Cronulla is promising no let-up after extending its league-best winning streak to five matches, sparking talk that an elusive second NRL premiership is in the offing for the surging Sharks.
Rarely has understated coach Craig Fitzgibbon been more bullish about his belief in the team than after Sunday’s dazzling 32-16 dispatch of South Sydney.
“I’ve never felt any different about the group in the last five years, to be honest, but maybe I believe in them more than they believe in themselves,” he said.
With Nicho Hynes back to the vintage form that earned him the Dally M Medal and the Sharks a top-two finish in 2022, and his halves partner, Braydon Trindall, in career-best touch, the Sharks are flying with nine wins from their past 10 outings.
Michael Ennis, the club’s 2016 grand final-winning hooker-turned-analyst, believes the Sharks will go all the way again a decade on from breaking the longest and most infamous title drought in premiership history.
It’s 10 years since the Sharks beat the Storm in the NRL grand final and the club is shaping up to scale the heights again. (Getty Images: Mark Kolbe)
“We’re working hard towards something and we’ve been building that for a little bit,” Fitzgibbon said.
“And then sometimes you get things go your way, sometimes they don’t. But at the moment, it’s going our way.
“There’s still plenty more. We’ll have a hiccup here and there and there’ll be turbulence, but you won’t challenge me on how much I believe in them.”
Sitting fourth and certain not to face any more top-eight opposition until the finals, the Sharks are well placed to snatch an all-important top-two spot.
But skipper Blayke Brailey says the Sharks won’t be taking their foot off the pedal, with the side’s immediate focus on Sunday’s derby with St George Illawarra.
The Dragons may be wooden spoon-bound but the Sharks won’t be taking their arch rivals lightly, especially with points differential between the top teams looking increasingly important.
“A derby clash, no matter where you’re sitting on the table, it’s a tough contest,” Brailey said.
“Those derby games are tough, no matter the form you’re in.”
After the Dragons at Kogarah, the Sharks face Canberra at home, the Titans on the Gold Coast, Parramatta away and Melbourne in a potentially crucial last-round battle at Shark Park.
AAP
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