Damian Irvine

[hitman124]

I'm not sure if Damian could answer that on here for legal reasons. Do we really need Greg Bird? I will always love him as a player but this whole thread is about how the club has moved on and how much more positive the club looks this year with the overhaul and I think the cattle we have will perform and place us back to the form of 08.

I completely agree mate, I never thought Id say it, but Im over the bird too, not saying he wont be great if he made an nrl comeback, but when I saw the top 25 I saw so many positives that Im sick of living in the first half of 08.

In 08 we had Kearney, Ross, Bird, Seymour, Kimmorley, De Gois all made up the foundation of our squad, and when they were fully fit they gave us an amazing side, but now they are gone and a new age is here.

It wont be easy, there will be a lot of lows - manly at brookie last year comes to mind- and a few highs along the way, but I think I see the perfect mix of youth, potential, mixed with a couple guys in thier prime, and a couple of veterans, our squad looks great to me- so much so I even wore my sharkies retro jersey today, first time in a long time, Irvine got me inspired to wear it! lol.

Birdy is so into this girl she has completely taken over his life, I have far less respect and admiration for him now.

 

[Capital_Shark]

I completely agree mate, I never thought Id say it, but Im over the bird too, not saying he wont be great if he made an nrl comeback, but when I saw the top 25 I saw so many positives that Im sick of living in the first half of 08.

In 08 we had Kearney, Ross, Bird, Seymour, Kimmorley, De Gois all made up the foundation of our squad, and when they were fully fit they gave us an amazing side, but now they are gone and a new age is here.

It wont be easy, there will be a lot of lows - manly at brookie last year comes to mind- and a few highs along the way, but I think I see the perfect mix of youth, potential, mixed with a couple guys in thier prime, and a couple of veterans, our squad looks great to me- so much so I even wore my sharkies retro jersey today, first time in a long time, Irvine got me inspired to wear it! lol.

Birdy is so into this girl she has completely taken over his life, I have far less respect and admiration for him now.

The rest are easy now, Damo...

 

[Deleted member 3365]

I agree with the fact that the sharks admin have to conclude everyones thoughts on Greg Bird because im pretty confused myself about Ricky Stuarts and ETs comments about birdie coming back...obviously theres been talks of offering bird a spot here. but other than that thank you Damien for interacting with the forum and looking forward to seeing our club prosper in the future.
CRONULLA!

 

[Moderators]

For 16 months the Moderators of this Forum have been managing Greg Bird posts and threads.

This is the first and final warning to the Members of this Forum that we will no longer be doing so.

The Greg Bird main discussion thread is here

http://www.sharksforever.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16161

There is also

If Bird goes to the Titans, will they just about win the comp?

Greg Bird Tongue Gallery

Innocent victim of Bird glassing incident still suffering

Hypothetical Question – Bird or Barrett?

Bird Debacle Timeline

There are also over fifty Greg Bird threads in the Images forums

If you want to make a post about Greg Bird, please do so in those threads.

If you post about Greg Bird in any other thread, or create any new thread about him, there is a 95% chance that it will be deleted.

Please note the following official Press Release from the Club (25-Nov-2009).

Greg Bird today had his conviction quashed for cutting his girlfriend’s face with a glass.

http://sharks.com.au/?s=article-display&id=21421

Greg Bird Conviction Quashed
25 November 2009

Greg Bird today had his conviction quashed for cutting his girlfriend’s face with a glass.

The former Cronulla Sharks player’s girlfriend, Katie Milligan, suffered a broken eye socket and cuts to the eye during an altercation at Bird’s flat in August last year.

Bird was released from the club after several inquiries and interviews at the time of the incident.

“The Cronulla Sharks stand by the club’s decision, which was made with all the information available at the time,” said Chief Executive Officer, Richard Fisk.

“The Sharks have moved on in a new direction and will not be attempting to re-sign Greg Bird.”

“We wish him all the best in his rugby league career and in his future endeavours after what was obviously a harrowing period in his life.”

This thread is about the future of our Club. The Club have made it clear that Greg Bird is not in that future, and explained the reasons why.

:topic

:cheers

 

[Bundy]

Here here... Thank you Mods.

 

[Megashark]

The Club have made it clear that Greg Bird is not in that future, and explained the reasons why.

Well if there was an explanation then I must have missed it, as I have never heard one; which is why I questioned Damian on this point:

I would appreciate it if you could let us know whether any consideration at all was actually given to offering Greg a new contract, the processes and parties involved in making such a decision, and the reasons the club arrived at this decision.

But if the Moderators are in possession of this information, please feel free to re-post it here, or in the Greg Bird thread, for the benefit of those of us who did not catch it at the time? :cheers

 

[fitz]

I received an email from Sharks Chairman, Damian Irvine yesterday following up his open letter to Sharksforever.com at the beginning of this thread.

His recommendation is that if any Registered Member of the Sharks has any specific queries or complaints, then the ONLY appropriate forum for those queries or complaints to be answered is through “The Tank” in the Member-only area of sharks.com.au

Mr Irvine stated that the Administration of our Club is commited to servicing Members' rightful wish for questions to be answered and to fulfil its genuine commitment to managerial transparency.

He goes on to say that if you are not already a Member, you are strongly encouraged to take out Membership of The Sharks in order to have your voice officially heard by the Club - it is crucial to the ongoing success of the Club for it to continue to expand its fan base and Club Membership.

Mr Irvine has given every assurance that the he’ll endeavour to ensure that any questions or complaints will be responded to quickly and by the most appropriate official.

He further stressed the importance of increasing our Club's Membership and his appreciation of the many passionate supporters who care so much for the Sharks.

 

[Capital_Shark]

lol direct all complaints to The Tank ... where nobody will ever know about them. Genius!

 

[anray]

Thanks mr irvine the clubs future looks bright all we need to do is win a premiership

 

[Megashark]

Thanks mr irvine the clubs future looks bright all we need to do is win a premiership

Sounds simple enough!

 

[Henchmann]

Irrrrrvine, in control and Ricky out of control.

NO SENSORSHIP MODiS?

 

[Google News]

Sharks see better days

Sharks see better days
23/03/2010 1:20 PM
Adam Lucius

Cronulla chairman Damian Irvine has reassured fans the club is headed in the right direction despite a disappointing start to the season.

The Sharks are 0-2 after two rounds and sit equal-bottom on the table, drawing criticism over their playing style and strength of the playing roster.

While he shares supporters' concerns, Irvine is confident better days are ahead and has called for calm and patience.

"We've got a very clear plan in place on where we want the club to go," Irvine told Sky Sports Radio on Tuesday.

"You all know the short-term history we've had at the club and that it's been tough."

"We've got a very small staff working very hard and a very committed board working through the issues we had last year and we've done that."

"There's no big magical panacea in the future of the club."

"It takes hard work and discipline and we're certainly very confident we can pull it off and have a prosperous long-term future."

Despite not winning a game since last June - a losing streak now standing at a club-record 12 matches - Irvine is adamant the Sharks have the right players and coach to turn things around.

He said: "I know there has been talk of a streak and how poorly the side has been going in the last six months of competition but the fact is I see us as none and two - this is a brand new year."

"On the 1st of January we started out as a new club."

"I do think it's a little unfair to go back to the end of last year where circumstances - regardless of our roster, regardless of our recruitment policy - I don't know of any side that could have kept it together and played the football that they did."

"Ricky (Stuart) and all the coaching staff are very happy with the roster they've got."

"Yes, we'd love some extra money to go after some big players but we've just got to muscle through."

"This idea of easy fixes and buying players and going those short-cut routes; they're just not available to the Sharks and it's not how we want to rebuild the club."

"We want to do it by hard work, day by day."

A major part of Cronulla's survival plan is the redevelopment of the land around the leagues club.

But while it will provide some financial surety for the next few years, Irvine warns against expectations it will be a cure-all for a club operating on one of the tightest budgets in the NRL.

"The rivers of gold and financial panacea are something that has been built up over the years in the membership's mind," he said.

"It's a good development - it's very sound and something that other NRL clubs don't have - but in reality if you were to realise 10, 15, 20 million dollars (initially), it's not too far down the track that you'd find yourself in exactly the same position (as we are now)."

"It will be done for the members with the members' approval and for the best possible long-term future of the club."

"I'm not talking five or 10 years, I'm talking 40 years."

Source:http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=...-88135&usg=AFQjCNHaqJf1Fho1-9PCpPOtU75K_mVw5A

Attachment: Photograph Copyright : Getty Images

 

[Mark^Bastard]

I'm glad this came out. Good work.

I've settled down a bit to be honest and I'm -almost- gaining some confidence back as a supporter.

 

[Wilson]

Not after that team selection. fmd.

 

[Mark^Bastard]

Agreed, just when I get a bit of confidence back it's shattered.

 

[Louis]

Irvine could be the best thing that has happened to this club in a long time. If he can get us out of this hole he will be a legend in my books.

 

[Megashark]

Irvine could be the best thing that has happened to this club in a long time. If he can get us out of this hole he will be a legend in my books.

I met Damian last week at the Warriors game and he certainly seems to be very genuine and enthusiastic. What's more he makes a real attempt to connect with the supporters - he was sitting with the CSSC - and this is something that has not always been evident with our club's administration in the past.

 

[peachey]

NRL Talk interview with Damian Irvine

NRL Talk interview with Damian Irvine

http://nrlleaguetalk.blogspot.com/

this will be one of many interviews with various players etc

[shameless plug]

NRL Talk Interview With Shark's Chairman Damian Irvine
Friday, March 26, 2010

NRL Talk has been lucky enough to conduct a short interview with Shark's Chairman Mr. Damian Irvine. We would like to thank him for his time and honesty in answering our questions. Mr. Irvine has been Chairman of the new look Sharks board since July of 2009. The Sharks suffered a terrible 2009 and although results are not going the way of the Shire club, it's obvious that the club is heading in the right direction off-field

Nrl Talk: 2009 was a disastrous year for the Sharks, what steps have been taken to ensure there is not a repeat in 2010?

DI: 2009 was obviously a horrible year, to avoid the off field issues that happened last year we have installed a foundation in the club, systems, policies and procedures that ensure transparency and accountability. The team we have off field is hard working, tight knit and 100% committed to the success of the club in the future

NT: The Sharks have had a huge turn over of talent in the off season. Who do you expect to stand up this season, both of the new recruits and remaining squad?

DI: We have a very balanced squad across the park, the Sharks teams of the past have been just that, teams. Every week we all need to perform consistently to achieve our very best, I say we because the entire club is responsible and contributes to success, not the players alone.

NT: How important was the deal recently struck in securing the financial future of the Sharks?

DI: Due to the financial position the club has been in for the past 6 years or so, only hard work and discipline can be the answer in securing the financial future of the club. Fantastic support like that of Hisense obviously help and it is a wonderful company and will share a long a successful future with our club, but football clubs in general in the Sydney region that are based on traditional models are struggling to pay their way. What we now have is clarity and a genuine intent on solving that problem for our club and I’m confident it will be achieved and position The Sharks very strongly in the long term future.

NT: Realistically, can the Sharks make the top 8?

DI: Absolutely. And that belief should be reflected throughout our entire club, I include every member in that, and if people are not members but say they are fans, they need to become members. The way the team played against Melbourne in round 1 shows their ability. Like any side the success of the year will be judged on how well they play to their ability every week, how consistently they do that. If our team does that then they will certainly be in the 8.

NT: The Sharks have never been a club with high membership numbers, but we’ve already seen a big increase in numbers in 2010, what do you put that down to?

DI: Great work by Jarrod Johnstone in our membership dept and the support he has from a very hard working, caring , team in the office. Ownership and accountability by our fans. It’s not any longer the case where clubs can survive without fans becoming members. Our supporter base began to accept and realise that this year and the club is truly grateful and benefits greatly from it. We have a long way to go, but to be leading the way in the NRL in terms of turning the trend around and increasing numbers is something the club is very very proud of our members for.

NT: We’ve seen the Bulldogs and Bunnies become genuine premiership threats due mainly to aggressive recruitment drives. Are the Sharks planning a similar approach in the player marker this year?

DI: Both sides are 0-2 going in to next round just like us. Consistency is the key regardless of your playing roster , it must perform to its peak week in week out.

NT: Rugby League Week polls suggest fans believe the Sharks are morals for the wooden spoon. What are your thoughts on this?

DI: They don’t know The Sharks. We’ve been underdogs since 1967.

NT: Last year’s Toyota Cup side finished last. How do you expect the team to go this year? Any players we should keep a look out for?

DI: They’ll go far better. I’m very proud of Joey Grima and his team from last year who were affected greatly by the events and injuries in first grade. They produced Stapo and Fergo which is testament to what they are doing in NYC. Their performance in Auckland was first rate and the boys learned so much from the way the game ended and will grow from that. Placing wraps on young players may not be the best thing to do, plus it would only be opinion. Members should get down there early and watch them play, they are exciting and I love to hear who the members think are playing well and are stand outs. Our fantastic members interstate and in country NSW often send messages to the club asking about players they watched on the fox coverage in NYC and those at the ground that support them are very much noticed and appreciated by the team and staff.

NT: Any last messages for Sharks fans as we continue in the early rounds of the season?

DI: Have belief in the squad and club and perpetrate that through actions and attitude. We’ve had tough times and they are not easily fixed. When someone you love is going through tough times, you get tighter, stand by them unconditionally and believe in their ability to turn it around and prosper. Our club needs that from those people who matter the most to the players and staff, Sharks members.

NRL Talk again thanks Mr. Irvine for his time and wishes the Sharks all the best on Monday Night against the Bunnies

 

[ROB SHARK]

great interview, love his passion he has for the sharks.

 

[brently]

more great stuff. you heard him, non-member fans - relax, extract that wallet from the deep dark recesses of your arse crack and cough up a few dollars for your club. yes, you'll cop flack about your member's cap, "how many comps have they won? and all that crap. i get it all the time. but until we win that elusive comp i wouldn't have it any other way. take one for the team - literally.

go sharks.