A brief history of the brutal rivalry between Cronulla and Melbourne
THE two have niggled, fought and provoked one another in recent years and it’s all about to unfold again on Friday night. These are the moments that made Cronulla and Melbourne hate each other.
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THESE are the flashpoint moments which pinpoint why Cronulla and Melbourne hate each other so much.
The two teams have niggled, fought and provoked one another in recent years and it’s all about to unfold again at AAMI Park.
“It (the rivalry) has certainly evolved,” former Cronulla grand final-winning hooker Michael Ennis said.
“It has probably escalated as each game has gone on since 2015.”
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The list of incidents is as long and nasty.
● A SCUFFLE broke out during the 2016 grand final after an ugly leg twist by Storm players Jordan McLean and Will Chambers on Sharks winger Sosaia Feki.
● CHAMBERS called Sharks skipper Paul Gallen a drug cheat as the pair walked off the field at halftime in round six last year. Gallen allegedly fired back about Melbourne cheating the salary cap.
● CHAMBERS also put a shoulder charge on Sharks forward Wade Graham last year, for which he was suspended a week.
● STORM skipper Cameron Smith was sin-binned at Shark Park in round four this year, while Chambers was found guilty of a grapple on Gallen in the same game and banned for two games.
● GALLEN and Chambers were again involved when the two teams had a push and shove after full-time in a game this year.
● STORM forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona dragged Gallen down from behind and then refused to shake the Sharks skipper’s hand at full-time.
Of the Asofa-Solomona incident, Gallen said at the time: “Asofa-Solomona, six-foot-eight and 130kg, grabbed me from behind and throws me down, which is fine, that’s part of the game.
“That was from behind and for no reason, then it all sort of ends and I’d asked where he’d been for the last 80 minutes.
“I went to shake his hand at the end of it and he wouldn’t shake my hand. I thought that was pretty ordinary.”
With a grand final spot on the line, fans can expect more of the same.
“There has always plenty of feeling in amongst the forward packs but in recent times that has extended out to the whole teams,” Ennis said.
“From what we have heard from the players and the coaches this week, they are both really looking forward to getting another shot at each other.
“There should be plenty of feeling in the game, as always. They are two sides that love that grind and battle through the middle.
“Cronulla, with the aggressive style of footy they play, they love the challenge in trying to come out on top.”
Former Sharks prop Ben Ross said of the rivalry: “They are both aggressive-styled teams, the match-up and rivalry is perfect for them.
“Both are structured and have a will to win that is there for the 80 minutes.
“You’ve got the fiery likes of a Gal, who always wants to win.
“When you’re playing against a team like Melbourne, who stick at it for the entire 80 minutes, that’s when the fireworks start. There is niggle in every game.”
Storm star Cameron Munster has urged Chambers to be his normal fiery self.
“There’s always going to be a bit of media about Gallen and Chambers but they’re both winners and both competitors,” Munster said.
“Chambers loves a bit of a spray with some of the players and getting under people’s skin, and it’s the same with Gallen.
“They want to get each other off their game because, if they are both playing well, they are really good players.
“And I guess it will be no different on Friday night.”
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