CRONULLA legend Gavin Miller has pleaded for fans to stick solid with the embattled Sharks, fearing the club could soon become the next North Sydney or Newtown.
Miller - one of the five greatest Cronulla players of all time - believes his former club could be the next side to disappear from the top flight if they continue to struggle on and off the field.
The Sharks sit dead last on the NRL table after their 44-16 thrashing at the hands of the Broncos on Sunday and The Daily Telegraph yesterday revealed that, due to their precarious financial situation, they are the only club not to spend all of the NRL's $4.1 million salary cap.
Speaking with The Daily Telegraph, Miller, who played 11 seasons at Shark Park, said: "We all have to bleed together. And we need to be kissed by a few angels.
"Down the track, I want to tell my grandchildren that I played for Cronulla and be able to take them to games."
To do that, Miller says, fans must continue to support coach Ricky Stuart and his men.
Asked was he worried about Cronulla's future, Miller said: "Absolutely. I'm more than worried. I often think of the anguish guys like Greg Florimo went through when Norths went out of the competition. You have to remember the enormous pleasure the Bears gave their fans. I think about Newtown not being in the competition any more as well.
"We all have to stick solid and support Ricky and the team. This is a very tough period for this club.
"The last thing this club needs is speculation about the demise of the coach. We've got to be positive. Everyone is involved."
Compounding the sense of crisis at the club were conflicting remarks after the match from Stuart and his star forward Paul Gallen.
Stuart said one of the problems the club faced was it wasn't spending its full cap allowance. But Gallen expressed surprise, saying one of the reasons he re-signed with the club was that the Sharks would be spending to their limit to ensure they would once again be an NRL force.
Sharks CEO Richard Fisk last night sought to defuse the issue by insisting Cronulla did indeed spend its cap - for its top tier side.
"Basically we spend [the full amount] on the NRL salary cap but we haven't gone to the limit on our second tier or NYC [national youth competition] salary caps," he said. "The new management and the board inherited a football club in which people had been spending way past their own means. All we've simply done is come in and say we can't afford to spend that money.
"We could keep spending like a drunken sailor and the club would go broke or we can be responsible in the way we're spending our money."
Daily Telegraph
