Thanks for the rap guys... I'm just another fan who is passionate about the Sharks...
but I do appreciate the feedback.
All of us who come into these forums have our own opinions and viewpoints. The purpose of these forums is is to put a voice to our concerns, our ideas, our fears and our joys with a hope that we may connect with like-minded people... or at least have people who'll argue rationally that we're wrong. That's human... and it's something that would normally happen around the dinner table... or a bevvy or twelve at the pub.
The main thing that I'm sensing in these forums is that the fans feel like they have a connection to the players but are rapidly feeling on the outer of the club as a whole.
I must admit, I get the sense that the Club recently hold the fans somewhat in contempt. That is just a sense I get... I can't really back that up with facts, but it does seem as though the club wants our membership dollars, but doesn't really want to involve it's members or the wider community in it. Or encourage deeper ties with the local community at all
We've lost our way.
An interesting fact that I was reading about the other day about the Shire. Of the 53,000 jobs in the Shire, approximately 40,000 are staffed by people living in the Shire.
That is a phenomenal statistic and what it really highlights is a sense of ownership of this place by its residents and a connection to this place in both a work sense as well as a home sense.
We also have a remarkable number 17.5% of us are involved in some sort of voluntary work.
The Sharks have such an untapped potential here - I think they've become so preoccupied with the National RL that they've lost connection with their grass roots.
This is some of the most fertile Rugby League Territory around and last Sundey, despite all the crap that we've had to go through this year, 14,000+ of us cheered our team on to a win.
There is an old saying "It takes a single spark to start a forest fire" and that's what I think is going on right now. I can feel it... I see it when I do the shopping or drive the kids to sport. People are defiantly wearing their Sharks gear despite all the stigma that it has at the monment and saying... "We're here, we're proud, and we aint gonna go away"
Keep fighting the good fight guys and gals!
