Report comment
Blame the code for poor crowds, i have explained this many times, i am not going over it again.
Brisbane should have 3 teams, the crowds would be massive if we had 3 local derbies to add to other state derbies and interstate derbies.
I have written about this, it is common world knowledge how to build crowds and fan support.
AFL are doing this now with expansion into 2 team every city. This is why i keep saying Brisbane needs a second team, so rugby league can shore up Brisbane and Queensland.
Whoever wins Brisbane wins the war.
January 30th 2013 @ 9:05pm
JezRu said | January 30th 2013 @ 9:05pm | Report comment
Think you have a great point here LK. Little to no FTA games means Little to no exposure for potential sponsors. The NRL are sealing the fate of these clubs by allowing channel nine to dictate terms. Now I am an advocate for expansion and think there are far too many Sydney based teams, this is also an issue as I think you will find that the Sharkies are placed last on the list of Sydney teams when potential sponsors go looking.
If anything perhaps it should be St George who move?….I mean they are a joint venture with Illawarra, aren’t they??
January 30th 2013 @ 8:30am
jamesb said | January 30th 2013 @ 8:30am | Report comment
It will be interesting to see how the Sharks development progresses overtime.
Whether the development helps the survival of the Sharks only time will tell. It looks promising. It looks like it has the makings of making the Sharks a great club, which would not only survive, but thrive.
As Crosscoder has said above “there are no guarantees in life”
I hope it works out for the sharks.
January 30th 2013 @ 8:35am
sledgeross said | January 30th 2013 @ 8:35am | Report comment
Oikee, future growth in Perth Adelaide etc? The only good thing would be television times for channel 9 and Fox. It highly debatable that a competitive and successful Perth or Adelaide team would draw more fans than the Sharks would. Look at Melbourne, aruably teh best team in teh NRL over the last 10 years, but still struggle to gain a meaningful foothold. You think Perth and Adelaide would be any different?
Oh, and everything you outlined about whats “wrong” about Shark park is what makes it great. So there! lol
January 30th 2013 @ 8:37am
AndyMack said | January 30th 2013 @ 8:37am | Report comment
+1
January 30th 2013 @ 9:20pm
JezRu said | January 30th 2013 @ 9:20pm | Report comment
sledgeross I think you could possibly find Perth being a greater success than Melbourne (crowds, membership wise). There are a huge numbers of ex pat NSWelshman, QLDers, Kiwis and Poms who follow Rugby league from a far. You must remember that prior to Super League RL had a strong (agreed minor compared to AFL) and highly competitive competition for Junior and Senior teams in Perth.
The Super League war damaged RL’s image in WA and left a sour taste for many fringe fans but it did not dilute the avid fans from the time, they just went back to following their traditional team from a far. Today those fans are still there, waiting for a team to watch live every other week…plus there are now those expats mentioned earlier who would love to catch some live footy.
Not sold on Adelaide though, aren’t Port Power currently struggling?…if so than for an AFL club in an AFL state to be struggling leaves little hope for RUGBY to have any success.
January 30th 2013 @ 8:45am
turbodewd said | January 30th 2013 @ 8:45am | Report comment
Cronulla cant complain. As far as Im aware the Raiders get 1 or 0 games on FTA until round 20! Mind you, we do have a major sponsor, so now we enjoy this large ridiculous red flower on the front of our jersey. NRL jerseys are the worst, covered in ads, ick!! And they change every 2 seasons seemingly so only a die hard fan would buy them.
January 30th 2013 @ 8:46am
waterboy said | January 30th 2013 @ 8:46am | Report comment
What is going on down there?
Irvine announces a long term deal shirt front with Fishermans Friends, then a few games later they are on the sleeve.
Irvine announces a long term deal with Sharks Energy drink and not even a year later they are gone.
Is anyone going to ask this muppet about that?
At least they are now employing people in the right places. The marketing depts of NRL clubs have been woefully understaffed and under prioritised over many years.
The Sharks and NRL clubs generally have so much commercial potential with their massive fan bases, but alas have never been administered well enough given the people that have run them in the past and continue to do so, to maximise this potential
The NRL must start to set criteria in relation to business acumen, qualifications and community involvement for who sits on NRL club boards and who sits in the Clubs front offices running the joints.
January 30th 2013 @ 9:38am
oikee said | January 30th 2013 @ 9:38am | Report comment
The Shark’s were asked not to embarress the game by desperate corner shop sponsers, i mean fishers friend and shrakie water drinks, ? come-on, while our powerhiouse clubs are advertising huge brands, we are being dragged down by little backwater clubs. No wonder our game struggles to grow.
Adelaide is a great city to place a team. You have the whole city to yourself, yuou have instant rivalry with Melbourne, (kick a Vic mentallity, whatever that means) and huge growth potentail for a club there, if these outback hillbillies dont know the difference between the 2 rugby codes, rugby league can educate these boganvillia’s.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/broncos-have-sponsorship-stitched-up/story-e6frep66-1226292716548
The game wont grow or become a major force if we keep trying to prop up teams who cant even get sponsers.
Look at the Storm, Crown on board, and Suzuki and others, there crowds might only be 10 13 thousand, but after only 10 years or so, look at the worldclass sponsers. this is a team going places. Once rugby league spreads throughout every school in Victoria,m it will be standing room only for Strom fans.
Same could happen with adelaide and Perth, with the right promoters and marketers. Just make sure you dont hire ex-sharkie staff.
Just being honest.
January 30th 2013 @ 9:44am
planko said | January 30th 2013 @ 9:44am | Report comment
I love a Fishermans Friends and Pokerstars was no mickey mouse sponsorship…. Come on Oikee you like sucking on a Fishermans Friend….
January 30th 2013 @ 11:10am
oikee said | January 30th 2013 @ 11:10am | Report comment
There is nothing wrong with them being minor sponsers, but not major sponsers.
Yes i love a good friend. If i dont reply for awhile, it because we are cleaning up after the floods again.
Maybe the government (feds) can fix the roads in Queensland, like our major highway the Bruce, and the Toowoomba Werrego so we dont shut down after every time it rains.
The wife could not even get home from Brisbane, 100 Km’s and every time it spits, this state shuts down.
This is much the same as our stadiums problem, too many round grounds hardly any rectangle ones.
This country needs the yanks or chinese running the place, not long now.
God help the Sharkies if the chinese end up running the country. We will be saying “what happened to the Sahrk’s” ?
Sharks, what sharks, ? you just eat your fin soup and seaweed, no such thing as sharks, or whales, they extinct.