Cronulla-Southerland Sharks

[Druzik]

All news related to Cronulla here.

[Druzik]

This is what it's all about.

.....

Rugby league, which over-expanded in 1995 with three new teams instead of one, has learnt not to panic at calls for new clubs in Perth, Adelaide and Wellington. If anything, contraction is right for these times, and Cronulla must be the most vulnerable club.

Yet the Sharks demonstrate the resilience that typifies rugby league and will serve it well this year. Former coach John Lang once told me, "People talk about Cronulla never having won a premiership. It's a victory every year just for them to stay alive."

Their fans may be fickle but they typify the demographic that has done well from the recession: mortgage holders with secure jobs and a family car.

Interest rates have come down, along with petrol prices and if you are a public servant or in long-term employment, you're fairly safe.

Furthermore, the Sharks played well last season, bar a lamentable final game, and have bought well. Their supporters epitomise the code's century-long suburban culture.

Melbourne AFL fans must go to the MCG or Telstra Dome and sit with their fellow tribesmen to demonstrate they are paid-up members of Essendon or Collingwood. Cronulla people, by living in "the Shire", already know they are Sharks fans.

.....

[Druzik]

www.leaguehq.com.au/news/lhqmatchreport/panthers-succumb-to-sharks/2009/03/14/1236919634274.html

Sharks' talent hunt packs punch as new boys Barrett and Tupou make the Panthers pay
Todd Balym | March 15, 2009

Sharks 18 Panthers 10

Cronulla's recruitment drive paid immediate dividends when Trent Barrett and Anthony Tupou made stunning debuts in the club's 18-10 NRL victory over Penrith at Toyota Stadium last night.

Barrett and Tupou scored Cronulla's two tries as the Sharks made the most of appalling conditions in front of 10,617 brave fans.

Belting rain and lightning covered the stadium for much of the game and it was Cronulla's patience with the ball that proved the difference as the Panthers consistently squandered chances by inexplicably kicking early.

Former Dragon Barrett, playing his 200th NRL game and first in 903 days after two years with Wigan, was superb for the Sharks.

He booted a 40-20 with his first kick, scored the first try in the 10th minute and helped set up Tupou's 55th-minute four-pointer.

Barrett put skipper Paul Gallen through a gap with a cut-out pass before the lock forward flicked it back inside for ex-Sydney Rooster Tupou to score.

But the Sharks' victory came at a significant cost, with fullback Brett Kearney (ankle sprain) and prop Ben Ross (neck) both carried from the field.

Ross reeled out of a tackle late in the game after three forwards collapsed on top of him and was rushed to hospital.

Kearney will be sent for scans tomorrow after he suffered a high ankle sprain midway through the opening half.

The loss of Kearney forced a reshuffle of Cronulla's backline, with Misi Taulapapa and debutant Blake Ferguson both given time at fullback only to make handling errors.

But the Panthers never once made the Sharks pay as halfback Jarrod Sammut and fullback Lachlan Coote kicked early in the tackle count several times for no result.

Michael Jennings scored Penrith's only try in the 20th minute when he side-stepped four defenders to score under the posts. ¡ Former Melbourne skipper Robbie Kearns said Storm superstar Greg Inglis had taken it upon himself to have a more active leadership role within the team and has even set some of the younger members straight for misdemeanors that he might have previously been guilty of himself.

"Prior to this off-season, he hasn't been lazy but he most probably hasn't worked to his full capacity in the off season," Kearns said after the Storm beat Brisbane on Friday night.

"Whereas this season he has had a real red hot crack in regards to the training and if he sees anyone taking short cuts or looking like they're going to take short cuts he'll give them a rev-up."

"I think he's just realised he's an important part of the team - he most probably realised that last year, but it comes with maturity which he has done a fair bit of c [he's] 22 and he's a freak of nature. To do what he has done in rugby league at such a young age, he's a special kid c for him to take on a leadership role it just come with the territory."

with Stathi Paxinos

CRONULLA 18 (T Barrett A Tupou tries L Covell 5 goals) bt PENRITH 10 (M Jennings try M Gordon 3 goals) at Toyota Stadium. Referee: P Haines, Jason Robinson. Crowd: 10,117

[Druzik]

Ben Ross not improving, Brett Kearney cleared of serious injury
By Todd Balym | March 16, 2009 03:59pm


CRONULLA officials are concerned the back injury sustained by Ben Ross is not improving with the former Queensland prop still suffering from pins and needles.
Ross was rushed to hospital after the Sharks' 18-10 win over Penrith on Saturday night after three forwards fell onto his back after a tackle late in the game.

X-rays cleared Ross of any fractures late on Saturday night but the 28-year-old remains in hospital waiting for an MRI scan.

Sharks doctor David Givney said he was concerned about the progress of Ross's injury.

"The wheels turn very slowly in relation to an injury of this kind," Givney said.

"We are concerned he still has some numbness and pain in his arms, however further investigation is taking place and will also have an MRI done on Ben as soon as it can be arranged by the hospital."

At this stage Ross, who is still being immobilised in a neck brace, is expected to remain in hospital for the next few days.

Cronulla players were planning to visit Ross in hospital tomorrow.

The injury news was somewhat better for fullback Brett Kearney as scans cleared him of a potentially season-ending bone separation in his foot and ankle joint.

Kearney will still have to visit a specialist to have his scans examined but it is likely the 25-year-old will miss just one month of football and not the four months Sharks officials feared on Sunday.

"The x-rays on Brett were favourable," Givney said.

"He will visit a specialist to get his opinion in the next couple of days."

[Druzik]

www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25202618-5001021,00.html

Sharks star Ben Ross vows to play on after neck injury

CRONULLA's State of Origin prop Ben Ross has boldly vowed to fight back after neck surgery and play rugby league again in 2010.

Ross, 28, will have surgery at 2.30pm today at St Vincents Hospital on a ruptured disc in his neck which was pushing against his spinal column. He will be operated on by leading Sydney neuro-surgeon Richard Parkinson.

Initial scans cleared Ross of serious injury but additional MRI scans at St George hospital showed more serious damage.

Ross won't play again this season but told The Daily Telegraph: "This injury is a disappointing setback but I'm determined to get through this and play again - but it is one step at a time.

"I have a heap of confidence in my surgeon. He has successfully performed similar operations on NRL players recently. My focus at the moment is entirely on the operation on Wednesday.''

Rugby League legend Andrew Johns - forced into retirement through a neck injury - yesterday called on Ross to carefully consider retirement. "There is nothing more frightening than a neck injury,'' he said.

"It really shook my up when I first had one in 2003. The question is whether you still want to play. You can be very insular in rugby league. It's all you know and you live and breath the game.

"But it's not until you finish that you realise there is so much more to life than footy. He was only married last year.''

Former Test halfback Greg Alexander, also forced into retirement through a neck injury, agreed with Johns. "There's no doubt he will thinking right now whether he should continue playing,'' he said.

Ross was carried from the field in a neck brace during Cronulla's 18-10 NRL win over Penrith last Saturday night. Panthers forward Adam Woolnough was in the three man tackle which accidently injured Ross.

"I'm not sure what he hit. I didn't feel anything but I really hollow,'' he said.

Cronulla skipper Paul Gallen said his side was shocked at Ross' injury. "When the x-rays came back clear we were positive and expecting him back in a number of weeks, but they (doctors) have investigated it further because things weren't getting better,'' Gallen said.

"Everybody is a bit shaken up, which is to be expected.''

Reni Maitua, who played with Ross in the Prime Minister's XIII a few years ago, added: "It's sad to think a career could be over in one tackle.''

Meanwhile coach Ricky Stuart will hold off as long as possible to name Ross' replacement, with Jacob Selmes or Cronulla debutant Jack Afamasaga the two front-runners for Monday's home clash with Newcastle.

Stuart said 25-year-old Afamasaga still had to prove he was capable of holding his own in first grade, while Selmes was still overcoming a collarbone injury.

"Either way it's much too early to settle on a combination,'' he said. "It's always gut-wrenching when you hear news a player has suffered serious injury, let alone when the player is one of your own.

"I'm happy Ben is in the best medical hands, but losing a front-rower (like Ross) leaves a workload for the other forwards and they will have to accept a huge percentage of the work each game.''

Stuart is also trying to finalise a suitable fullback for the injured Kearney (ankle) while Maitua, despite not being named in yesterday's 19-man squad, is still a chance to play against the Knights.

"It's a long season and I don't want to rush him back, but if Reni shows me in the next two or three days with his training (that's he fit), I'll name him, I won't hide anything,'' Stuart said.

Maitua said he would step up his cardio and hoped for some contact work by the weekend. "I'm a big chance of playing Monday. I had a cortisone injection yesterday and at the moment it's feeling good and the injection will help it out,'' Maitua said.

"Once I start running I'll know, but I'm confident about Monday. I was 50-50 to play last weekend, so the long turnaround between games will only help me again.''

[Druzik]

Our thoughts and p[rayers go out to Ben for a speedy recovery.

[Druzik]

www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/sport/nrl/story/0,26799,25428786-5016307,00.html

NRL bringing Sharks down
By Josh Massoud | May 05, 2009 12:00am

AS THE days grow shorter, time is running out for David Gallop to see the light.
With winter just around the corner, it's fading mighty fast - and nowhere more so than in Cronulla.

The Sharks are like an autumn leaf, decaying from inside out.

This week's annual report is expected to reveal its grip on the branch is more tenuous than ever.

And every time the NRL updates its draw, the Sharks tremble more wildly in the chill gust that blasts through Toyota Stadium.

Like the autumn foliage, daylight is now crucial to Cronulla's survival.

The Sharks pioneered Saturday night football in the 1990s, but officials now get more woozy than the tweenies who once drank themselves to oblivion on the Northern hill every time they are handed that slot.

Toyota Park has hosted four games this year - all at night. Two have been in the graveyard zone of 5.30pm on Saturday, another on Monday night.

None has drawn more than 10,000 people and there's no evidence to suggest upcoming fixtures will. The team is running dead last, and has just been kicked in the guts by two more night matches at home between now and round 18 including the prized local derby against St George Illawarra at 5:30pm Saturday.

The impending 10 weeks are rugby league's version of the perfect storm, a dreaded run in which clubs must somehow promote games against State of Origin and frigid temperatures at night.

Hopelessly down on their budgeted average of 13,000 a game, Cronulla faces a more rapid demise than even the most grim-faced auditor could predict because they simply cannot hope to turn things around any time after sundown.

When it comes to attracting Sydney fans, night football stinks. Especially so when the temperature plummets. Keep an eye on crowds over the next two months - they will drop faster than the mercury.

This annual decline has nothing to do with the standard of football and everything to do with plasma TVs.

What recession-hit parent is going to fork out big bucks to haul their snotty-nosed kids out into the freezing cold, when every second of the action can be viewed on a 106cm high definition screen from the warmth of home at no cost whatsoever?

Afternoons, however, are a much different story. Watching footy in the winter sun is a day out in itself. As such, the cost and effort is justified for a working family.

And guess who lives in the Sutherland Shire? You got it - working families. The Saturday night set who spent more time looking into the bottom of a Bacardi Breezer bottle than the game are no longer Cronulla's target market.

Gate receipts are now Cronulla's lifeblood and if the NRL wants the club to survive, it must make exceptions. The Sharks simply don't have any alternative revenue streams. They don't have a fairy godfather. They've had to move games interstate. The Leagues Club is standing on so much debt, it may as well be built on the sinking surrounds of Towra Point swamp.

With a brand that doesn't extend beyond Tom Ugly's Bridge, Cronulla's future is solely in the hands of the locals. If they desert the team, then the team will die. Nowhere else in the NRL is the equation so simple.

After losing seven straight games, the team can't expect every fan to stay loyal. But it should be able to rely on a bit more support from Gallop, who last year claimed the NRL would not let any of nine Sydney clubs die.

Allowing broadcasters to constantly schedule Cronulla at night is akin to refusing to administer a cure to a life-threatened patient. The TV stations might pay the bills, but the clubs should always come first.

Every Sydney club is struggling for cash. Every Sydney club is struggling for fans. Every Sydney club and all their fans are crying out for more daytime football.

The answer is obvious - even with so few games being played in the cold light of day.

[supersteve]

Druzik,

Ive thought about it, and its clear to me now what the Sharkies need to do to get the crowds back. Include a full set out tackie dacks and jumper with each membership sold to keep their fans warm! ;D



If you have seen what some of the girls wear down there... even on those cold night... you'll realise that wont work... but they ceratinlt get a standing ovation.

[supersteve]

Sharkies to move half their home games to Central Coast.

www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25435705-5001023,00.html

[muffdiver]

What is happening at Cronulla? Why do they have small crowds? If I understand it right they are a 'relatively' new team from southern Sydney - why were they admitted to the league if they were in the catchment area of other teams i.e. St George.

[Druzik]

May 7, 2009 4:57:18 GMT 10 muffdiver said:

What is happening at Cronulla? Why do they have small crowds? If I understand it right they are a 'relatively' new team from southern Sydney - why were they admitted to the league if they were in the catchment area of other teams i.e. St George.

They have a constant core support of 9k. They have been around for over 40 years. Their crowds go up and down, 5 years ago they were one of the best supported clubs... its like that with all clubs.

But the NRL does not help. With the NRL being a winter sport, Shark 'Moria' Park sits right on the water and most of the stadium is still hills. Thus a saturday night, when its pissing down rain and 5 degrees with a cold easterly coming off the bay... 'Moria' is a inhospitable place for fans, and so the tricksy little hobbitses dont like to come out of their hobbit holes.

The NRL could help by scheduling more sunday 2:30 or 3:00 pm matches, warm and nice and family friendly, which the shire has, its where alot of yound families live.

BUT the sharks are the only team that actually owns their own stadium, they dont have much cash in the bank, but have about $60 million in assets, i.e. land, property and investments... they have a $110 million development in the council awaiting approval.

[supersteve]

Its a bit of a worry when you half to sell half your home games in order to pay wages. I hope their situation is not as dire as its being made to sound.

Apparently the trouble theyre having with that 110 million dollardevelopment are environmental issues. I hope the loyal fans dont have a backlash to losing half their games next season.

[Prowling Tiger]

I agree...

I have been to the nearly all of the sharks games played at shark park this season...

and it is cold as fuck!!!!

To be honest if i had to sit in the stands i would NOT go..way too cold for me!

If they had of course made more afternoon games there it would be perfect...

I have to admit they do have a great atmosphere there even though they have only been having a 9K turn out

[supersteve]

I dont get it though. Canberra is just as cold, and so is Melbourne. I guess the reality is any team thats lost seven games in a row is going to struggle a bit for supporters.

[Druzik]

May 7, 2009 12:56:39 GMT 10 supersteve said:

I dont get it though. Canberra is just as cold, and so is Melbourne. I guess the reality is any team thats lost seven games in a row is going to struggle a bit for supporters.

I cant comment on melbourne, but canberra the stadium is recessed into the ground and they dont get the cold winds, its easy to rugg up there.

SP litterally is so open and exposed. And I would hazzard a guess with the new southern stand, when those winds com in over the family hill they will hit and swirl around.

Look the sharks are always redeveloping and doing stuff around to make it better, the leagues club is one of the best going rtound IMO they have the new stand.

They are an asset ricj club, its just they dont have heaps of cash like say the roosters do... but they also have managed to reatin their majhor sponsors, and to tell you the truth I think the situation is being made out to be a lot worse than it is in reality.

Players arent striking yet which means there is cash to pay them.

But look, cronulla has been in dire straits fior 40 years according to eveyone, this all happens every year... so whats another year of people saying we will die.