I wasn't going to lay the boot in, but you should stick to the facts. The Sharks were propped up by the NSWRL, and received handouts from the ARL and SL as well.
- In 1983, after the Sharks had run into debt, the NSWRL stepped in and provided a loan.
- In 1993, Cronulla went into receivership, with the ARL bailing them out.
- In 1995, the lure of dollars saw them jump ship and join Super League.
- In 2004, former coach John Lang declared, "The Sharks have no influence and no money. They have spent half their history staving off bankruptcy... some seasons have been a success just to exist."
And let's not talk about Geoffrey Edelsten... actually, let's talk about that, the day club officials tried to sell the team to a media portrayed snake oil salesman.
In 1986, medico-gad-about-town Geoffrey Edelsten and his blonde sidekick Leanne tried to buy the Sharks. The club rolled out the red carpet, only to be blocked by the NSWRL.
And they cheated the cap the year they won their first Premiership but it had not bearing on the victory, huh ?.
‘Smell of an oily rag’: The ‘web of loans’ keeping Sharks afloat
www.foxsports.com.au