Well documented has been the devastating illness which has struck down young Sharks forward Fine Kula.
Just 21 and having trained through until Christmas with the Sharks NRL squad, Kula was diagnosed with brain cancer early in the New Year, with the youngster now in the fight of his life.
To assist Fine and his family, the Sharks instigated a fundraising initiative the ‘Fight for Fine’, with all funds going directly towards him and his family for his treatment and recovery efforts.
The Sharks opened a GoFundMe page, encouraging donations, the match-worn jerseys from the NRL Nines are being auctioned (see below - closes Friday) and a major event is being planned for mid-year.
Now in addition to the previous measures in place, the Sharks are pledging a portion of every membership sold, in all categories, to the Fight for Fine fund.
The Fight for Fine membership initiative will run from now until April 1, giving those fans yet to get on board the opportunity to support the Sharks but also a young man battling a debilitating disease.
Sharks Head of Membership and Fan Development Ben Ross worked closely with Fine in his previous role in welfare and education and as a mentor for young players and was encouraging fans to join us in the Fight for Fine.
“Having seen Fine come through our ranks he was a huge talent. He was a part of a National Championship-winning under 16’s side, played a major role in our Jersey Flegg victory in 2018 and had a big future ahead of him,” Ross explained. “Fine wasn’t on a huge deal, he was on an incentive-based summer contract, fighting to earn a spot in our full-time roster, meaning money is tight and whatever we can do, with the support of our members and fans, will go a long way.
“Fine has a different and much bigger fight on his hands, so support the in Sharks in 2020 but more importantly support our mate Fine while he’s in the fight of his life.”
In addition to the membership contribution and previous initiatives, all gate takings collected from the trial game against Manly on Sunday will go to the Fight for Fine fund.
The trial is a non-ticketed, with entry a gold coin donation.
Kick-off on Sunday is at 6.00pm at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.
Fight for Fine GoFundMe – CLICK HERE
Sharks 9’s match-worn jersey auction – CLICK HERE
To become a Sharks member in 2020, with a portion of every membership sold going to the Fight for Fine fund – CLICK HERE
