The current parlous state of the Cronulla Sharks seems somewhat reminiscent of the steady decline of the Newtown Jets in the early 1980’s, all be it without the sex scandals, drug abuse and shadow boxing. Somehow Newtown were always more ass than glass.
Those of you old enough to recall the demise of the once-proud Newtown club will also recall that by the 1983 season there was nary a whiff of regret about it. It was almost as if they were never there.
The current situation with the Sharks is eerily similar.
There is obviously no desperate push from within NRL offices to keep them afloat, save for the inconvenient TV deal requiring eight games being televised weekly.
David Gallop has hardly cast himself as the Shires’ knight in shining armour, making it patently clear these Sharks could well be cast adrift.
It is worth raising the question if they are worth saving at all. Of course, no one WANTS to see the club die. But losing the Sharks would not leave any scars which wouldn’t heal soon enough.
Commercially they are a basket case. Losing LG as their main sponsor was just one of many business failings by an administration clearly out of its depth.
The Sharks are apparently surviving on goodwill alone,ironically from the St George bank, namesake and sponsor of cross-town rivals the Dragons. The Sharks also provide no prestige to the competition nor do they attract money from the big end of town in the way the Roosters can.
Letting the Sharks go would only disappoint a small (and ever dwindling) clique of supporters. One wonders what other cultural attractions there are in The Shire, so few and disparate (or maybe desperate is the word) are there fans.
A Sharks exit would not change the cultural landscape of the game in the way it did when the Rabbitohs were sidelined. The Newtown Jets had a much stronger history when they were squeezed out and we barely heard a murmur post-1983.
One must accept there would be few tears shed if the Sharks were to meet a similar fate.
Crosscoder
Guest
MichaelC. You obviously know a lot about the work the Sharks have done within the Shire community for the past 42 years.They have appeared in 2 Grand finals and 1 Sl G/F despite losing.You are aware of the numbers in their junior league,which is bigger than Easts(no brainer) Manly,St George (not the illawarra area),equal in size to the Bulldogs. Should the D/A be approved by the council,the club has the potential to be among the top 3 in terms of financial strength in the NRL.Have you any idea of the business people both locally and interstate that are getting behind the club,boardroomwise and finance wise/ Why would you relocate when you await the development of your own home base.relocation is not on the cards anyway .The CC don't want one,CQ haven't a ground and Perth are the Reds full stop. What would i know,living in the area and following them since 70s.Ask the Sutherland hospital,various charities including the mcGrath Foundation(Glen a mad sharks fan),the disadvantaged kids ,schools,i could go on,handicapped kids,schools ,I could go on. No tradition after 42 years,I read it with a wry smile.
Dave
Guest
try this one . If it doesnt work try googleing things like "sydney swans" "4 Corners" http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2004/s1100551.htm
BigAl
Guest
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/conte…4/s1100551.htm That link (above) posted by Dave re. some sort of Swans player's transgression comes up with '...Page Not Found..." ?? Yet another screaming example of anti NRL, pro AFL bias in the media.
IronShark
Guest
DragonFan, you said it yourself. The Dragons were nothing without the Sutherland Shire. Our juniors, and those from the Illawarra, were propping up the success of the club. Since Cronulla was formed in '67, The Dragons achieved virtually nothing, even with the addtion (read murder) of the Steelers, you have not been able to win A SINGLE THING. Face it, the only chance the Dragons have is to add a THIRD team to their club. Unable to stand on your own Dragons, no wonder you are jealous of the Sharks. At least we have stayed true to our community.
Michael C
Guest
Redb - Cronulla only date back to 1967.........stuff'em!!! Is the relocation incentive (http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/16/1092508373558.html) still on the table??
sledgeross
Guest
DragonFan, the fact remains the Sharks and the team that you support have won the same amount of Premierships. NONE!
Redb
Roar Guru
Agree wholeheartedly with Sheek. Don't throw away tradtional clubs so easily. New expansions teams are great for Tv ruights and expnading the footprint, even relocations can work but they will never replace the original teams of the Sydney RL comp. Fans of other clubs might find joy in their demise which is pretty sad IMO but you will regret the loss of tradition compared to the false bandwagon 'franchise' teams. ET call home. Redb
Dragon Fan
Guest
Definition of irony: One of the reasons for the ending of the 11 straight premiership run of the Mighty Dragons was the creation of its "little brother", ripping away part of it's long term supporter base in The Shire, and creating a team with no heart, no soul, and no premierships. (Not that I'm saying the fans have no soul, the club itself doesn't) As it stands the Dragons are heading for another Golden Age with St Wayne at the helm, and the Sharks have, well, jumped themselves, on their way into oblivion. I'm just sad for the fans who worked their butts off standing on cold nights at railway stations rallying their troops to resist their usual apathy and come out in force, then have a poor excuse for a human like Gallen stir up more trouble. But I'll dance on the grave of the club itself when it dies.
sheek
Guest
I'm a great believer in tradition, & clubs should only be discarded with the greatest reluctance, & after every avenue to save them has been explored. Every club builds its history & tradition upon regular competition with other clubs. This provides reference points for opposing fans. If clubs come & go with too much regularity, this reference point is lost. It's amazing Cronulla haven't done better. After 42 years, 3 grand final appearances & still no premiership. It's one of the less flattering records. It's support tends to fluctuate too. Many people move to the shire for the lifestyle, but retain the allegiances from wherever they came from. I'm not a great fan of either rugby league or the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, but I would consider it very sad if they were to sink beneath the waves. When I first started following most sports in the late 60s, including rugby league, Cronulla & Penrith had just joined the Sydney premiership. The other clubs were Norths, Souths, Easts, Wests, Balmain, Newtown, St.George, Canterbury, Many & Parramatta. Those clubs remained intact from 1967 to 1983. Then Newtown went, Norths are now gone, while Wests & Balmain have merged with each other & Saints with Illawarra. New clubs have come in, while a couple came & went quickly. If I were the NRL, I would do everything possible to keep Cronulla in the 'family'. At the end of the day, Cronulla is part of the rugby league 'family'. And that fact shouldn't be lost.
Midfielder
Guest
Cronulla are being mauled by the media sharks... Blue Tongue must look inviting 7 million NRL money + singo backing
teejay
Roar Rookie
Move the Sharks to the Central Coast. There is the purpose built stadium in Gosford, and it seems that sports fans everywhere outside of Sydney will go and watch live sport.
Dave
Guest
wallythefly, I counted two If's in your post. The facts are there was a call to arms for the fans and it was a local derby and they go 15000. Not many other Sydney clubs in the same position could do this.
wallythefly
Guest
If there hadn't been a call to arms for the fans and if hadn't been a local derby they would have got 8,000
Worlds Biggest
Guest
I was there last night and was very impressed with the crowd figure for a team in the sh&t on and off the field. I was on the hill and there were plenty of young Sharkies fans cheering there team on. No one wants to see them disappear so hopefully there is a future for them although Gallop seems reluctant to assist at this stage.
Dave
Guest
It’s weird that the 4 corners show about the sharks got so much publicity but the one which mentioned a Sydney swans player didn’t http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/conte...4/s1100551.htm
Koala Bear
Guest
Norm, My two older brothers and I were long time Blue Bag supporters ... in the days of Dicky Poole and Brian "Chicka" Moore ... You are right.. many tears flowed when the Jets (Blue Bags) fell ... http://www.newtownjets.com.au/centenary/centenary_gallery.php Now a Rabbitoh supporter by default and an arms lenght Titan supporter living on the Gold Coast ... ;) ~~~~~~~ KB
Dave
Guest
No other team in Sydney would get 15,000 to a home game on a Saturday night at 5.30, after losing so many games in a row.
jimbo
Guest
Couldn't get much worse could it for the poor old Sharkies: · Wellington gang bang revelations where players and officials were involved · Greg Bird glasses his girlfriend · CEO gives his secretary a black eye · Major sponsor withdraws nearly $1M in sponsorship and advertising · Club faced with $8M debt · 4 Corners program to drag the Club through the mud again · 9 losses in a row this season and last on the table I went to the 1973 grand final when they lost to Manly and have had a soft spot for them over the years - they’ve had some exciting players to watch. I don’t think the NRL can afford to lose another club at this stage and will work out a deal with News Ltd to keep them afloat. If the 15K who turned up tonight chipped in $500 each, they would just about wipe out all their debts in one go.
Norm
Guest
I can appreciate your pain Alex. Luc I knew Newtown supporters who were deeply aggrevied at their demise. Having your footy team fall over is no trivial matter.
westy
Guest
Went out to Shark park to see them walloped by St George in the second half. A crowd of 15201. Not bad for a club in touble and demonised by the informed media. I do respect people who make up their own minds.