Cronulla Sharks’ NRL premiership hopes on the rise

ARMED with a carefree attitude and “probably the best roster they have ever assembled”, Cronulla are ready to defy history.

JACK Bird had just finished shrugging off two Canterbury defenders before delivering a wonderfully timed flick pass around a third Bulldogs player to send Valentine Holmes in for a try.

The rising Cronulla star evoked memories of Newcastle great Matt Gidley to get the Sharks back into the game.

“Jack Bird set up that try with a ball around-the-back to Valentine Holmes,” Sharks coach Shane Flanagan said. “On the way back from the try, Chris Heighington told him that was a great ‘Gidley pass’. Jack said: ‘Who?’”

Jack Bird’s emergence could propel Cronulla to make history.

And that sums up why this Cronulla team is charging through the 2016 season towards a maiden premiership. They don’t care about history. They don’t care that Sharks fans have waited 49 long years and still haven’t tasted premiership success.

“It doesn’t impact on me, mate. And it doesn’t impact on the players,” Flanagan said. “It’s funny the generation we deal with now.

“You and I understand all that sort of stuff but these blokes now, unless you’ve played in the last three or four years, they couldn’t give a rat’s arse. It’s just a different times. When we were all growing up, everyone knew these things and players.

“The Jack Birds, they don’t care about the fact we haven’t won one (a premiership). They don’t have any fear, they just go out and play and ask ‘why can’t we win one’.”

Armed with that carefree attitude and what former champion halfback Brett Kimmorley describes as “probably the best roster they have ever assembled”, this Sharks side is ready to rewrite history.

They’ll attempt to add another chapter to their 2016 script at Southern Cross Group Stadium on Monday night, where a win over reigning premiers North Queensland will make them outright premiership favourites.

At $4.50 with the TAB, Cronulla are already their shortest price in 18 years to finally win that elusive.

THE EMOTION

But, as Flanagan explained, despite not carrying the fear of suffocating expectation, he was mindful of containing the excitement in the Shire.

“We’re not silly enough to think we’ve done anything as yet,” Flanagan said.

“But we are really enjoying our footy and we want to enjoy the wins that we have. And when we do play at home on Saturday night or Sunday, we get together after a win with our family and friends and enjoy the ride.”

Having steered Cronulla through the ASADA scandal, Flanagan is determined to soak up the good moments.

“We have been through some dark times as well,” he said.

“I remember going over to that Leagues Club at times and it wasn’t really a good place to be. Going over there now after a game and it’s a good place to go.

“The players need to be able to relax and enjoy a win but we have to make sure we don’t look too far ahead.”

Flanagan knows the Sharks have a long way to go — but is enjoying the ride.

EXPERIENCE

For every Bird, Holmes or Sosaia Feki, Flanagan has a side also inundated with experience. And that just may be a decisive factor in September.

“I’ve got a good group here, a lot of the senior players have been around — Luke Lewis, Chris Heighington have both won comps, Michael Ennis has been in grand finals, Ben Barba has, Paul Gallen has been around a long time. James Maloney has also been in grands finals. They all have experience,” Flanagan said.

“Collectively we haven’t won anything but I’ve got some grand final wins and losses in my team.”

With Origin though, we could be missing three players, potentially four, maybe five players. That will put a drain on us but we just have to keep our heads down.”

THE LEGEND

Kimmorley, who played 140 games for Cronulla, still lives near Shark Park. He is measured, yet excited, in his appraisal.

“It would be a very special achievement to be the first Sharks side to win a premiership,” he said. “There is also that weight of expectation. The community is rather excited and they believe they have a good footy side — and I think they have.

“But it’s about staying in the moment, you can’t get carried away because it is hard to win a comp. We have seen a lot of good sides over the years not win a grand final. Probably the Sharks greatest player, Andrew Ettingshausen, never won one.

“They are hard to find and you have to be lucky when the time is right. The players believe in themselves and their systems and no one is betting carried away — but they certainly have reason to say they’re a contender.”

Andrew Ettingshausen after Cronulla were beaten by Brisbane in the 1997 grand final.

BETTING

Cronulla has firmed from $13 during March into $4.50, behind only Brisbane and North Queensland (both $4.25).

After Monday ngith, seven of the Sharks’ remaining 11 matches come against sides currently outside the top eight.

“The Sharks are now $2 to win their first minor premiership since 1999 after drifting to as much as $23 after round one,” TAB spokesman Matt Jenkins said. “If they can beat the Cowboys they will become outright premiership favourites.

“They are their shortest price during a season to win the premiership since the TAB has been betting on sport since 1998. They are an exciting team who can score points, which is the big difference from the team that finished equal first in 2008.”

Sharks fans are finally starting to believe.

FANS

They cheer, they believe, they crave. Flanagan offers this message.

“We’re really happy with where we are but it’s only halfway — there is a long way to go,” he said. “We will need a bit of luck between here and the end of the season. I’ve got to have my best team out there at the end of the year.”

Long-time Sharks fan Ritson Renshaw said: “I reckon this is our year — this is when history will be made. I’ve waited nearly 50 years to win a competition. And I am praying that 2016 will be the drought-breaking season.

“A win would erase all those tough times we Sharks fans have had to endure. This year’s side is very well-balanced. Size, speed, youth and experience.”