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Cronulla Sharks tick all the right boxes to finally break their premiership hoodoo

PREMIERSHIP sides have to tick a number of boxes, writes DARREN LOCKYER as he analyses whether the Cronulla Sharks have what it takes.

Valentine Holmes on the fly for the Sharks. Picture: Phil Hillyard
Valentine Holmes on the fly for the Sharks. Picture: Phil Hillyard

THE late, great coach Jack Gibson once famously said that waiting for Cronulla to win the premiership was like leaving the porch light on for Harold Holt.

I know Holt is not returning any time soon, but the comparison may soon be blown to pieces.

There is no doubt in my mind. After 49 long years, I believe the Sharks have the toughness, youth, speed and desire to finally break their premiership hoodoo this season.

Paul Gallen and the Sharks can go all the way this season. Picture: Gregg Porteous
Paul Gallen and the Sharks can go all the way this season. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Monday’s clash against the Cowboys not only shapes as one of the best club games of the season, it also will provide a barometer of Cronulla’s growth as a roster in the past 12 months.

It is fitting that Cronulla’s litmus test should come against North Queensland. Last September, they destroyed the Sharks 39-0 in the sudden-death final in Townsville. Cronulla’s season was over. The Cowboys went on to win the crown and shatter their own 20-year premiership hoodoo.

I remember the devastation in Cronulla’s sheds after that loss. Their players were gutted. It elicited a feeling that they believed they had let an opportunity to win the title slip away.

Disappointment can be a major motivational force and I have no doubt men like Paul Gallen and Wade Graham are hellbent on taking Cronulla all the way this year.

Wade Graham and the Sharks will be motivated to lift the Sharks to glory.
Wade Graham and the Sharks will be motivated to lift the Sharks to glory.

Premiership sides have to tick a number of boxes and this Sharks team is ticking all the right ones.

To win a title, you need at least one quality playmaker and Cronulla have James Maloney. His scrumbase partner Chad Townsend has been superb, but Maloney is undersold in his value.

He is a winner. He joined the Warriors in 2010 and a year later, they made the grand final. He joined the Roosters in 2013 and they won the comp instantly. Now he is in the Shire and the Sharks are leading the league with nine straight wins.

At hooker, they have wily old fox Michael Ennis. In the pack, they have a wonderful blend of ruthlessness, experience and flair in Graham, Gallen, Luke Lewis and Andrew Fifita.

In the backs, Jack Bird is a posterboy for the vitality of youth and in Ben Barba and Valentine Holmes, the Sharks possess a quality that wins premierships; game-breaking speed.

I’m pleased to see the zip back in Barba’s feet. It would be almost impossible for Barba to return to the magic that won him the Dally M Medal in 2012, but even his current form will be sufficient to make Cronulla grand final material.

Coach Shane Flanagan with Michael Ennis at Sharks training. Picture: Mark Evans
Coach Shane Flanagan with Michael Ennis at Sharks training. Picture: Mark Evans

Few wingers in the game have Holmes’ instinctive touch to find the tryline. If he continues on his development curve, there’s no reason why he can’t be a future State of Origin player.

The Cowboys, they are rolling along nicely, getting the job done. Some premiership teams lack the hunger to go back-to-back but desire is not an issue for this North Queensland unit.

I suspect the Cowboys have another gear. The Sharks are about to find out if they have a premiership-winning one as well.

Originally published as Cronulla Sharks tick all the right boxes to finally break their premiership hoodoo

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Original URL: https://www.ntnews.com.au/sport/nrl/cronulla-sharks-tick-all-the-right-boxes-to-finally-break-their-premiership-hoodoo/news-story/e53aa03cdf01a1551375385cebe850cf