RA's Rant... Sharks don't need this Bird Flu! We have one more Gallen left!

[Rise_Against]

Today, i woke to text messages on my phone saying that Cronulla Sharks, New South Wales and Australian Test Star, our number 13, Greg Bird... Was in jail overnight for "glassing his girlfriend", Young American girl, Katie Milligan... The Cronulla club have suspended Greg indefinitely... which puts one of our top stars, out of action for the rest of this year... denting what could've been a very good chance of Cronulla Sharks winning a premiership for the first time since introduced to the Rugby League system in 1967!

But i believe, in my heart, we still have a chance! Paul Gallen, Brett Kimmorley, Ben Ross, Luke Covell, Ben Pomeroy, Brett Seymour, Luke Douglas, Isaac De Gois, Danny Nutley, Adam Peek and Brett Kearney aren't just rubbish players... they are fantastic players who will need to stand up and take this club to the new heights! Don't worry about 2009... worry about the last 6/7 weeks of this competition! We can do this if the boys stand up and take pride in their Blue, Black and White!

Kimmorley, Ross & Seymour have semi-final and grand final winning blood in them (with Storm, Panthers & Broncos respectively)
Peek & Nutley are hard working veteran props who have been around the circuit and can show some true leadership
Covell, Douglas, De Gois, Kearney & Pomeroy look like true semi-final type players

But the man that needs to stand above the rest of the pack is Paul Gallen.. He is a best mate of Greg Birds, lived with him, bashed QLDers on the field together, shared Australian 100 Year Commerative Jerseys together.. He needs to lead the way...no more grubby penalties... keep the passion, and take Birds passion with him... Gallen needs to lead this side, like i know he deep down can... and take us to the semi's and possibly, a small chance at the premiership.... with pride and dignity...

Next year is a new year we have Tupou, Barrett, Armit & Hughes (Maybe Soliola... NEED CLARIFICATION ON THAT) all coming, we have young guys like Hume, Filiga, Green & Bukuya waiting on side lines to come up... we should be fine for 09...

But let's try and find a way to get through this dark, cloudy and horrible day.. move forward unite as one! United as CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS supporters and fly our flags and sing UP UP CRONULLA louder then ever...
.....................................................................................................

 

[bort]

we signed Soliola?

 

[UpUpCronulla]

yeah when did we get soliola?

 

[Rise_Against]

Someone on here said we did hahaha ILL EDIT IT OUT until i find it!

 

[IronShark]

I'm sorry RA, wish I could see past the gloom but I am pretty much completely shattered. I always felt that Bird was "The One" who was going to lead this team into the history books. He had the aggression, confidence and enthusiasm that made the team what it was. He gave it heart.
I don't know how we rebuild from this, I honestly don't.
I hope one day Greg Bird looks back and realises how many people he has disappointed. He would have been a hero and a legend in the Shire for the rest of his life if he had won us a premiership and I believe he was going to.
My kids and I thought he was the best. My screensaver was the photo of Bird standing over Thurston in Origin. I don't know what else to say.

Good luck to the Sharks for the rest of the year, I hope they prove me wrong.
Greg Bird, you have let us all down.

 

[Rise_Against]

I know IronShark, it hurts me too... I have a framed set of all Greg Bird/Paul Gallen cards and photos and stuff on my wall and i don't know what to say on this matter....

But i do know what i can say about my cronulla sharks... and we have to go forward we have to! **** this hurts!!!!!!!!

 

[lickjimmy1]

Its absolutely killing me too mate..I only met him and his GF last week at a function as well...

Next year I was looking forward to having Topou/Gallen/Bird..

As much as it is hard to find any positives, we may be able to sign a quality winger or centre that I feel we have been lacking... And.. Hopefully Reece Williams can make it back for finals...

 

[Rise_Against]

i heard we signed young Panthers & Australian Schoolboy Matthew Wright?? sounds promising! and Yeah Reece Williams, and even maybe a spot for Bukuya to come up... he is a lock isn't he?

 

[sharks195]

Wright has been signed for a while I think.

 

[Rise_Against]

nah the paper the other day had a big picture of the australian school boys that just demolished france and the uk and matthew wright or a name like that... was in the backrow and had signed by 'panthers' but has signed for sharks for next year... and we had 2 more Sharks boys in the Australian school boys.... maybe we should give one a chance! australian school boys are always good

 

[bort]

yeh we have had wright tied up for next season for ages now
someone (our footy maybe) said he expects him to spend at least most of next season in NYC

 

[Rise_Against]

ahhh fair enough well here's to him then lol... Bukuya anyone?

 

[throwing knuckles]

bird is a great player but what he has done is bad i hope it wasent him but look on the lighter side we have gallen, covell , pomeroy and kimmorly.



GALLEN IS OUR NEW BIRD

:cheers

 

[Google News]

Sharks to unite in face of Bird ban - sportal.com.au

Source:http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=...s9H6Ag&usg=AFQjCNFag-k1WvUm90o21gJMKoaKelBi6Q

Sharks to unite in face of Bird ban
25/08/2008 4:49:48 PM
Steve Orme

Ricky Stuart has vowed to galvanise his charges as the Cronulla Sharks come to terms with the likely loss of star utility Greg Bird for the remainder of their NRL campaign.

Bird was suspended indefinitely by the club on Monday, a matter of hours after he appeared in a Sydney court on assault charges stemming from an alleged incident in his home in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Speaking at Sharks headquarters, a sombre Stuart labelled the loss of the Kangaroos and New South Wales representative as a bitter blow but promised the team would fight on in his absence.

"Without Greg Bird's qualities as a footballer it makes it (the season) a lot tougher for us - it's another obstacle we have to face," Stuart said.

"But I've assured the players that I'm going to unite this team like they've never seen before and make this a journey they remember."

Stuart, who addressed the players minutes before the decision to suspend the 24-year-old was revealed to the media, said the team is still coming to terms with the situation.

"They're very disappointed but we're basically at the 30 kilometre mark of a marathon and we're not going back to the starting blocks," Stuart said.

"We've got to keep pushing forward and at the moment we're pushing forward without Greg and we'll do everything we possibly can to keep jumping the hurdles and obstacles in front of us."

But while Stuart is determined not to let Bird's off-field dramas have a negative impact on the team, he conceded he had also found his star player's predicament difficult to digest.

"I've become very fond of Greg over the last two years, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't hurting for him," he said.

"I'm disappointed in what allegations there are but I've got to coach a football team and move on."

The charges levelled at Bird have cast serious doubt over his involvement in the Rugby League World Cup commencing on October 25.

"That's a decision for another day," Stuart said when quizzed on Bird's likely involvement in the tournament.

"It's been very busy and very tough over the last three or four hours and I haven't even thought of that - that's a decision for another day and for a different group of people."

 

[peachey]

lickjimmy - there will be no gallen/tupou/bird next year..bird is gone either way, the idiot just destroyed his career and his life, because GBH is a serious matter, even worse when he has done it to a female..im taking the innocent till proven guilty thought BUT if he is found guilty, i want him off my team, i have lost all respect for this grub..gutted and angry!

i saw an interview on foxsports with sticky, he said "im going to unite this team more then i have ever done in the past 2 years..you can take this 2 ways, as a coach and as a friend, as a coach - i have a team to coach and this will not distract them, as a friend, bird has grown on me over the last 2 years and for him to do this is, im gutted..."

 

[brad]

an event like this will bond the boys. ricky will have them pumped and ready to go for a real dig at this title. this season is far from done. i believe we can do it!

 

[chunk67]

i wonder what his teammates r feeling right now?

 

[brad]

i would feel betrayed and let down.

and i was wanting to give this bloke the captaincy and he had dreams of captaining the club himself. a whole career thrown a way in one cruel act

 

[Rise_Against]

i also thought he may of had a chance to captain NSW next year with Budsy and Gaz both gone...

 

[FoRzA aZzUrRi]

lickjimmy - there will be no gallen/tupou/bird next year..bird is gone either way, the idiot just destroyed his career and his life, because GBH is a serious matter, even worse when he has done it to a female..im taking the innocent till proven guilty thought BUT if he is found guilty, i want him off my team, i have lost all respect for this grub..gutted and angry!

i saw an interview on foxsports with sticky, he said "im going to unite this team more then i have ever done in the past 2 years..you can take this 2 ways, as a coach and as a friend, as a coach - i have a team to coach and this will not distract them, as a friend, bird has grown on me over the last 2 years and for him to do this is, im gutted..."

Bird wont be gone, his gf said that bird didn't do it and if she stays to that Bird can't plead guilty no matter what, if she drops charges, he is gone for this season yes but if things remain the way they are now he will still be in the shire next year and if he is he has got a lot of asslicking to do