A pizza shop owner "came up with the dough" for National Rugby League side Cronulla when it was "most in need," according to Adrian Proszenko of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The Sharks "were on the brink of financial collapse 18 months ago when they were in the eye of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority storm." It was then that Paul Ellams, the owner of Al's Pizza, Pasta and Ribs on The Kingsway, stepped in with a A$3.5M cash injection "that discharged the long-standing loan to St George Bank." Cronulla "can thank Ellams" for guaranteeing its existence and making possible the success it is now enjoying. Ellams said, "I took a big gamble, that's for sure. Now it's all paying off. They would have been in receivership [had I not stepped in]. I wish they would have won on the weekend, they could have come fourth, but you can't have everything. ... Now that everything is behind them I always thought the club would go pretty well this year. Probably even better next year. They've paid some of [the debt] back, they've been paying very well. Every time they make some money they pay me back a bit. They've been good, no problems at all" (SMH, 9/9).
