Monday Buzz: Return to Shark Park shows suburban grounds are where NRL belongs
If we learned anything in Round 2 of the NRL, it’s that the overpriced new stadium at Moore Park is a massive waste of taxpayers money, writes PHIL ROTHFIELD.
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Saturday night was not just a victory for the Cronulla Sharks over the Parramatta Eels.
It was a win for suburban-ground tribalism and Peter V’landys’ plan to secure government funding to build smaller boutique stadiums for Sydney’s NRL clubs.
The Sharks returned home after two years on the road on an occasion that reminded attending fans, TV viewers, players and administrators of the wonderful theatre and atmosphere of footy in the packed-out smaller venues.
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It makes you wonder why the government has spent $870 million on a soon-to-opened 46,000-seat stadium in Moore Park that will sit half empty for the Roosters, Waratahs and Sydney FC each week.
Just a massive waste of taxpayer’s money.
You’ll get top-end Justin Hemmes food and French champagne but the experience can be bleak and soulless with tens of thousands of empty seats.
The scenes at Shark Park were like a flashback to the good old days.
The smell of hot dogs and pies and families packed in on the hill, some Eels supporters with their loud drums squeezed in among them.
Understaffed because of Covid, the queues for a beer were so long that even chief executive Dino Mezzatesta and board members worked frantically on the taps behind the bar to serve the fans.
This old football ground has nothing like the comfort or luxury of the more modern stadiums … but it didn’t matter. The fans loved it.
A gripping finish with the Sharks snatching victory on full-time made it a night to remember.
The victory song Up Up Cronulla belted out so loud and proud.
Even veteran 2GB caller David Morrow called it one of greatest experiences he’d had at a suburban venue in more than four decades.
Sharks chairman Steve Mace admits the current set up is hardly perfect.
“We listened to our members and returned early to our sacred home ground,” Mace said.
“These members have waited two long seasons and to have such a good crowd, battling with below-standard facilities and a building site, shows the future of the game is well and truly in suburban football.
“Communities as a whole, and the game of rugby league, can only benefit with further investment into suburban grounds.”
It showed why V’landys is so determined to get more of it.
“Having families in Sydney attend suburban grounds is imperative to the future popularity of the game,” he said recently, “That’s what tribalism and rugby league is all about.”
The state government is soon to hand down its long-term funding plans for suburban grounds.
It is part of a deal in which the NRL commits to keeping grand finals in Sydney for the next 25 years.
There will be new stadiums for Manly at Brookvale and for Penrith.
There will be money spent on upgrades for Shark Park, Leichhardt and Kogarah ovals.
These venues are the future of the game.
There was even a Parra-Sharks Jersey Flegg curtain-raiser.
Facilities need to improve on what the Sharks had to offer in all areas of the game-day experience, including parking. And they will.
The Sydney Football Stadium and Accor Stadium will be there to host Anzac Day, Souths v the Roosters, finals blockbusters, major events and rock concerts.
But nothing will ever beat Sydney’s traditional old suburban grounds for pure sporting atmosphere.
It is where rugby league belongs.
Just like the old TV advertisement: “It’s never the same unless you’re there at the game.”
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Originally published as Monday Buzz: Return to Shark Park shows suburban grounds are where NRL belongs
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