The Value of Cronulla
May 31st 2010 05:19
The Value of Cronulla
Over the past week, more turmoil has engulfed the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks as both their coach, Ricky Stuart, and club CEO Richard Fisk have resigned. With Stuart being linked with the Wests Tigers and Fisk sighting difficulties with club chairman Damian Irvine, there is said to be a sea of bad blood and unrest flowing through the corridors of the Sharks club.
As Fisk stated in an interview with the Daily Telegraph on May 29, ‘Damian and I had very different views on a lot of things’. He went on to say, ‘It disappoints me immensely to be leaving but sometimes it's just time.’
In regards to Stuart, it has been claimed that he has been at loggerheads with Irvine for some time now and that their relationship is ‘fractured beyond repair’.
This of course comes off a horror 2009 season for the Sharks. Coupled with narrowly avoiding the Wooden Spoon, the club had former CEO Tony Zappia resign in disgrace after sexual harassment claims. Furthermore, players Brett Seymour and Reni Maitua were outed for off-field digressions.
More serious than that though, the club was said to have almost gone under altogether, following the revelation that they were unable to repay their debts owed to the St. George Bank.
Of course this is nothing new to the Sharks however, who have faced financial instability at numerous stages in the past. As stated by former Sharks great Gavin Miller, when interviewed by the Sydney Morning Herald; ‘We went from the '70s, when we had players collecting money in buckets at traffic lights to help the football club survive, to the '80s, when they cut the players' wages by 50 per cent’.
He went on to say; ‘Then the club went through the lucrative Super League times - and Cronulla were part and parcel of that - to now, in 2009, and they're broke again’.
Financial woes are not the only reason for concern at Cronulla though. Throughout their entire history, way back to their inception in 1967, the Sharks have always underperformed on the field.
Their few accomplishments include three Grand Final appearances, in 1973, 1978 and the Super League Grand Final of 1997 and two Minor Premierships in 1988 and 1999. A victory in the Amco Cup of 1979 remains their sole first grade tile. Other than that, the Sharks have consistently been lackluster.
With the club currently sitting at second last on the 2010 Premiership ladder (they would be last if Melbourne had not been stripped of all points due to salary cap breaches) their future does not look very bright either. As each year goes by, the Sharks slowly build on the demoralising record of being the club that has existed for the most number of seasons without ever winning a Premiership.
With the club more than likely going to miss the Top 8 this year, it will mark their 44th season without a Premiership. In this regard, their only rival is the Parramatta Eels, who went 34 seasons without a Premiership before winning four in six years.
Also, with each season that passes, the more Cronulla can be likened to former clubs, the Newtown Jets and North Sydney Bears. The only difference being that those two clubs actually won five Premierships between them.
In particular, Cronulla’s current state is becoming strikingly similar to Newtown’s as each season passes.
Like Newtown, Cronulla has always faced financial woes and their on-field performances have consistently struggled against more prominent clubs. Likewise with the Jets, who faced a reduction in their talent base due to the industrilisation of their area, Cronulla’s home district of the Sutherland Shire is miniscule in comparison with larger, city-based clubs such as the Brisbane and Melbourne. Even more so, the Shark’s district looks even smaller when compared to the whole country of New Zealand that the Warriors represent.
Unlike Newtown however, who sustained an image and club culture of being battlers and underdogs; Cronulla is almost laughed at when, or if, they are considered to be a serious Premiership threat. This is best summed up by the late great, ‘Super Coach’, Jack Gibson, who famously stated; ‘Waiting for Cronulla to win a Premiership is like leaving the porch light on for Harold Holt.’
So with no success to hang their hat on, crippling financial worries, no evident club culture and an current state of unrest amongst the players and coaching staff, one question must be asked; ‘What is the value of Cronulla?’
More importantly, does Cronulla have anything left to offer the NRL when compared to potential entities such as the Central Coast Bears or WA Reds? Surely the re-inclusion of the Bears as the Central Coast would be a massive boost to that area, which has long been considered at ‘Rugby League heartland’. In the case of the WA Reds, along with other potential locations for teams, such as Ipswich, Central Queensland, or even Papua New Guinea; their inclusion would contribute greatly to making the NRL truly ‘National’.
Moreover, if the Sharks were to be removed from the Premiership, it would solve a number of problems, or ‘issues’ for the NRL.
By axing Cronulla, the NRL would be able to remove a club that could quite easily be viewed as a liability. In its place would be a fresh new club, one that would contribute to the overall expansion and appeal of the game.
Also, it would also contribute to the reduction of Sydney teams, which has been a major topic of debate for the past 30 years.
In regards to district, the NRL would not be giving up Rugby League territory by removing the Sharks. St. George Illawarra, whom already span over their area, could quite easily consume the Sutherland Shire into their overall sphere.
In defense of Cronulla, the best thing that they have going for them is their brand. The Sharks name should be easy to market and merchandise, and undoubtedly is their greatest asset. However, I feel that the club has been unable to take full advantage of this ‘asset’ over the years.
Obviously, a new fan of the game, who is unaware of its history, would consider a Shark to be more imposing and appealing than, for arguments sake, a Rabbit. Despite this though, the Rabbitohs have been able to market their brand extremely well in recent years. So much so that their Rabbit logo is iconic, somewhat restoring its image from the club’s last golden era of the 1960s and early 70s.
At the end of the day, the decision to remove Cronulla from the Premiership would be an extremely difficult one. But the decisions to remove Newtown and North Sydney; and to have Balmain, Western Suburbs and St. George merge were difficult as well. Notwithstanding the argument that those mentioned clubs contributed a great deal more than the Sharks.
With that said, if Cronulla were to be removed, they surely would remain and survive in some regard. Like Newtown, the Sharks could still represent themselves in the NSW Cup or another feeder competition. Also, the ever possible potential of re-admission into the NRL would always linger, either as the Sharks or as a relocated entity, much like what the Bears are proposing.
As each year passes though; and even with every game, the future of the Sharks seems to mirror that of Newtown, which may spell the fate of the club from the Shire.
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Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Anonymous
Good article!