Berkeley_Eagle
Current Status: 24/7 Manly Fan
BATTLERS, weakest link, financially-strapped, expendable. That was how many saw South Sydney more than a decade ago.
Now it's Cronulla's turn.
Just like George Piggins' famous crusade to save the Rabbitohs in 2000, the Sharks battle for survival begins today with a similar rallying of the troops.
Sharks players, fans, Sutherland Shire residents, politicians and local celebrities will gather at Toyota Stadium to show their support for the proposed $300 million retail, entertainment and housing complex at Woolooware.
Cronulla's two greatest players over the past 20 years - Andrew Ettingshausen and Paul Gallen - are adamant that the development must go ahead or the Sharks will die.
"I think this is an important initiative," said Ettingshausen, who played a club record 328 matches for the Sharks.
"If the development proposal doesn't get through the Sharks' time in the NRL will soon be over.
"Many other regions across Australia and the Pacific are desperately trying to get a team in. We are one of a handful of regions that can boast of having a team in the prestigious NRL competition.
"We must all get behind the bid to develop the land and create a permanent place for our team to represent Sydney's southern suburbs for decades to come.
"We simply can't afford to throw away this incredible opportunity. Our kids and their kids will have the chance to support and cheer on the mighty Sharks forever."
Cronulla captain Gallen feels so strongly about the issue that the Test forward took time out from his Four Nations commitments in the UK to speak with The Sunday Telegraph.
"It's a must," Gallen said. "The Shire is one of the fastest growing areas in Sydney and I worry - not as a player, but as a resident and a father with two kids - what life would be like without the Sharks playing a huge role in the local community.
"The development isn't just about injecting much-needed funds into the Sharks, it's much bigger than that."
The Sharks rally may not attract anywhere near the 80,000 supporters that marched to Town Hall in November 2000 to push for Souths' re-admission to the NRL, but it means just as much to Sharks fans.
The rally is seen as a crucial step in the club's push to become an NRL powerhouse.
But they must convince the Liberal state government that the development should go ahead.
The Liberals are said to be split over the proposal, which its supporters claim will create 1500 new jobs and 700 homes.
And just as Piggins was outspoken all those years ago about the Rabbitohs' impact on the wider community, the community-based initiative will see actor Brendan Cowell, Sharks club chairman Damian Irvine and Shire Councillor Kent Johns address the rally, which will start in the western car park of Toyota Stadium, with the crowd then marching to the eastern car park.
The rally will also feature a letter-writing stall, encouraging supporters to air their views before submissions to the state government planning assessment commission close on December 5.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl-cronulla-sharks-great-andrew-ettingshausen-says-club-cannot-be-allowed-to-die/story-e6frexni-1226200008417
Now it's Cronulla's turn.
Just like George Piggins' famous crusade to save the Rabbitohs in 2000, the Sharks battle for survival begins today with a similar rallying of the troops.
Sharks players, fans, Sutherland Shire residents, politicians and local celebrities will gather at Toyota Stadium to show their support for the proposed $300 million retail, entertainment and housing complex at Woolooware.
Cronulla's two greatest players over the past 20 years - Andrew Ettingshausen and Paul Gallen - are adamant that the development must go ahead or the Sharks will die.
"I think this is an important initiative," said Ettingshausen, who played a club record 328 matches for the Sharks.
"If the development proposal doesn't get through the Sharks' time in the NRL will soon be over.
"Many other regions across Australia and the Pacific are desperately trying to get a team in. We are one of a handful of regions that can boast of having a team in the prestigious NRL competition.
"We must all get behind the bid to develop the land and create a permanent place for our team to represent Sydney's southern suburbs for decades to come.
"We simply can't afford to throw away this incredible opportunity. Our kids and their kids will have the chance to support and cheer on the mighty Sharks forever."
Cronulla captain Gallen feels so strongly about the issue that the Test forward took time out from his Four Nations commitments in the UK to speak with The Sunday Telegraph.
"It's a must," Gallen said. "The Shire is one of the fastest growing areas in Sydney and I worry - not as a player, but as a resident and a father with two kids - what life would be like without the Sharks playing a huge role in the local community.
"The development isn't just about injecting much-needed funds into the Sharks, it's much bigger than that."
The Sharks rally may not attract anywhere near the 80,000 supporters that marched to Town Hall in November 2000 to push for Souths' re-admission to the NRL, but it means just as much to Sharks fans.
The rally is seen as a crucial step in the club's push to become an NRL powerhouse.
But they must convince the Liberal state government that the development should go ahead.
The Liberals are said to be split over the proposal, which its supporters claim will create 1500 new jobs and 700 homes.
And just as Piggins was outspoken all those years ago about the Rabbitohs' impact on the wider community, the community-based initiative will see actor Brendan Cowell, Sharks club chairman Damian Irvine and Shire Councillor Kent Johns address the rally, which will start in the western car park of Toyota Stadium, with the crowd then marching to the eastern car park.
The rally will also feature a letter-writing stall, encouraging supporters to air their views before submissions to the state government planning assessment commission close on December 5.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl-cronulla-sharks-great-andrew-ettingshausen-says-club-cannot-be-allowed-to-die/story-e6frexni-1226200008417