During one of my earlier ParraFirst meetings, I read a text exchange between Steve Sharp and a member of an opposition faction. The other bloke was giving it to Sharpie calling him all manner of things, and Sharpie simply responded back along the lines of: “I’m here to fix the club and I’m not leaving till it’s done”.
And as I watched the Eels put in that resolute performance against the Bulldogs, I got to thinking, that Sharpie may have just have already achieved his objective.
I periodically get a Twitter handle call out, every time there’s bad news about the board, because of my support for them over the past two campaigns. I’ve had people ask me if I regret supporting the current board given the recent scandals. And regardless of all that, I can honestly say, no, not for a second. Indeed, I think history will prove that Steve Sharp was the right chairman at the right time.
Let’s leave aside all the good stuff happening around the Leagues Club, for which there is much that the current board can be proud of, and look purely at what’s taken place on the field. I believe you have a team that’s very much modelled in the image of Steve Sharp.
What you have, at least from a playing perspective - is a common world view from the Chairman down. Sharp fought like a lion to get Brad Arthur as head coach of the club, because in Arthur, he saw the work ethic, the toughness and the no-nonsense approach that Sharpie himself was praised for during this playing days. And it’s not just Arthur. Daniel Anderson, Peter Sharp, Peter Gentles and Steve Murphy and most of the blokes in the football operation - all of them have been around the block a time or two and impress as earnest and no-bullshit.
In turn, coach Arthur has gradually weeded out players, who don’t fit with his mantra “of keep turning up for each other”. And he’s targeted players who are tougher than they are flashy. And that’s given this team a backbone. And I know Sharp would have been grinning from ear to ear following last Friday night’s performance.
I’ve only watched a couple of games with Steve, and one of them was at Newcastle. And during that match, Steve gushed over Beau Scott, commenting if he could get one player to the club, that’s who he’d love to get. The planets certainly aligned on that one.
In turn again, players like Scott, Foran and Gordon, are going to have the same kind of influence of Parramatta’s younger brigade. Tepai is already looking a million dollars this year. Kenny Edwards looks to have put his troubled days behind him. There’s just a different steel about this season’s team.
I’ve always said a football culture starts at the top down. Or at least, it should. That’s what we’re seeing now at Parramatta.
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll surely see the outcome of the investigation into the Eels and the salary cap issues. I’ve been a pretty vocal critic of many of the mis-steps I believe the club has made over the past couple of years, particular in regards to not following through on constitutional reform and governance issues. However, regardless of what transpires with the NRL investigation, I feel comfortable in saying the members got it right at the time. Sharp and his board can be proud of where this club is at on so many levels.
What will happen, or has to happen moving forward, does not change the fact, that this club needed somebody like Steve Sharp to lift it out of a very dark place. Steve’s motto way back at the start was that he wanted to make the Eels feel like a footy club again, and I think, three years later we’ve pretty much gotten there.
I’ve written some pretty bleak posts of late, because I do believe, there will be significant fallout from the investigation. I doubt any one directly implicated will survive. However, from a broader perspective, I have nothing but optimism for this club. I think Steve’s fears surrounding the possible return of “old warlords” are misfounded. For me, the last election proved conclusively that anyone related to the club’s former administrations, will never get a foot in the door again. Even the old former player trick mis-fired. I believe, as a club we’ve grown enormously and the difficulties and dramas of the past mean that we’re now smart enough, that regardless of where the next set of cards fall, that we’ll make sure the club keeps moving forward. Whatever the personal outcome is for Steve Sharp, he will always be able to say that he started that ball rolling.
Replies
Nice summary!
Good post mate, & I agree 100%, mentioned Sharpie's playing days in another thread just started.
I have been very open in saying after the election of Spags, & the first year of them I did not renew my football or leagues club membership, I often regret those decisions, but when all this rubbish came up I instantly had none, but!.
The but is that I miss the place & thought of rejoining, & as I read into these latest allegations, Sharps interview in the Australian paper, I hope there is nothing come from them & I am reasonably confident we will get cleared. On an overall reflection though I am sure that if Sharp was at the helm when I pulled out, I believe I would have stayed put.
Honest toiler on the field & the same off it I believe. No new building can start without good foundations, older ones often need a lot of work, toil & money to get them up to scratch again, these 2 things I think is what Sharp & the current board are trying to do, the new foundations are in place & will take us forward, also if we can get a premiership under Sharps watch with the team he has been part of assembling, maybe then he can retire with his reputation enhanced, as he played it right on & off the field by giving his all to the Eels.
Still I find it hard to accept that "anyone related to the clubs former administrations" have gone completely.
Especially in light of the deliberately orchestrated campaign to bring the elected board down.
There was a good discussion here yesterday, when it was suggested that there could be many factions possibly involved in the leaks.
Until that's sorted we will never truly be allowed to thrive as well as we should be.
I think Sharp is doing a great job in standing firm against them and he deserves to see what he has started through.. Strongly feel he deserves to leave on his own terms if/or when he feels the club is in honest and safe hands or the members chose otherwise. But certainly not because of those who conspire to undermine everything good that has been achieved or because of what 'Adrian tells us to' believe.
Fair comment and very insightful 1eyed; I hope you are right about the 'warlords' as that would be dejavu for Parra and terrible for the club / fans and players.
phil i was at the recent parra v penrith trial game steve sharpe walk past me and my sons who was in parra gear, he stopped and said hello to us all and had a chat. even told us wenty had a good team this year, plus gave huge wraps on beau scott.
i think that was great of steve .
last year 2015 i saw fitzy going into a game with my son we tried to have a chat, the prick was not interested in us, he was alone . to me steve the better man for parra fans.
Robert. Its great that Sharpie had the decency to stop & talk, & has the supports/fans at heart.
Fitz used to be like that as well, I guess like so many polititicians as well, once they are in for a while & they see the polls, they believe they are above the polls & say they don't read or take any notice of them, many have fallen by their own self proclaimed aloofness thinking they know whats best for all, say they listen, but how many stop & talk to the electorate.
That sadly is where Fitz ended up, he thought is kingdom would reign with him on the throne until he died, it was his club, he brought the premierships here, & we should be eternally thankful for it. Yes, we are thankful but unfortunately he lost touch with the supporters & their key base needed.
There is a time to step down & when that arrives I hope Sharp can see & realize & resign knowing that he tried his best, & he kept his support base to young & old alike.
Even when you try to block out the relentless negative media attacks about club administration and the agenda driven campaign to remove Steve as Chairman, it's difficult to decipher fact from fiction, and not be influenced by it.
I know this is true in my case, and I'm quick to make judgement without knowing the true facts. Do any of us?
Steve has achieved some really great things for the club and we wouldn't have the current coach, squad or facilities without him. As a fan that's really all I should care about, finally supporting a winning team.
If the club gets the all clear from the NRL that points will not be deducted in 2016, Steve I say your job is done, time to pass the baton on, you have accomplished what you set out to do 3 years ago, and that legacy will continue provided proven and highly qualified business professions are given the reigns to run what is a multi million dollar club/business. Who the right people are I don't know.
That's just my opinion, which could be totally off the mark from reading too many newspapers.
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