Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Club information
Full name Cronulla Sutherland
District Rugby League
Football Club Ltd
Nickname(s) Sharkies
Colours      Sky blue
     White
     Black
Founded 1963 as Cronulla-Caringbah
1967 in New South Wales Rugby League
Website sharks.com.au
Current details
Ground(s)
Coach Shane Flanagan
Captain Paul Gallen
Competition National Rugby League
2016 season Premiers
Current season
Uniforms
Home colours
Records
Premierships 1 (2016)
Runners-up 3 (1973, 1978, 1997SL)
Minor premiership 2 (1988, 1999)
Wooden spoons 3 (1967, 1969, 2014)
Most capped 328 - Andrew Ettingshausen
Highest points scorer 1,255 - Steve Rogers

The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby league competition. The Sharks, as they are commonly known, were admitted to the New South Wales Rugby League premiership, predecessor of the Australian Rugby League and the current National Rugby League competition, in January 1967. The club competed in every premiership season since then and, during the Super League war, joined the rebel competition before continuing on in the re-united NRL Premiership. The Sharks have been in competition for 50 years, appearing in four grand finals, winning their first premiership in 2016 after defeating the Melbourne Storm at ANZ Stadium.

History

In 1967 the New South Wales Rugby Football League (NSWRFL) added two new clubs to the competition, Cronulla-Sutherland and Penrith, the first to join the competition since Parramatta and Manly were admitted 20 years earlier in 1947.

Cronulla debuted in 1967 wearing a sky blue jersey adorned with a white V and red numbers on the back, at the then club home ground of Sutherland Oval, under the captaincy of multiple premiership-winner Monty Porter and the coaching of Ken Kearney. Cronulla earned immediate recognition when they beat Eastern Suburbs at the Sydney Sports Ground in their first match. They had only two more wins, against Norths and Parramatta, and finished last on the competition table.

In mid-1968 the club moved permanently to Endeavour Field at Woolooware, and became the only club in Sydney to own their own ground. Their first match there was against Parramatta and the Cronulla Sharks won 10–7.

1970s

Cronulla made their first grand final in 1973 against Manly Warringah losing 10-7. Cronulla met the Sea Eagles again in the 1978 grand final, leading 7–2 well into the second half, before Manly came back and brought the scoreboard to 7-11. It took a late penalty goal from Steve Rogers to level scores at 11-all by full-time. The replay saw the Sharks opportunity pass by as they fielded a much-weakened team due to further injuries, eventually being shut-out by Manly 16–0. Cronulla were without suspended stars Greg Pierce and Dane Sorensen in both games, while hooker John McMartin, fullback Mick Mullane and Barry Andrews were all injured for the replay.

1980s

Cronulla suffered major financial trouble in 1983, with the NSWRL appointing an administrator and providing a loan. Western Suburbs and Newtown, both in a similar predicament, were refused a loan, with Newtown being forced out of the competition. However, the season wasn't all bad for Cronulla, with the emergence of teenage star, Andrew Ettingshausen, who was named Rookie of the Year, and would later go on to become the most capped and successful player for Cronulla. Cronulla also made the final of the mid-week KB Cup, but lost again to Manly, 26–6.

In 1985, Cronulla was buoyed by the arrival of 'super coach' Jack Gibson, who had coached Easts and Parramatta to premierships. Gibson left the club in good shape in 1987, with the promise fulfilled in 1988 when Cronulla won the minor premiership, led by veteran second-rower Gavin Miller, who was named Dally M Player of the Year, and Rothmans Medal winning halfback, Barry Russell. However, Russell dislocated his shoulder two weeks before the finals, and missed the semi-final where Cronulla went down to Canterbury. He was rushed back in for the final against Balmain, but he was severely hampered by the injury, and Cronulla were bundled out. A bright spot for the Sharks, though, was the selection in the Australian team of Miller, and young centres, Ettingshausen and Mark McGaw.

In 1989, Cronulla sneaked into the finals after thrashing Illawarra 46–14 in the final round, followed by a memorable 38–14 victory over the Brisbane Broncos in the play-off for fifth position. However, they could not repeat the performance in their semi-final against eventual premiers Canberra, in what was their third game in seven days. Gavin Miller was rewarded for another great year with both the Dally M Player of the Year award and the Rothmans Medal.

1990s

Cronulla again dropped into a period of poor form and financial trouble in 1990, but the appointment as coach of rugby league Immortal, Arthur Beetson, in 1992 helped turn the on-field problems around. He helped develop a batch of promising players, including five-eighth Mitch Healey, fullback David Peachey, winger Richie Barnett, prop Adam Ritson, and hooker Aaron Raper, son of another Immortal, Johnny Raper. However, Cronulla were forced into receivership in 1993.

Beetson was replaced as coach in 1994 by John Lang, a former Australian hooker, and coach of the Brisbane Easts team. Lang brought halfback, Paul Green, down from Brisbane with him. A golden age for the club had begun, signalled by the two lower grade teams (President's Cup and Reserve grade) winning their competitions. During John Lang's coaching period, from 1994 to 2001, Cronulla made the semi-finals every year except for 1994 and 1998. The club had a glamorous image and attracted record crowds, with a corresponding financial improvement.

In 1995, Cronulla were one of the first clubs to join the Super League competition, which kicked off after protracted legal battles and much bitterness, in 1997. The club was motivated by a dissatisfaction with the perceived favouritism of the NSWRL administration towards other clubs, and a still-risky financial situation.

They reached the inaugural – and only – grand final of the ten-team Super League competition, only to lose to a vastly superior Brisbane side 26–8 in Brisbane. The game was notable for being the only grand final to be played outside Sydney. The club rejoined the reunited National Rugby League competition in 1998.

Arguably the Sharks' best season ever was in 1999, when they again won the minor premiership and the J. J. Giltinan Shield in convincing fashion. The Sharks easily accounted for the Brisbane Broncos in the quarter-final, and led 8–0 in the grand final qualifier against the St George Illawarra Dragons before eventually losing 8–24. Also in 1999, the Cronulla-Sutherland name was dropped, and the club was simply known as the "Sharks", and would be known as this until the end of 2002.

2000s

Cronulla lost the grand final qualifier in similar circumstances in 2001, to eventual premiers Newcastle. The year was marked by the sudden rise of halfback Preston Campbell, who was named Dally M Player of the Year, despite being a fringe first grader at the start of the season.

In 2002, John Lang was replaced by Australian coach Chris Anderson, who had led Canterbury Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm to premierships. The following two years were the most acrimonious in the club's history. The first year was almost an on-field success, as Anderson retained the core of John Lang's team, and the Sharks again reached the grand final qualifier. However another heartbreaking loss to New Zealand, the replacement of halfback Preston Campbell – a crowd favourite – with former Melbourne halfback Brett Kimmorley, and a string of released players signaled trouble for 2003.

This was realised with the sudden mid-season departure of long-time stalwarts Nick Graham and Dean Treister. The Sharks finished 11th, suffering a record 74–4 loss to Parramatta in a match marred by the controversial performance of referee Shayne Hayne. Three Cronulla players were sent from the field, including Sharks captain David Peachey, for ignoring the referee's instructions. Constant infighting between the board and the coach led to Anderson's departure at the end of the season.

The same year the club's name reverted to Cronulla-Sutherland, Chris Anderson was replaced by Stuart Raper, another son of Johnny Raper, and the coach of the President's Cup-winning team in 1994. A loyal clubman, he instantly brought a revival in club and supporter spirit. However, Raper's apparent focus on team harmony rather than results led to Cronulla's win percentage worsening, from 49% (24 wins 27 losses) under Anderson, to 43% (31 wins 42 losses).

Steve Rogers, the CEO of the Cronulla Sharks and a former club legend, died on 3 January 2006 at the age of 51 of a "mixture of prescription drugs and alcohol". In April, 2006, the NSW state coroner ruled that the death was accidental.

On 21 April 2006, after much work and lobbying carried out by then-Chairman Barry Piece and Sharks board member Brian Quinn, Peter Costello on behalf of the Federal Government announced they would be funding a $9.6 million upgrade to Toyota Park. The funds were primarily used to construct the Southern Stand which was never completed but later named the Monty Porter Stand.

Cronulla finished the 2006 season in disastrous fashion. After winning 8 out of 9 games in the middle of the season and climbing to near the top of the ladder, the team experienced the worst losing streak in the club's history, losing their last 10 consecutive games. In a see-sawing match to finish to a tumultuous season, the Sharks in their final game coming back from 26–0 down only to lose 26–24 to Canberra. A missed penalty goal in the dying seconds of the match would have sent the game into extra-time, allowing the chance for Cronulla to equal the biggest single-game comeback in the history of top-level rugby league in Australia.

On 22 September 2006, the Sharks Board ended weeks of speculation over the future of Coach Stuart Raper by sacking him as first-grade coach and handing him a sizeable payout, making him the second consecutive coach to receive such a payout. On 26 September, Australian Test Coach Ricky Stuart signed a three-year deal to coach the Sharks as of 2007, replacing Raper.

Sharkies Leagues Club

Round one of the 2007 season saw the Sharks break their 10-game losing streak against the Penrith Panthers with an 18–0 victory at Toyota Park. Ricky Stuart, despite being somewhat hampered by the decisions of former coach Raper in the team he inherited, led the Sharks to fifth on the ladder at the halfway mark of the season surprising many critics. Towards the end of the season, Cronulla plunged to 15th on the league ladder, slumping to seven straight losses. The season ended with the Sharks in 11th place, rounding off a heartbreaking season, with the club losing no less than nine matches by 4 points or less.

The Sharks had a strong season in 2008, finishing the season in equal first spot (third on for and against). They had one of the best defensive records, but one of the worst attacking records in the league. They had an excellent start to the season, beating defending grand finalists Manly and premiers Melbourne in away games in the first two rounds. After a comprehensive 36–10 victory over Canberra in the Qualifying Final at Toyota Stadium, Cronulla were beaten 28–0 by Melbourne (who later were found to be over the salary cap and cheating) in the Preliminary Final at the Sydney Football Stadium. This was a disappointing end to an otherwise successful season.

Cronulla attack Manly in August 2009

During the 2009 season Cronulla's dire financial problems became public knowledge. Asset-rich, owning its stadium and the surrounding land, but with cash flow problems due to its low average home gate and poor on-field performances in recent seasons, the club announced plans for a partial relocation to the Central Coast, which was rebuffed by the NRL. It was to split home games for the 2010–14 seasons among:

On May 26, 2009 businessman Damian Irvine, together with a fresh board of directors, took over control of the club as the St George bank were threatening to foreclose.

The recorded 9 straight losses after a win in Round 1 in 2009 and despite a midseason revival with four straight wins, the Cronulla side slipped to ten straight defeats to equal the club's worst losing streak. One of these losses caused great controversy as the Sharks, playing against Manly, were forced to field just 12 men for most of the game after Luke Douglas was sent off by referee Phil Haines for a careless high tackle. The Sharks managed to avoid the wooden spoon in 2009 when the Roosters were soundly beaten by the Cowboys in the final round, resulting in a lower overall standing than the Sharks, with avoiding last position a rare positive in a horror season for the Cronulla club.

2010s

The start of the 2010 season saw the Sharks return confident of turning around recent disappointing results, however on-field performance remained poor. After the board developed a plan to refinance debt and a long term financial strategy, Richard Fisk resigned in June 2010 due to his failure to find common ground with Chairman Irvine and his Board and a failure to refresh the commercial area of the club. The clubs head coach, Ricky Stuart, also tendered his resignation and was replaced towards the back end of the season by his then-assistant coach Shane Flanagan.

Promising wing/centre Blake Ferguson was criticised for comments about wanting to leave the club in order to achieve success. On Tuesday, 20 July Ricky Stuart left the Sharks for the rest of the season after admitting he could get no more out of the players and had "lost" them. Chairman Irvine opted to give a chance to Assistant NSW and Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan. After departing, Stuart and Fisk also cited fractured relationships with Chairman Damian Irvine as a reason for their departure despite the club making positive strides off-field under his guidance and commitment.

The 2011 season started so promising for the club. The addition of Wade Graham at five-eighth and New Zealand international Jeremy Smith to a pack already containing two origin players promised an end to the Sharks' status as cellar-dwellers. Despite being humiliated by the Raiders at Canberra Stadium in round one, 40-12, the club won its next two matches. They beat defending premiers St. George Illawarra 16-10 at home in round two, and smashed Penrith 44-12 at Centerbet Stadium. Missing a number of first-team starters due to injury, the Sharks then lost five in a row to the Warriors (26-18), Sea Eagles (19-13), Knights (24-20), Cowboys (30-12), and Rabbitohs (31-12), dropping down the table, from 9th to 15th. They broke their hoodoo in round ten, when they beat the struggling Sydney Roosters 18-4 at Toyota Stadium. They were again disappointing in round eleven, when they were defeated 40-6 by the Eels at Parramatta Stadium. Despite losing 14-8 to the Storm in round 12, they were much improved and forced the Storm into a classic showdown at AAMI Park in Melbourne. They then faced the Broncos at home in round 13, going down 34-16, before a bye in round 14 gave them the chance to regroup. While the Sharks were taking a much needed break skipper Paul Gallen led the NSW Blues Origin team to a memorable 18-8 victory over Queensland. He then played outstandingly for the Sharks in their round 15 match against the Bulldogs just three days after the State of Origin match, a game in which Cronulla beat Canterbury-Bankstown 26-10. The next four weeks saw a turnaround of the club's performance, with victory over the Gold Coast Titans 36-12 and the South Sydney Rabbitohs 24-4, before they took revenge against the Canberra Raiders 26-12.

Cronulla lost their two props for the 2012 season, Origin representative Kade Snowden to Newcastle and Luke Douglas signing for the Gold Coast Titans. Captain Paul Gallen's transformation into an Origin prop alleviated this problem somewhat, and the Sharks were active in the player market, signing prop Jon Green from St George, former Shark Isaac de Gois, prop Mark Taufua from Newcastle, halfback Jeff Robson from Parramatta and props Bryce Gibbs and Andrew Fifita from Wests Tigers.

2012 began very well for the club under Chairman Damian Irvine, Coach Shane Flanagan . The recruitment by Mooney and Flanagan paid dividends with new recruits Jeff Robson, Andrew Fifita, Todd Carney, Ben Ross, Isaac De Gois and Mark Taufua taking pressure off Paul Gallen allowing him to hit a purple patch of form. The club won 6 matches in a row for the first time in over a decade and after 8 rounds were sitting third on the table as the highest placed Sydney based franchise.

A difficult State of Origin period saw injuries to captain Paul Gallen and star Todd Carney. The Sharks struggled to recover and struggled in the back half of the year,however still capped a remarkable turnaround by qualifying for their first finals series in 4 years, losing to Canberra in week one. The match notable for seeing Paul Gallen outplayed by young rival Josh Papalli and Todd Carney injuring his Achilles.

Sponsorship deals with SHARK Energy Drink, Fishermans Friends, and Luxbet flooded in and helped the financial situation off-field, with the close of Season 2012 seeing Shane Flanagan emerge as one of the games leading up and coming head coaches and his mentor Damian Irvine the games leading young administrator.

At the beginning of Season 2013, Irvine stood down as Chairman on learning of the questionable operational and duty of care practices of coach Shane Flanagan, and Darren Mooney during 2011 which exposed the club to the ASADA scandal. Flanagan was stood down and Peter Sharp stepped up to the head coaching role. Flanagan returned in 2013, a season in which the Sharks qualified for the competition semi finals, before he was forced to serve a 9-month suspension handed down by the NRL for breaches of basic governance and duty of care practices, thus validating the strong ethical stance made by Irvine and the board in March 2013.

Sharp again took over the reins, before resigning mid season the week after the club's greatest comeback victory, with the team coming from 22 nil down to beat the Brisbane Broncos 24-22. Following that win, a photo went viral of Sharks playmaker Todd Carney pretending to urinate into his own mouth. Just one day after Carney was stood down by the Sharks CEO Steve Noyce, Sharp resigned as interim head coach and was replaced by James Shepherd.

The 2014 season saw a myriad of struggles for the Sharks on the field, with injuries and the suspension of five players involved in the supplements scandal of 2011, missing games at the back end of the season. The Sharks finished 2014 with the wooden spoon.

In 2015, the club climbed the ladder to eventually finish 6th with 2 wins over eventual minor premiers Sydney Roosters and 2014's premiers South Sydney Rabbitohs. 2015 was also the year Flanagan was reappointed as coach of Cronulla after sitting out the 2014 season.

Supplements scandal

The beginning of the 2013 NRL Season saw the Sharks investigated by ASADA (Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency) and reports led back to Sports scientist Stephen Dank who Shane Flanagan and Trainer Trent Elkin introduced to the club, and statements that he had administered peptides to a number of Sharks players. The investigations resulted in the sacking of four of the Cronulla Sharks' staff members for their involvement and cover up. They were Darren Mooney, Mark Noakes, David Giveny and Konrad Schultz. Flanagan was stood down from his coaching duties in 2014 before guiding the Sharks to the finals series in 2015.

The Sharks finished the 2013 season in 5th place on the ladder, before winning their first finals game in a controversial 20-18 victory over the Cowboys. They went down the following week 24-18 to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles to bow out of premiership contention. Cronulla were commended for their bravery throughout the whole of the season by not letting off-field distractions (namely the ASADA investigation) deter their on-field performances, however 2014 proved to be a different story, with interim coaches and player injury and suspension seeing the club finish the year with the Wooden Spoon.

2016: First Premiership

The 2016 season started with a 20-14 loss over 2015 premiers, North Queensland Cowboys. This was followed by a 30-2 win over the St. George Illawarra Dragons and a loss to Manly-Warringah, 22-12. The Sharks then went on to win 15 games in a row from Round 4 against the Melbourne Storm to Round 21, against the Gold Coast Titans, resulting in an 18-all draw. This was the largest win streak in the club's history. During this period the Sharks equaled their largest win score by defeating the Newcastle Knights 62-0.

They then went on to win 1 out of their last 5 games resulting in a drop from 1st to 3rd. In round 26, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and Melbourne Storm faced off in a minor premiership showdown in which the Melbourne Storm won 26-6 in AAMI Park. They went on to defeat the Raiders in the Week 1 qualifying final 16-14 and earning the week off. Advancing to the Preliminary final, they defeated defending premiers North Queensland Cowboys 32-20 at Allianz Stadium. They would face and defeat the Melbourne Storm in the 2016 NRL Grand Final. The Sharks, after leading 8-0 at half-time, prevailed in a gripping affair 14-12 to claim their first premiership in the club's 50-year history. Sharks second rower Luke Lewis was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as Man of the Match.

2017: World Club Challenge

The Sharks played Wigan Warriors at the DW Stadium on 19th February 2017, losing 22-6 to a strong Wigan side.

Emblem, colours, and song

For Cronulla's maiden season in first grade a teal jersey with a white V was adopted from the Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club despite Cronulla's chocolate and gold design in the Sydney 2nd Division competition. The team colours of black, white and teal changed to sky blue, with grey being incorporated during Super League, and shortly after on the team's away strip.

The club wasn’t known as the Sharks until after its initial admission into the competition. During Cronulla’s first season the crest featured a drawing of Captain Cook's ship the HMS Bark Endeavour. It is alleged that during the first season the club President suggested the 'Lions' while the captain Ken Kearney recommended the 'Sharks'. The mascot may have been named after the Cronulla Surf Club's rugby league teams of the 1970s.

From the late 1970s through to the late 1990s, the Sharks used a predominantly black circular crest with a blue shark. This was changed after Super League in 1997 to a blue and white star-shaped design. Between 1999–2002, the name was shortened to simply the "Sharks". Since 2003, the name has since been changed back to the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and changed their logo again in 2004, which is currently in use.

Cronulla's club song is known as Up Up Cronulla, and is set to the tune of Beer Barrel Polka.

Stadium

Southern Cross Group Stadium

When the Sharks entered the competition in 1967, they played their home games at Sutherland Oval. They only played there for two seasons with the Sharks winning their first game at the ground on 22 April [1967 NSWRFL season]. The record attendance for Sutherland Oval was set in the last Cronulla game played at the ground when 12,578 saw the Sharks go down 32–4 to [Canterbury Bankstown, then known as the Berries, now Bulldogs] on 16 June [1968 NSWRFL].[1] Overall, the Sharks compiled a record of 4 wins, 11 losses and 1 draw at the venue.[2]

In 1969, they then moved to Endeavour Field, where they have remained. This home ground has had numerous names over the years including Ronson Field, Shark Park, Toyota Park and until the end of 2012, Toyota Stadium. In 2013, it returned to the original name Endeavour Field. On 4 July 2013, the Cronulla Sharks announced their new stadium naming rights partner Remondis, an international waste solutions and management company.

In 2016 a new sponsorship deal for naming rights was signed with Southern Cross Group to name the stadium Southern Cross Group Stadium. The new partnership with Southern Cross Group (SCGroup) is a three-year deal, reportedly worth $1.5 million.

Southern Cross Group Stadium has a capacity of 22,000 people with the record attendance of 22,302 being set for a game against local rivals the St George Illawarra Dragons on 1 May 2004 [3]

Sharkies Leagues Club

Sharkies Leagues Club

The Cronulla Sutherland Leagues Club is known as Sharkies, and is located on Captain Cook Drive at Woolooware. The leagues club sits beside the Cronulla Sutherland home ground, Endeavour Field.

Proposals to develop the land assets of the Leagues Club which owns the stadium and land around Endeavour Field stumbled for many years prior to arrival of renowned businessman Damian Irvine. In partnership with his head of finance Craig Douglas the plans finally became more tangible, as details of a residential and shopping centre were released. In August 2012, the club received final approval for their plans solving a 40-year-old problem of financial instability.

The arrival of respected CEO Lyall Gorman has seen 2016 be a watershed year off and on-field for the Sharks.

2017 Squad

Cronulla Sharks 2017 Squad
First team squad Coaching staff

Head coach

Assistant coaches

Legend:
  • (c) Captain
  • (vc) Vice captain
  • Injured

Updated: 16 July 2017
Source(s): Sharks 2017 Squad

2015 Signings/Transfers

Gains


Out

Players

Sharks Immortals

The club has honoured five individuals as "Immortals" of the club:[4]

Representative players

Club captains


Dream Team[5]

Announced 2006

No. Position Player
1 Australia FB David Peachey
2 Australia WG Mat Rogers
3 Australia CE Steve Rogers
4 Australia CE Andrew Ettingshausen
5 Australia WG Ray Corcoran
6 Australia FE Michael Speechly
7 England HB Tommy Bishop
8 Australia PR Jason Stevens
9 Australia HK Ron Turner
10 England PR Cliff Watson
11 Australia SR Ken Maddison
12 Australia SR Gavin Miller
13 Australia LK Greg Pierce
No. Position Player
14 New Zealand RE Dane Sorensen
15 Australia RE Steve Kneen
16 Australia RE Brett Kimmorley
17 Australia RE Jonathon Docking

Team of the Half Century[6]

Announced 2017

No. Position Player
1 Australia FB David Peachey
2 Australia WG Mat Rogers
3 Australia CE Steve Rogers
4 Australia CE Andrew Ettingshausen
5 Australia WG Valentine Holmes
6 Australia FE James Maloney
7 England HB Tommy Bishop
8 England PR Cliff Watson
9 Australia HK Michael Ennis
10 New Zealand PR Dane Sorensen
11 Australia SR Greg Pierce
12 Australia SR Gavin Miller,
13 Australia LK Paul Gallen (c)
No. Position Player
14 New Zealand RE Andrew Fifita
15 Australia RE Brett Kimmorley
16 Australia RE Steve Kneen
17 Australia RE Jason Stevens

Club Legends

Announced 2003

Award winners

Dally M Medal

Rothmans Medal

Club Player of the Year (Monty Porter Medal)

*1^ Andrew Fifita and Matt Prior were joint winners of the Monty Porter Medal in 2016.

Clive Churchill Medal

Coaching staff

The current head coach of the club is Shane Flanagan.

Coaches register

Rivalries

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

This rivalry has been dubbed the "Battle of the Beaches", due to their geographical locations and areas. Manly played the Sharks in two grand finals during the 1970s, which are renowned for being the most brutal in history. Cronulla and Manly play for the Steve Rogers Trophy when the two clubs meet in the NRL premiership each season.

St. George Illawarra Dragons

One of Cronulla's fiercest rivalries is with their Southern Sydney neighbour, St. George Illawarra Dragons, creating a true local derby every time these teams meet.


Melbourne Storm

A fairly recent rivalry that intensified in the 2016 grand final which was won by Cronulla. In late 2007, the Sharks were on course to break a 6 match losing streak until a Cooper Cronk field goal saw them lose 16-17. Round 2 of 2008 saw the sides meet at Olympic Park in Melbourne, and Cronulla were able to reverse the result by the same scoreline via a Brett Kimmorley field goal. The match was marred by an ugly brawl which saw Cronulla's Ben Ross and Melbourne's Brett White sent from the field. It was the only loss the Storm suffered at home during the 2008 regular season. The two sides met again in the preliminary final where the Storm, despite missing captain Cameron Smith to suspension, smashed the Sharks 28-0 to advance to the grand final against Manly-Warringah. Melbourne Storm begun the 2012 season with 9 straight victories, before a Paul Gallen-less Sharks pipped them 12-10 thanks to a Jeremy Smith try and clutch conversion from Todd Carney. It looked like Cronulla would land two wins over the Storm that year, leading 18-10 with 90 seconds to go in the second game between the sides. The Storm somehow scored twice to win 20-18. The rivalry was reignited in late 2015 when Melbourne beat Cronulla 30-2 in spiteful circumstances. Sharks coach Shane Flanagan accused Melbourne of slowing down the game with their wrestling tackle technique. The loss meant that Melbourne leap-frogged the Sharks into 4th place heading into the finals. Again the Sharks handed Melbourne their first loss of the 2016 season, winning the round 4 clash 14-6. It was the first match in Cronulla's record-breaking 15 match winning streak. The two sides would meet in the final round of the regular season with the winner taking out the minor premiership. The Storm won 26-6 and took out the JJ Giltinan Shield. However, the Cronulla Sharks would win the biggest game ever between the two sides 4 weeks later, winning the 2016 grand final by 14-12 in a thriller. In the Grand Final rematch in 2017, Will Chambers was heard calling Cronulla players "Drug cheats" in reference to the ASADA scandal. Both sides are currently on track for a return to the top four in 2017.

Supporters

The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks receive support from groups of fans, including the "Cronulla-Sutherland Supporters Club",[7][8] supporter's website "Sharks Forever", and fan forum "Sharks Forever".[9]

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks fans became widely known for the 'Spirit Fingers', when someone has a Place kick.[10]

Notable Celebrity Supporters of the club include;

References

  1. ↑ Cronulla vs Canterbury - NSWRFL 1968
  2. ↑ Sutherland Oval at Rugby League Project
  3. ↑ Cronulla vs St George Illawarra - NRL 2004
  4. ↑ Statistics / Club Records Archived 22 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine. at sharks.com.au
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-25.
  6. ↑ http://www.sharks.com.au/news/2017/03/03/sharks_name_team_of_.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ http://www.cronullasupporters.com/
  8. ↑ http://www.thecssc.com.au/
  9. ↑ http://www.sharksforever.com/
  10. ↑ http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/tis-the-end-of-the-season-to-be-jolly/news-story/ad08d6995a240a828f0486b0e334daa0
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