Aug 2010 - A Snapshot In Time Of The Cronulla Sharks

[slide rule]

This isn't Jets Forever?

I'm sorry seems like I've been in the wrong place for the last year and a half...:ridiculed




Might have got that bit wrong. Anyway, I think we were also sailing very very close to the wind at the time. We were at least asking players to take pay cuts etc.

 

[CrazyMatt]

It all started when we lost Birdy.....its that point when things went downhill. We were on track for a premiership when Birdy got punted......there's your catalyst.

 

[squiddy]

It all started when we lost Birdy......

Not really Crazy ....

It has been happening since the Gow / Lang era ended , club has been going downhill since then .

Anderson , Raper , Stuart , Pierce all contributed to it , last 2 seasons was when we've finally hit the bottom .

 

[SF]

Unless something dramatic occurs in the next month Cronulla will be axed from Sydney League. Those who count have earmarked the Sharks for oblivion.
- The Sun Herald, July 1986

One reason I keep the quotes thread going... to show that one loss or one bad year doesn't mean the end of the club. Even in the 70s when we were going really well, the club had its doors locked for two years before it could be opened.

Having said that, I think it is harder now, with the Shire older + richer, the need to spend the minimum salary cap, and the need to get a bigger market for sponsors. But I think we have a stack more options available than we did in the 80s and 90s - playing matches elsewhere, growing "the brand", using the land better etc.

Still it's going to require innovation and greater involvement from every supporter.

 

[Gards]

Next Irvine will be coming out saying "it was the recession we had to have..."

Can't get much more of a shakeup than we have had the last 2 years but we will need to start seeing the positive outcomes from this sooner rather than later.

 

[SF]

Might have got that bit wrong. Anyway, I think we were also sailing very very close to the wind at the time. We were at least asking players to take pay cuts etc.

Yeah the Sharks were one of 3 clubs who had to present a case for survival. We scraped through and Ken Arthurson arranged a loan (with interest).

 

[bort]

Next Irvine will be coming out saying "it was the recession we had to have..."

As long as he doesn't start repeating 'moving forward'.

 

[Fitzy2513]

The question I need to ask is when is Irvine and the board going to appoint a CEO. From previous post, Irvine obviously has a lot of support on this forum. I think some of his decisions have been quite good, namely the home games to be taken to NZ. The CEO is so important, the glue, the mouth piece of the club, the one others see on the TV backing up the players, the ones seen signing up sponsors, the one who provides that first sight to outsiders of a professional united club. Now I know we all have read Rothfields article on our immortal, Greg Pierce, and before we all scream "you can't believe what's written in the papers", I find one part quite disturbing, the part where Piercey states, he handed Damien his CV but hasn't heard anything further. It's just something I can't get my head around, the bloke is black, white and blue, he is a immortal for f*** sake. And we need a CEO. Knowing Piercey's courageous fight for life, what a marketing tool for a struggling club. What better way to engage the old time locals. What better way to gain the respect again from the rugby league fratenity. I see some smart business moves by this current board, but the club is much more then a business, it's about footy, and maybe our upper management is letting us down in that department.

 

[Murphy]

look at the shifty pricks we have had.. i am not in a rush to see a ceo as long as its the right man or lady to the job...

 

[SF]

The question I need to ask is when is Irvine and the board going to appoint a CEO. From previous post, Irvine obviously has a lot of support on this forum. I think some of his decisions have been quite good, namely the home games to be taken to NZ. The CEO is so important, the glue, the mouth piece of the club, the one others see on the TV backing up the players, the ones seen signing up sponsors, the one who provides that first sight to outsiders of a professional united club. Now I know we all have read Rothfields article on our immortal, Greg Pierce, and before we all scream "you can't believe what's written in the papers", I find one part quite disturbing, the part where Piercey states, he handed Damien his CV but hasn't heard anything further. It's just something I can't get my head around, the bloke is black, white and blue, he is a immortal for f*** sake. And we need a CEO. Knowing Piercey's courageous fight for life, what a marketing tool for a struggling club. What better way to engage the old time locals. What better way to gain the respect again from the rugby league fratenity. I see some smart business moves by this current board, but the club is much more then a business, it's about footy, and maybe our upper management is letting us down in that department.

They are advertising currently, saw the link to Seek on LU. I agree Pierce should be considered strongly, but I am real happy to see the open advertising of jobs and the full recruitment process.

 

[Fitzy2513]

That's fair Murphy, but maybe a phone call to one of our immortals would have been a little show of respect and the sceptics and those like me who are just a little uncertain of our hierarchy, might have a bit more faith in where the place is heading.

Thanks Sharks Forever as I didn't know that. And a big thank you if you are the person behind this forum. I am so glad I stumbled across it.

 

[Murphy]

fair point i guess we dont know what is said behind close doors,

 

[SF]

That's fair Murphy, but maybe a phone call to one of our immortals would have been a little show of respect and the sceptics and those like me who are just a little uncertain of our hierarchy, might have a bit more faith in where the place is heading.

Thanks Sharks Forever as I didn't know that. And a big thank you if you are the person behind this forum. I am so glad I stumbled across it.

Cheers, without trying to do an Academy Awards speech, it honestly was the posters and moderators here who got this forum started and kept it going. Anyway enough of that!

I encourage you to stay sceptical and expect professionalism. I hope we can be somewhere in between the two extremes here.

 

[stormshark]

Interesting thread. A long way from home, i watched the Sat game alone at a souless TAB beer barn.For the first time ever i really seriously began to wonder why i bothered as i drove on after the game.I don't think the score reflected the game and we should have been in front at HT and stats supported that.Then once we got behind there was a sense of inevitableness that seems to have infected all involved( including supporters). I tried to work it out but can't ....and that is even worse. Granted we have a very young team,maybe the difference between top and bottomn teams is wider than ever, but there is just something/some feel that i haven't ever seen in bygone eras.The team is not the worst we have put on the Park.
On the Positive- other teams in other eras have had far worse than two bad consecutive seasons: Think 70's Panthers and latter day Rabbitohs. I think this IS the toughest period i can remember and the worst era for our club, I don't think its the end but there is a forebodence about it.We may not have won a comp but we have been uniformly successful and genuine expectations were always that we would improve within 12-18mths when we were down, and these were always met. It seems all concerned have lots of hope, but most have lost that genuine positive expectation.
Someone has to come up with something and quick to turn things around we all agree!

 

[Gards]

They are advertising currently, saw the link to Seek on LU. I agree Pierce should be considered strongly, but I am real happy to see the open advertising of jobs and the full recruitment process.

How much are they paying?

Salary will be paid in-line with ones opinion of brown paper bags.....filled with IOUs and maccas coupons

In all seriousness Murphy makes a good point not to rush the appointment of a CEO. In any business it takes time to fill high level positions with real talent. Let's hope it's worth the wait - in the mean time I spose we are saving a bit of cash on salary expenses.

 

[brently]

Yep. It's the worst period I can remember in 30+ years. Years back, before the professional era, players accepted half pay to keep the club alive. But even then we had more going for us in terms of team performance, player attitude and crowd support. I agree it has been a long painful slide since Langy left; however the last two years have been diabolical. I've never been less optimistic than I have since mid this year. BUT - I am optimistic that the boys can do better next year and hopefully that will result in some decent crowds and less media slagging. Go sharks.