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Let’s take a giant bite of reality – Friday’s turmoil at Cronulla has cast serious question marks over the Sharks’ future.
It looks extremely doubtful they can survive without a significant cash flow, no major sponsors, an interim CEO, a stand-in coach and a group of players that may or may not be competing (or are allowed to compete) in 2013.
No matter how I view their sorry scenario, the Sharks are seemingly on the beach and gasping for air.
There can be no quick-fire solution to Cronulla’s myriad problems. Even some late intervention from the Australian Rugby League Commission will only buy a certain amount of time.
Former Broncos’ boss Bruno Cullen is an excellent choice as the stand-in CEO. He will put some much-needed structures in place and try to rebuild the football club’s administration from the ground up, but Cullen is no miracle worker.
The damage down in the Shire is horrific the day before the team is to open its 2013 campaign against Gold Coast Titans.
I feel deeply sorry for the club supporters. This, after all, was going to be their ‘big’ year (even an old Bear like me was going to cheer for them all the way).
An all-star player roster, an emerging coach in Shane Flanagan, and the long-awaited green light to develop the club’s real estate asset triggered much confidence and excitement throughout Sharks territory.
And then the bombs began falling from ASADA, the Australian Crime Commission, and even the Cronulla Board, which stunned everyone with its extraordinary staff clean-out yesterday.
The players are pretty much trapped like pawns in the whole furore. They are getting bombarded with all types of legal advice, so much information and mis-information – how could they possibly contemplate playing a big game tomorrow?
It is a really sad tale and certainly one I never dreamed I’d be commenting on at the dawn of the new season.
I cannot see how the Sharks can achieve anything on the field this year if a core of players are ousted for taking performance enhancing drugs.
If their results nose-dived as a consequence, who would blame the fans for staying away in droves?
And what sponsor would even consider aligning his company with a club shrouded in so much controversy, some of which will stick like mud if the crisis ever eases?
Here’s another question: What if the Sharks’ players sued the Cronulla club or its board for shirking its duty-of-care during the alleged doping period? A string of individual actions or a combined class action would surely send the joint completely broke.
The ARLC needs a 16-team competition to keep up their end of the deal with its broadcast partners, Nine and Fox. Does that mean the Commission would tip in large wads of cash to keep the Sharks’ afloat? I doubt it.
The mess that is Cronulla would surely be causing plenty of stress and heartache at ASADA’s other ‘clubs of interest’.
Will there be a sudden rash of staff clean-outs at other league localities as the cards begin to fall?
Perhaps there are already sleepless nights at the Knights, Sea Eagles, Panthers, Raiders and Cowboys. Perhaps not.
But back to the Sharks – there seem to be no-win-situations everywhere you look.
Cronulla, with the fearsome Shark as their emblem, was supposed to rip and tear against all challengers in 2013.
It now could be a case of RIP Sharkies.
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