Great Club Cronulla - Aren't They?

[Miller was a legend]

I suspect the Sharks see Saints as their number 1 rival but for Saints they are about third on the pecking order. We have two bigger rivals in Canterbury and Souths, and those rivalries have been around for much longer.

I think most of us oldies see Manly as our number 1 most hated club

 

[Willow]

I think most of us oldies see Manly as our number 1 most hated club

It's all subjective I suppose. But to be fair, everyone hates Manly.

 

[possm]

It's all subjective I suppose. But to be fair, everyone hates Manly.

The Silvertails!

 

[Miller was a legend]

It's all subjective I suppose. But to be fair, everyone hates Manly.

True that, however 73 and 78 remain fresh for us old farts

 

[Willow]

A walk down memory lane...

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.

"It nearly made me vomit..."
-Mike Cleary
...
The club rolled out the red carpet for Edelsten. They put a dollar value on the team, and had the players line up with flowers for Edelsten's wife Leanne. She even went up and pointed at players saying stuff like, "can I have that one?"
No wonder Mike Cleary wanted to vomit.
If the NSWRL didn't step in, the deal would have gone through with Gow's blessing, and the club would have sold the team to a businessman with a dodgy reputation.

Edelsten was later disgraced and gaoled.
Link: http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/news/e2/0c01a8e2.asp

https://forums.leagueunlimited.com/threads/cronulla-sharks-bailouts.328608/

 

[Miller was a legend]

A walk down memory lane...

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.

"It nearly made me vomit..."
-Mike Cleary
...
The club rolled out the red carpet for Edelsten. They put a dollar value on the team, and had the players line up with flowers for Edelsten's wife Leanne. She even went up and pointed at players saying stuff like, "can I have that one?"
No wonder Mike Cleary wanted to vomit.
If the NSWRL didn't step in, the deal would have gone through with Gow's blessing, and the club would have sold the team to a businessman with a dodgy reputation.

Edelsten was later disgraced and gaoled.
Link: http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/news/e2/0c01a8e2.asp

https://forums.leagueunlimited.com/threads/cronulla-sharks-bailouts.328608/

That is just pathetic hey lol.

On the other hand we could have got capper to switch from AFL and play hooker. No wait, that was a position reserved for *removed*

 

[getsmarty]

I say send the dogs, Manly and Souffs or Easts, one of those 2

Agree 100% but will not happen in terms of Easts or souths ( too powerful )...Maybe Dogs and Manly...

My main fear is that our club will be run into the ground ....because of the incompetence at Board level....

Nothing personal Millers....

 

[2012....Sharks Year]

That's not correct. The opposite is true.

It was Peter Gow who initially approached St George through Barry Pierce. The Sharks even mocked up a 'confidential poll' to try and say Saints supporters supported the merger, effectively showing that they were willing to lie to make it happen.

The proposed deal itself was pretty pathetic, but Saints officials, and also Illawarra officials, looked at it before sending Gow and his 'vision' on their way.

From Ian Heads' book, Saints: The Legend Lives On:
(Pages 283-285 - most relevant extracts)

Sometime in late November 1994, Warren Lockwood took a call from an old workmate - Cronulla official, later president, Barry Pierce. The Sharks wanted to talk "partnership" ...could that be arranged? Soon afterwards a highly confidential document arrived at the club - from Cronulla's controversial, high energy chairman, Peter Gow. It was headed "St George/Cronulla - The Future", outlining a scenario of league's "new future" and sharing "the following findings, many of which have been confirmed by a current (unnamed) NSWRL Director". The document postulated: "It may not be the ARL or (Kerry) Packer calling the shots, but NEWS LIMITED. There would be only four teams in Sydney. Whether we like it or not, or think it a good idea, it will happen. We cannot stop it," the document continued. "Therefore we must be pro-active in positioning ourselves so our individual clubs are appropriately represented." At some length, the document proposed a joint Sharks-Saints team. St George's Geoff Carr was to be CEO of the new club and on a day that Sharks marketing man Richard Fisk (representing Gow) met Lockwood for an informal talk, Carr lunched with Gow, who outlined his "vision". A confidential poll, conducted on behalf of Cronulla in early December, was announced to have revealed an overwhelming desire among St George supporters to merge with Cronulla rather than any other club, should Super League become a reality.

On January 16, 1995 Peter Gow came to the St George boardroom and presented his proposal. His theme was: "It's going to happen whether you like it or not - you might as well join us now and get in on the ground floor." Warren Lockwood recalled how the Sharks chairman had a jumper already "dollied up" for the new team. "It was mainly bloody blue," said Lockwood. "Imagine how that would have gone over." The new team was going to be called "The Gladiators".

...[Meeting with News Limited]...

Warren Lockwood recalls [David] Smith raising his voice in disagreement in the face of Gow's strident incidence that he should have the franchise for the "new club". Shortly afterwards it was suggested that Illawarra should be in the mix too. "News were pushing for it ... they were adamant that Illawarra couldn't stand alone," said Lockwood. In the car on his way back from the meeting, Lockwood rang Illawarra chairman Bob Elvy. Elvy was to say to Lockwood later: "I nearly fell over when you told me Gow was in the same car." Illawarra wanted no truck with Cronulla - but their representatives Elvy and Peter Newell came up for a preliminary meeting anyway, a small seminal moment considering the events to come several seasons later. The meeting was held late afternoon on Monday January 23, 1995 in the board room at Saints Leagues Club, involving Cronulla trio of Gow, Crowley and Pierce as well as the Illawarra officials - Plus News Limited representaitives David Smith and Robert Topfer. At the meeting, Smith was adamant that Illawarra could not go it alone. Their "spot" had gone to Adelaide. Join St George and Cronulla in a Southern franchise or be left out - that was the stark message.

Saints-Cronulla-Illawarra of course never happened, and was never going to. Warren Saunders: "To be honest there was never any chance of St George and Cronulla voluntarily getting together. Our board were adamant they wouldn't touch it ... wouldn't have anything to do with it."

Thank faarrkk your board had it's shit together back then to reject the deal with the Sharks. In fact it might be one of the last good decisions they made.

 

[Old Kogarah Boy 1]

I say send the dogs, Manly and Souffs or Easts, one of those 2

.

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

• I think you are right the Western Bulldogs - Dogs and West Tigers make a lot of sense to me.
• Then you could have Balmain, Wests, Parramatta and Penrith as a joint venture. Maybe called ?
• Easts, Souths and Newtown called Sydney City.
• St George, Cronulla, Illawarra called St George Dragons.
• North Sydney, Manly, and Central Coast called?

Lol currently we are called StGeorge Illawarra (Dragons), we add Cronulla and get renamed StGeorge Dragons too funny..

 

[2010]

Lol currently we are called StGeorge Illawarra (Dragons), we add Cronulla and get renamed StGeorge Dragons too funny..

I’m ok with that, gets rid of the Cronulla name forever

 

[Wittenberg]

Hey Wittenberg, hear what your saying just be very careful with these developers over the next 12 months. They can very easy walk away as the housing market implodes.

I actually like Cronulla, they are my second favorite team, but I see them in a lot of trouble in the not too distant future. Sorry.

Hey Red,

Would not shed a tear if the Sharks were in trouble at all. However we are the ones that are still in the relocation pool. The Sharks (now!), the Roosters, Canberra, Melbourne, Newcastle, Brisbane and North Qld are safe. We are not , should be, but are not. The Roosters do not deserve to be safe but everyone knows they will be, money talks.

 

[Crush]

Just had a look at the sharks forum, mostly to see how they felt Johnson went.
Wow, talk about doomsday.
Calling their own team a bunch of imbeciles, calling for the immediate sacking of Townsend (he's the sharks whipping boy).
I thought they were very clunky and made a heap of errors but showed some promise, particularly with Moylan at fullback.
They'll be there abouts at the business end, they just need their best player Graham back and they'll be very hard to beat.
Just goes to show how fans are the harshest on their own teams.

 

[SBD82]

Just had a look at the sharks forum, mostly to see how they felt Johnson went.
Wow, talk about doomsday.
Calling their own team a bunch of imbeciles, calling for the immediate sacking of Townsend (he's the sharks whipping boy).
I thought they were very clunky and made a heap of errors but showed some promise, particularly with Moylan at fullback.
They'll be there abouts at the business end, they just need their best player Graham back and they'll be very hard to beat.
Just goes to show how fans are the harshest on their own teams.

I sometimes read the sharks forum to have a break from here.

It’s relaxing because they don’t heap shit on us like this place does.

 

[bad boy bubby]

I think most of us oldies see Manly as our number 1 most hated club

I suspect the Sharks see Saints as their number 1 rival but for Saints they are about third on the pecking order. We have two bigger rivals in Canterbury and Souths, and those rivalries have been around for much longer.

You are both right, and wrong.
It's about a 50/50 split between Manly and Saints but thats second tier.
Our biggest rival in recent times is by far the Storm.
That is now the game that gets pencilled in from the start of the season. The hatred between the two club's is immense.
We do have a strong rivalry with the Cowboys as well.

 

[getsmarty]

You are both right, and wrong.
It's about a 50/50 split between Manly ans Saints but thats second tier.
Our biggest rival in recent times is by far the Storm.
That is now the game that gets pencilled in from the start of the season. The hatred between the two club's is immense.
We do have a strong rivalry with the Cowboys too.

Agree...for mine the 2 most hated clubs are the Storm & The Roosters....Arrogant clubs/Fans/Players

 

[possm]

I sometimes read the sharks forum to have a break from here.

It’s relaxing because they don’t heap shit on us like this place does.

Safe Space

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

Cash-strapped Sharks consider taking games to Tonga or Fiji

LINK: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/ca...g-games-to-tonga-or-fiji-20190323-p516xd.html


Cronulla have flagged the prospect of taking games out of the Shire – potentially to Tonga or Fiji – after conceding the club made a loss on every game at Shark Park last year.

With expansion on the NRL’s agenda, there is every chance a Sydney club could be relocated if further teams aren’t introduced.


The Sharks appear one of the most vulnerable to a move despite trumpeting a $40 million windfall from the redevelopment of its precinct.

Cronulla chairman Dino Mezzatesta defended that deal. A significant chunk will be used to extinguish debt but the agreement means there will be no future earnings from the precinct.

NRL 2019
NRL swimming against the stream when it comes to TV rights, expansion

‘‘We have to grow our brand and our membership and a potential way to do that is to explore other areas to play,’’ Mezzatesta said. ‘‘By no stretch of the imagination are we saying we’ve done that this year but it’s something we have to look at seriously. The break-even number for us is about 16,500 [at Shark Park]. It’s another way of saying that we need to get people here, that’s the push.

‘‘Last year the biggest crowd we had was the Broncos game and that was 14,800 people and then about 14,000 for the Cowboys [for Johnathan Thurston’s Sydney farewell]. [Fans from] those two teams don’t travel, they were just our people, so it can be done. We’re just saying we need to get back to getting 18,000 to 19,000 people.’’

The Sharks are just about the only Sydney side that doesn’t take games out of its region. Panthers take a home match to Bathurst, the Dragons to Mudgee, the Roosters to Gosford, Manly to Christchurch, the Rabbitohs to the Sunshine Coast and Parramatta to Darwin.


While the Sharks claim they won’t be relocated, they conceded they must now consider taking games to more profitable locations.

‘‘We just need to find an area where we can grow our brand and support the Sharks,’’ he said. ‘‘It could be Orange or Bathurst or Mudgee or interstate. ‘I’d love to explore the Pacific Islands. That would have to be heavily subsidised but we’d look at that. If the Fijian or Tongan rugby league community [were keen], it would be unreal. We would need support from both countries for ... that to happen.’’

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

Cronulla Sharks set to cash in with new stadium sponsor
David Riccio, The Daily Telegraph
an hour ago

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Four months ago, the cash-strapped Cronulla Sharks were on the brink of wearing a 1970s-style jersey without a single sponsor.

They’re now in a position that most considered impossible — with the Sharks on the verge of putting one of the most tumultuous periods in the club’s history behind them by unveiling sponsorship deals worth $6 million over the next four years.

Cronulla’s revenue breakthrough includes major jersey sponsorships and a new stadium naming rights partner for their home ground.

Pointsbet will become Cronulla’s new stadium sponsor.
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Signing a new four-year, multi-million-dollar deal with online betting agency PointsBet for Cronulla’s Shark Park to be called PointsBet Stadium.

PointsBet are an Australia owned sports betting agency that are intent on increasing their profile and appeal after significant market share in the US.

Chief Marketing officer Andrew Fahey said PointsBet had no hesitation in aligning their brand with the Sharks despite the club’s recent upheaval.

“After speaking to their (Cronulla) management team, we’re very confident that the club is heading in the right direction,’’ Fahye said.

“I’ve been a rugby league fan my whole life and they’ve got as loyal a supporter base in the competition.

Cronulla have come from an impossible financial position in recent times. (AAP Image/Craig Golding)
“I love the fact that it’s very much a proud club who play at a suburban footy field that will now be called PointsBet Stadium.’’

PointsBet fill the void left by previous stadium naming rights sponsor, Southern Cross Group, who had failed to renew their sponsorship at the end of last season.

Overcome by a string of off-field issues, including the salary cap scandal, the departure of head coach Shane Flanagan, the resignation of CEO Barry Russelll and a boardroom overhaul, the Sharks lost major sponsors Opal Solar (front of jersey), Bang and Olufsen (back of jersey) and Martec (sleeve) - all of which failed to renew their contracts, leaving a $2 million shortfall in commercial revenue.





But with renewed faith in their brand following the injection of a $40 million development deal and strong roster, the Sharks have managed to secure vital corporate support.

PointsBet join the Sharks recent signing of major partner Ace Gutters for the next four years, sleeve sponsor TFH Hire Services last week on a three-year term and shorts sponsor Auto Craze.

Bundled together, the sponsorships are worth $6 million.

Having finished in his role last Monday, Russell said the club’s new sponsorship partnerships were credit to the club’s hard-working staff.
“At the start of the season, we were at the point of running out with a 1970s jersey,’’ Russell said.

“It was going to be quite embarrassing.

“But the team have worked so hard to pull this all together.

“We know that we’ve got a great brand, a great squad and a committed team who have quality sponsors and brands that are now equally as committed.’’

 

[Old Kogarah Boy 1]

I think most of us oldies see Manly as our number 1 most hated club

Please, lets give Melbourne an honorable mention.....................in fact, I would suspect they've taken outright ownership.