Gold Coast Sharks

[lillchip]

Gold Coast Sharks solves all problems:
- removes the least financial Sydney club
- removes the only NRL team without a main jersey sponsor
- gets rid of Shark Park which is the worst ground in the comp
- provides an 8m cash bonus for creating the GC Sharks merger
- massive aide to both Cronulla and GC financial problems
- name and logo fit perfectly
- colours fit perfectly

It's a no brainer.

 

[Stevo]

A no brainer hey? Wonder if either club or fans would be receptive of this idea. I don't think so.

Northern Beagles ring any bells?

 

[Ryan]

Stevo, amalgamation for MANY reasons would be appropriate, especially monetary. I would be surprised if Manly haven't contemplated a move to The Sunshine Coast in the past few years.

Great breeding ground. Rid themselves of the NSW Rugby League. Have a strong reserve grade team, and lower teams. Probably more money. No more Brookvale Oval problems. Deal with a State Government wanting to spend money.

It goes on.

Also, without (and this could be in spite, or it could be because of synergy, or maybe even both) The Bears, Manly may not be what we are today.

Every story has a start, middle and finish. Our mishaps, problems & all that have made our club stronger.

Northern Eagles happened. A decade after it, we are winning titles, upon titles. I have no doubts the Northern Eagles situation strengthened our clubs resolve, and taught our administration many, many things.

 

[Stevo]

But what happens when the Gold Coast Sharks fail?

The Titans can't get people through the gate. They can't make it work with all the NRL handouts. Why would the addition of new identity, personel and funds change that?

What happens then? Two teams down the gurgler.

 

[Ryan]

Aren't both teams pretty much down the gurgler now?

 

[Stevo]

Shouldn't they be helped rather than a new side created? Or, better still, a completely new side enters the comp?

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

All the people with the "easy" solution of moving this team here, or killing this team off to make way for a new one, seem to have forgotten what it was like when Manly were taken away

 

[Dan]

Just let both franchises die a slow death and wind up, then move those licenses to new areas under new management.

 

[susan]

Titans have two problems.The first and major one is that Searle and co have ripped off so many of the local businessmen and local clubs that people are voting with their feet.His misdemeanours up here are common knowledge and until he CBA moves in on the centre of excellence and titanium bar and bankrupt him the majority of fans simply won't go.The other part of the equation is the local economy which is diabolical at the moment.Both problems are fixeable-the first by the stroke of a pen,the second by the passage of time.I think it would be a very lucrative pre the TV deal to buy the licence off Searle at at a knockdown price.The Gold Coast loves their league as the Titans first 3 years showed, but while Searle remains they are going nowhere.Remember all the hype over Searle,even mentioned as a replacement for Gallop at one stage.Similar to the ridiculous hype over Greenturd who has guided a handpicked roster to mediocrity over three years.He is not a crook but for the life of me I cant see why he is the new golden boy given his record.

 

[God]

The gold coast would be more viable if the team was doing ok and ticket prices where better, the later being the real issue.

I remember going there a couple of years back with 2 kids and it cost around $125 for the three of us, I remember thinking at the time it would certainly turn middle and lower income families away from going especially regularly.

 

[The Who]

Gold Coast Sharks solves all problems:
- removes the least financial Sydney club
- removes the only NRL team without a main jersey sponsor
- gets rid of Shark Park which is the worst ground in the comp
- provides an 8m cash bonus for creating the GC Sharks merger
- massive aide to both Cronulla and GC financial problems
- name and logo fit perfectly
- colours fit perfectly

It's a no brainer.

I think you are right. Other posters argue the NRL should let the Titans fold, and then move to another area. I maintain that if the Gold Coast can't support a team, then neither can Perth. The Gold Coast is full of ex-NSW residents, plus those from Brisbane who do appreciate rugby league. It has a strong and growing population base. It is a much more sensible location for a team than Melbourne, and they have been financially supported since their inception.
I believe the Titans have to be propped up, if for no other reason than to give people in Brisbane, s-e Qld and northern NSW an alternative to the over-exposed Broncos.

 

[Dan79]

It only confirms what we already know. You never trust a financial planner from the Gold Coast. I am not sure what excuse Sharks have, probably similar to the Manly problems.
The biggest problem i see for the Titans is that if they try to sell the centre of excellence, the only people interested would be the Dogs, but they already have one, payed for by the state government.

 

[Dan]

Gold Coast Sharks solves all problems:
- removes the least financial Sydney club
- removes the only NRL team without a main jersey sponsor
- gets rid of Shark Park which is the worst ground in the comp
- provides an 8m cash bonus for creating the GC Sharks merger
- massive aide to both Cronulla and GC financial problems
- name and logo fit perfectly
- colours fit perfectly

It's a no brainer.

I think you are right. Other posters argue the NRL should let the Titans fold, and then move to another area. I maintain that if the Gold Coast can't support a team, then neither can Perth. The Gold Coast is full of ex-NSW residents, plus those from Brisbane who do appreciate rugby league. It has a strong and growing population base. It is a much more sensible location for a team than Melbourne, and they have been financially supported since their inception.
I believe the Titans have to be propped up, if for no other reason than to give people in Brisbane, s-e Qld and northern NSW an alternative to the over-exposed Broncos.

The gold coast football side of the business is financial and profitable. The issue comes from their property arm. Without a true leagues club they were forced to think of new business ideas to bring in money. Property seemed a good one but failed.

I would say before they fold, they will sell their multi-million dollar training facilities and other property interests and run as a football club only.

So a football team can be supported there, it just needs wiser business people to run it.

Perth will easily support a team and likely wellington too

 

[susan]

you are right Dan.No one will cop the building,especially with the specific usage caveat on it and the glut of office space in that area anyway.the cba have been capitalising the interest for years now so Searle would probably owe more than its worth.the licence is the only thing with value and good operators with a sense of community involvement can make it work.Palmer and Searle have shown what happens when you neglect the community approach.

 

[eagles2win]

They need a descent recruitment person as well. Whoever signed Prince, Zillman and Cartwright to long term deals shouldn't have a job. The same with Idris and Taylor

 

[Dan]

When they signed Prince he was one of the best in the game, two broken arms and pretty much season ending injuries in a row ruined that for them.

They had 2 or so seasons of being in the top few teams, and it has only been the last season that they dropped so appallingly towards the bottom. The rumoured money they shell out for these players borders on the ludicrous, particularly if they are financially struggling.

As for Idris and Zillman, two over priced and poor buys in my opinion, but Dave Taylor can be bloody good on his day

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Idris has big potential off the park as well so he was probably worth the long deal, could be anything on the park as well so worth the risk there

 

[The Eagle]

A no brainer hey? Wonder if either club or fans would be receptive of this idea. I don't think so.

Northern Beagles ring any bells?

Dont say anything that makes sense like that....i feel ill for agreeing wholeheartedly

 

[Jatz Crackers]

As independant as the IC might be it is still in its infancy and will take its cues from Gallops previous directions.

Gallop has previously quashed suggestions of the pins in map approach and I cant see the IC making decisions that backflip on those public statements without a club like the Sharks advancing the suggestion themselves.

 

[conanu]

I think the NRL should lend them money to cover the problems and then have an (NRL) Administrator appointed to manage how they spread thier funds that will stop them from using cash to buy players. I also believe after the TV Deal the NRL needs to put whatever they get over 1billion maybe 100 to 200 Million aside and offer some of it it to struggling clubs at 0% interest to improve facilities for the clubs who are forgotten about by the state governments and dont have Rich Pokie Den Leagues Clubs. Clubs like Ourselves, Cronulla, Titans etc could become more financially stable if we had better corporate facilities etc.