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Off-field issues and unwanted headlines are nothing new to the NRL, but Cronullas swift and decisive action in dealing with Ben Barbas positive cocaine test illustrates a new and improved culture at the Sharks.Cronulla and controversy not all that long ago were very close friends, but the relationship appears to have fractured over the past two years -- with the club showing signs of maturing into a professionally run organisation.The Sharks have previously been accused of dealing with delicate and controversial matters too lightly; officials preferring to sidestep or smother the issue and hitting guilty stars with a feather duster rather than a sledgehammer. Former serial offenders Todd Carney and Greg Bird were often issued relatively soft sanctions for poor off-field behaviour before they were finally sacked. And a host of past and present players and staff are still considered widely to have been fortunate to escape with just a three-month ban for their parts in the ASADA scandal; backdating and timing of the sanctions effectively meant some players missed just three club matches.Apart from the supplements saga,?there has also been?a sex-tape scandal and a string of individual player indiscretions that once placed the clubs very existence in serious jeopardy.Brett Kimmorley played 140 games for the Sharks between 2002 and 2008; he experienced some good and not so good times at the club, and he attributes a lot of their improved culture to chief executive Lyall Gorman.Lyalls been successful in some different organisations and hes got a board thats strong enough to stand by the decisions that the CEOs going to make, Kimmorley told ESPN, describing Cronulla as united, and that doesnt happen too often in many rugby league clubs.When the club broke down around five years ago, it was because there was no CEO, no strong board, and there were people running their own races.That was part of the governance that they had to improve and fix after the unfortunate ASADA drama.The doping scandal was one of the darkest periods in the Sharks 50-year history, but the club in the wash-up made one of its smartest business decisions in appointing Gorman.Almost two years to the day since Gorman was appointed Cronulla chief executive, the Sharks have rarely experienced better results on and off the field: Sponsors and fans are flooding back, the finances are healthy, and the club is celebrating its maiden premiership in their 50th season.Lyalls come on board over the past 18-24 months and he certainly runs a pretty tight ship, and they now understand what they stand for and where theyre heading. Kimmorley said.Theyve got a very strong board now that are all business people rather than ex-players or friends of friends out in that area and theyve taken a very strong stance.Theyve got some values now and I think theyre in a pretty good position financially.Gormans resume and results suggests he is one of Australias best sports administrator.As chairman of Central Coast Mariners, he masterminded one of the A-League clubs most successful eras; as A-League Head of Football, he helped to grow it into one of Australias leading sporting competitions; and at Western Sydney Wanderers he over saw the rise of a sporting powerhouse.Kimmorley has identified signs to suggest Cronulla are heading in the same direction, saying theyre in good hands.We dont know how long Lyall will stay but at least you know hes fixing things up and theres a more professional environment there, Kimmorley said.Damien Keogh is also an important figure in the Sutherland Shire so youd hope he will be around as the chairman of the board for a fair while.In about five years time they will start to see some money from the [Woolooware Bay] property development [with a projected worth of $Aus750 million].Theres also been a new DA put in, and theyll get a new high-performance training centre.All of a sudden they will go from training out of tin sheds, being broke and players not wanting to go there, to becoming equally as powerful as any of the other clubs in the NRL. . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far.FORT WORTH, Texas -- Matt Kuchar was hoping he would be able to finish his second round Friday night at Colonial. He ended up with the lead -- and a very early wakeup call. Kuchar had only three holes to complete in what so far was a bogey-free round, with his ball already on the 16th green. He was at 10 under and described the conditions as "just perfect right now." But Kuchar was among 54 players still on the course when play was suspended at Hogans Alley because of an impending storm system. The 18 groups that didnt finish are scheduled to resume the second round at 7:15 a.m. Saturday, just more than 12 1/2 hours after coming off the course. "Thats a bit of a bummer," said Kuchar, who opened with a 5-under 65. "Its no fun to wake up at 4:30 to get out here and play three holes." At least Kuchar has the lead, by one stroke over Graham DeLaet. The Weyburn, Sask., who shot a 67 in a morning round completed before a two-hour, 10-minute delay just after noon because of lightning. DeLaet was at 9-under 131. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., plummeted down the leaderboard to 2 over after hitting a 78. Kuchar, No. 13 in the world and the highest-ranked player in the field, took the lead with a 6-foot-birdie putt at 457-yard 14th hole, and recovered from a drive into a fairway bunker on the 15th for a par while clouds darkened and thunder could be heard in the distance. Soon after Kuchar, the WGC-Accenture Match Play winner in February, teed off at the par-3 16th, and his ball landed about 40 feet from the cup, the horn sounded ending play. It was raining heavily about 30 minutes later. First-round leader Ryan Palmer, the Colonial member who had an opening 62, was still at 8 under after an up-and-down 12 holes Friday that he managed to play at even par. Steve Flesch (64), 19-year-old Jordan Spieth (67) from Dallas and Josh Teater (67) finished at 8 under. Fleschs 64 matched the best completed round of the day and, more importantly, will end his string of 16 missed cuts on the PGA Tour since October 2011. The 2004 Colonial champion missed the cut in all 12 of his PGA Tour starts last year before right shoulder surgery in August, and is playing only his third tour event this year. The 45-year-old Flesch is playing on a non-exempt major medical extension and has to make $647,510 between this weekend and his next three events to prolong that medical extension. "Im very comfortable here and just glad to actually play on the weekend now," Flesch said. "I was actually cruising, then I got that rain delay and I kind of lost all of my rhythm. ... Its like starting your whole round over. My swing didnt feel very well on those last three (holes)." Flesch was on the course trying to complete his morning roound when play was stopped for the first time.dddddddddddd He had just made a 33-foot birdie putt at the difficult par-4 fifth hole, his 14th hole of the day. The lefty finished with four pars in a row. Palmer hit his opening drive way right at No. 1, a par 5 that is generally among Colonials easiest holes, and started with a par. The former Texas A&M golfer with three PGA Tour wins sank an 11-foot birdie putt at No. 3, but hit his drive at No. 5 out of bounds and had to drop in the rough, leading a double bogey. He followed with a bogey at No. 6 after driving into a fairway bunker. "When you shoot 8 under, its hard to come back sometimes. ... I was calm all day, confident," Palmer said. "Now I even par sitting on 13th tee, I have soft greens and pretty calm winds in the morning, so maybe I can get up there with Kuchar and we can have some fun tomorrow." In his last three holes before the suspension of play, Palmer made an 8-foot birdied at No. 10 and rolled in a 27-footer at No. 12. He never teed off at the par-3 13th. Kuchar matched DeLaet for the lead after four birdies his first seven holes. Kuchar had a 15-foot eagle chance at No. 1 that came up just short, then hit is approach at No. 2 that stopped inside 3 feet after ricocheting out of the cup. "The front nine, I really got it going," Kuchar said. "I jarred a shot on 2 that landed in the hole and came back out. ... I really got off to a great start. And then I kept playing some good golf." DeLaet was 10 under after his third consecutive birdie, a 6-footer at the 373-yard second hole that was his shortest putt in that stretch. Then he arrived at Colonials famed "horrible horseshoe" as the Nos. 3-5 holes are known because of their layout and the difficulty of the stretch -- a 239-yard par 3 sandwiched by the two longest par 4s on the course. "It definitely got me today," said DeLaet, who bogeyed all three holes. After DeLaets tee shot at the 470-yard third hole went into a fairway bunker, the Canadian badly missed the green at the par 3 before his approach shot at the 475-yard fifth hole came up short of the green. But DeLaet finished strong, with consecutive birdies to finish after he had come up just short of a 31-foot birdie at No. 7. "Always nice, and kind of got myself right back in it," said DeLaet, whose has never finished better than third on the PGA Tour in 69 events. "The main thing for me, I feel more comfortable now if I see my name on the leaderboard. ... A few years ago, if I was in 15th going into the weekend, I knew if I could just maintain that position that that would be a good check kind of thing. My mindset now is beyond that. I want to try to win golf tournaments." ' ' '
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