The Cronulla Sharks aim big, and suddenly the future's bright

Just two weeks into his new role as chief executive of the Cronulla Sharks and Lyall Gorman is making plans – big plans. His vision: a cross-code venture that would see a Cronulla-based A-League team hit the field by 2017.

While most on the outside continue to cast a deprecating gaze toward the embattled NRL club, the new man at the helm is looking forward.

And power to him.

The situation he inherited is about as miserable as they come. A wooden spoon in 2014, the lingering effects of the 2011 supplements saga, the lack of a major sponsor for next season, and a coach struggling to get back on his feet without slipping in the mud that still sits at his feet.

Simply, the reasons for a heavy exhale are enough to get any Sharks fan hyperventilating.

But despite all the accessible reasons to be negative, Gorman’s first words upon arrival at the club painted a largely positive picture.

“I have no doubt this club has the fundamental principles and platform in place to be one of the best football clubs in Australia,” he stated.

“The past will never equal our future, we have a very clear vision and strategy as to where we want to grow the club.”

At face value this statement reeks of something that came straight out of the canned goods isle; it’s overly optimistic and appears to be little more than standard rhetoric designed to let those you’re trying to convince know you’re in their corner.

But there is something different about these stock-standard words when they come from the mouth of Lyall Gorman, and certainly reason to believe that any seemingly ill-founded confidence in the NRL’s most strained club, has roots somewhere genuinely solid.

In favour of the Sharks is their main asset, Shark Park, and a neighbouring property development set to secure the organisation’s financial viability well into the future.

That’s solid roots to work with – and Gorman has a proven history of nurturing a suckling.

After stints as head of the A-League and chairman of the Central Coast Mariners, in 2012 Gorman was appointed executive chairman of the Western Sydney Wanderers, a team that would fast become the blueprint for success in Australian sport.

In two A-League seasons, Gorman witnessed the Wanderers reach two grand finals as well as become the first Australian team to conquer Asia, all the while driven by never ending chants of one of the most passionate and vocal supporter bases in Australia.

With success on the brain, Gorman’s next challenge is the Sharks.

Following his induction in late November, Greg Prichard wrote on The Roar that, “the club will only begin shining from the inside if the other people there are smart enough to go with him [Gorman].”

The person Prichard was directly referring to was the Sharks’ coach Shane Flanagan, following his failed attempt to front a media pack still hungry for fresh supplements saga material. On a more significant level, he was speaking of the need for those at Cronulla to wholeheartedly embrace the vision and direction of their new chief executive. Why? Simple – he’s a man who ‘gets’ it.

Gorman’s sense of what it takes to build a successful club, and to foster a robust and energetic support base for that club, is something the Sharks simply need to trust. And there is no better time to have a little faith than when you’re sitting at rock-bottom of a league, that in itself is struggling for its fair share in a competitive market.

Herein, this tale cops a generous injection of irony as Gorman’s biggest success – the cause of the biggest thorn in the side of Sydney-based footy franchises in recent years – becomes the origin of hope for the Sharks.

The plan for Cronulla to bid for an expansion space in a key rival league, creating Australia’s first major joint sports venture in the process, takes the timeless adage “if you can’t beat them, join them” to a new level – but one that appears on many fronts to be worth a genuine shot.

Seattle’s NFL-based Seahawks and MLS-based Sounders, along with FC Barcelona’s highly successful football and basketball franchises, have proved forms of joint venture in sport can be highly lucrative. Even recently, Melbourne Storm bought into A-League franchise Melbourne City.

With growing support, highlighted by the success of the Wanderers, football and the A-League are well positioned to directly threaten the future success of rugby league teams in Sydney. Wouldn’t you rather be on the train than standing on the tracks in front of it?

The driving force for such a bold venture is simple in Gorman’s mind – the Sharks have a venue, but not enough content. In any one NRL season, Endeavour Field will play host to 12 home-and-away matches, leaving it largely under-utilised. “If you own a venue today, you want content,” Gorman told the media, following the announcement of his plan.

The key question then becomes whether the A-League would support the venture, and whether a third Sydney-based club is the direction the FFA is willing to be steered. David Gallop has not shied away from talk of the A-League’s eventual expansion beyond 10 teams, but the location of those teams is apparently far from being decided, and support for a fresh Sydney team would be impacted by factors far beyond the ability of the club to make it financially viable.

What would the impact of a Cronulla-based A-League team have on the Sydney FC and the Wanderers? What effect would rival NRL and the AFL franchises have on such a teams ability to establish a supporter base? These are not simple questions to answer.

When commenting on Gorman’s proposition for a joint-venture Cronulla-based side, Gallop stated, “The big metropolitan areas of Sydney and Melbourne currently have two clubs and whether a third club would work is something we will look at in great detail.”

In Gorman’s favour, the advantages of such a proposal are hard to look past: dual-tenancy at a stadium ready to host two rectangular based codes, the potential for a dramatic boost to membership, the commercial potential to entice sponsors to join in.

As it currently stands, the Sharks are without a major sponsor, but Gorman played a key roll in the Wanderers securing NRMA Insurance and Westfield. His the plan for the Sharks is to secure the ‘right’ sponsor, and in the interest of “changing the narrative of the club”, he’s willing to wait for the right one, rather than be seduced by the wrong choice.

Gorman has an incredible challenge ahead of him to drag the Sharks up from what will be some of the darkest days in their history. But we’ve seen clubs rise from the ashes before, and fast.

Not much more than two years ago, Port Adelaide were slumped at basement level of the AFL ladder, key players were walking out, their coach had been sacked, they were mourning the tragic death of a player, and the financial security of the club was dire.

As it stands, Port Adelaide are currently third favourite for the 2015 premiership behind last season’s grand finalists, and rival clubs are tripping over themselves trying to mimic their formula for success – one that in essence comes down to good people in the right places, inspiring change.

So whether you agree with Gorman’s plan for the Sharks or not, the gravity of his vision demands a tip of the hat. Because really, who knows what a couple of years will bring with people like Gorman leading the charge?

The best thing about this situation for Sharks fans is that such a proven performer believes in the club, and is willing to put his sterling reputation where his mouth is.

While still hunting for that maiden premiership in the NRL, such an audacious shift of focus towards success in a rival code will polarise supporters of the Sharks, as well as football and league followers in general. But either way, what this vision represents is a reason to be confident that there’s lots of improvement ahead for 2014’s wooden spooners.