NRL 2009

[supersteve]

Just seems to go from one thing to another atm for the Sharkies, bit of a media stampede.

Central Coast Bears CEO Greg Florimo has said although it wouldnt be ideal, his team can be ready for 2010 if the Sharks dont survive.

I often dont pay too much attention to the "clubs in financial crisis" headlines, as they usually turn out to be sensationalised crap, but I do fear for the Sharks now after losing their major sponsor. Who is going to replace a million dollar a year contract with the Sharks of all NRL teams, in todays economic conditions?

[sportsmad]

Well what we can do is you can email me a few pics, I'll stick them up on my website, credit you with the photos and then we can link them onto here if you want. Marv has done this a few times with Cumbrian games.

sounds good , thaks druzik.

yeah i agree supersteve, its not looking good for the sharks. its a different debate but i think the amount paid for main jersey sponsorship in the NRL is disgraceful. the amount of exposure that a sponsor gets on tv, people wearing jerseys and merchandice around in public amongst other things is worth at least $5 million. how much would u pay for that much exposure in terms of tv ads? south sydney put their foot down and asked for minimum $2 million. for a while they didnt have a sponsor but then NAB agreed to pay it. thats only for hime jerseys too!

[Druzik]

This is something that was posted on TRL... this is a debate that is going on everywhere and not just in Australia.

Workington this week, Doncaster last week, Rochdale a few months before, who's next? The way the sport is neglected away from Super League is wrong, pure and simple.

I've just read a thread on RLFANS.COM on the Hull FC forum, in which the original poster suggested that the whole of the sport should step in and help in any way they can. The ironic part comes that after that, a string of Hull Fc fans, who lets not forget have had more than their fair share of help from the sport, more or less suggested Donny should just give up as they bring it on themselves every year.

The reason the game as a whole should help, is it's not a reflection on Workington, or Donny or any other club when they struggle or even worse, go under, but a reflection on a sport that we like to call not only the greateast game, but also a family sport, so as families do tend to stick together in troubled times, let's hope that's demonstrated in the next few weeks with an offering help to these great, traditional clubs.

The last highlighted paragraph is the most important. This is what RL is all about and why the sharks should not be let to go under... its why I think RL for me is healther in England in Australia... not because of the lack of money or their international team is shit... but because people stlill care about THE GAME that a dead or sick club is not good for the game and needs to be helped... people rally behind it not to let tradition die.

Is RL no longer the family club in australia?

[sportsmad]

the loyalty and commitment of fans in the north of england remains unquestioned for me. they are a lot more set in their ways than most nrl supporters. i guess a comparrison i could make is if wakefield were strugling financially and had a chance to relocate north to scotland. if it were up to your average english fan the game would never move out of the north of england. i see your point that they should help each other out and thats all well and good. i just think natural selction should be allowed to take its place in most cases.

[Druzik]

May 22, 2009 6:28:37 GMT 10 sportsmad said:

the loyalty and commitment of fans in the north of england remains unquestioned for me. they are a lot more set in their ways than most nrl supporters. i guess a comparrison i could make is if wakefield were strugling financially and had a chance to relocate north to scotland. if it were up to your average english fan the game would never move out of the north of england. i see your point that they should help each other out and thats all well and good. i just think natural selction should be allowed to take its place in most cases.

But whats happening with cronulla is not natural seöection... its an out and out lynching hunting season... its an extermination, one where no 'species' is safe. Remember that in nature what happens to one species will have and effect on the ones around it... the same will happen here.

You'll see if cronulla goes and gets replaces by CC... I guarantee that withing 2 years East will be targetted as the next team to get executed. Thei rich backer wont save them, they have low crowds also have 'troubled ' players etc... no dofferent to cronulla and all the fans seem to hate them as wll.... you boys may get your 4th qld team yet... souths and doggies will be forced to merge as well Parra and Penrith will merge... bye bye traditional clubs.

I would not be surprised if the lower leagues start to thrive as disgruntled fans ditch the NRL.... and Union and AFL will also pick up.

[Ryan N]

May 22, 2009 6:45:55 GMT 10 Druzik said:

May 22, 2009 6:28:37 GMT 10 sportsmad said:

the loyalty and commitment of fans in the north of england remains unquestioned for me. they are a lot more set in their ways than most nrl supporters. i guess a comparrison i could make is if wakefield were strugling financially and had a chance to relocate north to scotland. if it were up to your average english fan the game would never move out of the north of england. i see your point that they should help each other out and thats all well and good. i just think natural selction should be allowed to take its place in most cases.

But whats happening with cronulla is not natural seöection... its an out and out lynching hunting season... its an extermination, one where no 'species' is safe. Remember that in nature what happens to one species will have and effect on the ones around it... the same will happen here.

You'll see if cronulla goes and gets replaces by CC... I guarantee that withing 2 years East will be targetted as the next team to get executed. Thei rich backer wont save them, they have low crowds also have 'troubled ' players etc... no dofferent to cronulla and all the fans seem to hate them as wll.... you boys may get your 4th qld team yet... souths and doggies will be forced to merge as well Parra and Penrith will merge... bye bye traditional clubs.

I would not be surprised if the lower leagues start to thrive as disgruntled fans ditch the NRL.... and Union and AFL will also pick up.

Yeah I think we can all forsee that. However, doubt Souths and Doggies. Souths would take over Sydney, and Doggies would take the bit Cronulla left.

And the lower leagues will be the goer, we'll have a strong supporter base of the new Sydney comp for sure. It's wierd, you kinda want to see it, but the NRL would die.

[sportsmad]

idealy there wouldnt have been so many sydney team in the first place.... i agree ryan. u kinda want a clean cut to less sydney teams without losing any fans but unfortunately thats not going to happen. roosters would be the second and only team that can be sacrafised in my opinion (i know that comment will have druzik disagreeing too). if only a relegation system was feasible! (also ryan, on a separate issue is it possible to get a sub category for four nations)

where we differ druzik is that i dont think the media vandetta is as big as you think it is. sure theyre definately not helping and theyre publishing every possible negative story re the club... but i belive that if there was a big enough fan base for the sharks (which i dont belive there is) then the fans could save them with displays of 20,000 people each game. the game has outgrown the cronulla sutherland area. they have around 4000 members. thats abysmal. ultimately the reason they will die is due to lack of fans. the media is adding salt to the wound but the wound was there in the first place.

as for relocation as an option; i dont think the sharks can move to a current rugby league area like the central coast or wherever. people will always think of them as cronulla. a move to wellington or perth could possibly work with a lot hard work. central coast... im skeptical.

[Ryan N]

May 22, 2009 12:40:05 GMT 10 sportsmad said:

idealy there wouldnt have been so many sydney team in the first place.... i agree ryan. u kinda want a clean cut to less sydney teams without losing any fans but unfortunately thats not going to happen. roosters would be the second and only team that can be sacrafised in my opinion (i know that comment will have druzik disagreeing too). if only a relegation system was feasible! (also ryan, on a separate issue is it possible to get a sub category for four nations)

where we differ druzik is that i dont think the media vandetta is as big as you think it is. sure theyre definately not helping and theyre publishing every possible negative story re the club... but i belive that if there was a big enough fan base for the sharks (which i dont belive there is) then the fans could save them with displays of 20,000 people each game. the game has outgrown the cronulla sutherland area. they have around 4000 members. thats abysmal. ultimately the reason they will die is due to lack of fans. the media is adding salt to the wound but the wound was there in the first place.

as for relocation as an option; i dont think the sharks can move to a current rugby league area like the central coast or wherever. people will always think of them as cronulla. a move to wellington or perth could possibly work with a lot hard work. central coast... im skeptical.

No new sub-forum, just use the international section. Too many forums makes it un-organised. BTW, there's a suggestions board. I encourage you all to use it .

[sportsmad]

cool thanks , will do, still getting used to your site. great site btw

[supersteve]

I dont believe the NRL would die if we lost a few Sydney teams at all. Im not hoping it happens, but if it does I dont think it will sound the death bells, far from it. The game needs to be expanded nationally and people outside of Sydney, people in QLD, WA and VIC couldnt care less if a couple of teams dropped out.

I agree with Sportsmad in that there just doesnt seem to be the support there anymore. If they dont pack out the local derby this weekend amidst all this crap, then they obviously have lost interest in the Sharks. And even if they do have a sellout and draw 20000, I garauntee you they wont keep coming back in those numbers for the rest of the season. If the Cronulla people really want their team to stay alive they should be drawing 18k-20k every home game from this point on.

Again, i'm not hoping from Cronullas, or any teams demise for that matter. But if they can't stay afloat and Central Coast are ready to go then I have a feeling the NRL might lean the way of a brand new, highly commercially backed team in an area that desperately needs their own team.

[sportsmad]

cetainly not a fickle fan:

IT WON'T necessarily save Cronulla, but this humble pensioner's $10,000 cheque should buy the heart of every fan who wishes to keep the Sharks from extinction.
Grim-faced amid the club's darkest hour, Cronulla officials managed a rare smile when 60-year-old retiree Wayne Campbell tottered into Sharkies Leagues Club yesterday afternoon. In his pocket was a hand-written cheque for $10,000, drawn from Campbell's personal Commonwealth Bank account and payable to Cronulla Sutherland DRLFC.
Making the Jannali resident's personal contribution even more stunning is the fact he is not a Sharks member nor has he even attended a game this season. His late sister Lynette, however, was one of the club's staunchest supporters.

After visiting her gravesite at Woronora Cemetery on Tuesday, Campbell walked away knowing what to do in Lynette's honour. "It was almost as if the idea came to me from above," Campbell said.
"Lynette lived for the Sharks and they are going through such a rough trot at the moment. I always have regrets that I didn't do enough for her in life, so I thought this was something I could do to make up for it.

"I thought, 'I'm going to give them $10,000' - and now I've done it." Coming in the wake of the most traumatic week of his life, the gesture left Cronulla CEO Tony Zappia speechless.

Zappia has struggled personally through Reni Maitua's positive drugs test, the resurfacing of an incident involving a female employee being accidentally punched and incorrect accusations of the club storing sex toys on behalf of players. But his demons were momentarily exorcised when Campbell introduced himself over the phone yesterday.

"Wayne just rang the switch and the receptionist contacted me to say he had something to drop off to the club," Zappia said. "I spoke to Wayne and he told me it was a $10,000 cheque. My heart skipped a beat. After what everyone's been through, it seemed unbelievable one person could do such a thing."

Campbell, who formerly worked in computers, said the money represented about "10 percent of my bank account".

"I've walked into a little bit of money and I've grown sick and tired of hearing all these negative things about the club," he said.

"Although I haven't been to a game in a few years, I'll definitely become a season ticket holder now."

The Sharks will get no better gauge of the people power rallying to save them than this evening's local derby against the Dragons.

[supersteve]

What an unbelievable gesture. Perhaps it will start a bit of a ground swell of support from the locals?.

[sportsmad]

i know. i doubt the playes woould even take pay cuts and this old man if giving money thats taken years and years to save. i just hope hes not let down by bad borad decisions amongst other things

[Ryan N]

May 23, 2009 11:13:16 GMT 10 sportsmad said:

i know. i doubt the playes woould even take pay cuts and this old man if giving money thats taken years and years to save. i just hope hes not let down by bad borad decisions amongst other things

He's got 90,000 left geez. Haha.

[sportsmad]

yeah but still... pretty generous.
although apparantly hillsong members give 10% of their income to the church every year!