Updated ,first published
“I’m telling you, Cronulla can win the competition if they want it.”
But then Sharks premiership winner Mick Ennis would say that, wouldn’t he?
With every win – and Sunday’s 32-16 defeat of South Sydney at Ocean Protect Stadium made it nine from their past 10 outings – you have to put more stock in Cronulla’s premiership credentials. Particularly, when despite being reduced to 15 by Kayal Iro’s head knock and a biceps injury to Siosifa Talakai, they barely missed a beat.
Coach Craig Fitzgibbon has been at pains to point out his side hasn’t achieved anything yet.
“We’re going good, but there’s a bit more to go. It’s round 22,” he said as he noted how Cronulla finished last year’s regular season with seven wins from eight games as well.
“So what’s different is maybe the perception of the way we’re doing it. I’ve never felt any different about the group in the last five years, to be honest.
“Maybe I believe in [the players] more than they believe in themselves, but we’re working hard towards something and we’ve been building that for a little bit.”
The year-on-year difference is getting harder to ignore, though. Million-dollar No.7 Nicho Hynes is playing a more rounded game than when he won the 2022 Dally M medal as his run of 32 consecutive goals closes in on Hazem El Masri’s all-time record of 35.
Blayke Brailey and Addin Fonua-Blake have both returned from Origin in compelling form too. The latter especially is coming off Fitzgibbon’s bench in devastating fashion from the 20-minute mark, and is the last thing an opposition wants to deal with on their try line – per his classic big-man try from a superb angled run midway through the second half.
So it proved for a gutsy but outgunned South Sydney at Shark Park. Cronulla’s 18-6 half-time lead came after a clutch of penalties for high shots and late hits by the home side.
Discipline has been their biggest issue all year, though Teig Wilton seemed unlucky to be sin-binned for contact that split Jack Wighton’s ear open – despite replays suggesting the contact was almost exclusively head-on-head.
Both had to pass HIAs and while the Sharks lost their shape while playing down a man, Trindall came into his own once it was 13 on 13 again. After almost scoring himself from close range, the man with more try-assists than anyone else added another to his tally by piloting Briton Nikora through.
His kick for Mulitalo then finished in a milestone try to Talakai in his 150th NRL game. And even though the Rabbitohs hung in grimly, the contest was only heading one way when Brailey scurried over from dummy-half before half-time.
A second half that started with Campbell Graham polishing off a right-edge overlap briefly kindled hope of a Rabbitohs comeback. But with Latrell Mitchell, Cameron Murray, Tallis Duncan, Euan Aitken and David Fifita all sidelined, the Sharks always had their measure.
All but Mitchell will return next week against Parramatta as Wayne Bennett spelled out South Sydney’s next hurdle once their best and brightest are on the field.
“We can run deep any day of the week if we can just get over the rubbish that gets into our game,” Bennett said.
“I’m not disappointed with our effort… Our Achilles heel is when we don’t execute, then we play a bit of a price for it and that’s been consistent all year with us.”
And for the umpteenth time this season, Fitzgibbon had a scrambling defensive effort – which the warhorse coach prizes above all others – to hang in his pool room. This week it was Will Kennedy producing a superb long-range chase and cover tackle on Jye Gray.
Late tries to Mulitalo and Alex Johnston made no difference in the final wash-up. And the Rabbitohs casualty ward is a reasonable counter to Ennis and his suggestion “Cronulla can win the competition” during commentary.
The old Cronulla hooker noted exactly that, along with the enduring question of how the Sharks stack up come finals time against the Panthers, Roosters and Warriors. Right now though, they can only beat the team in front of them each week. And right now, they look like legitimate contenders doing it.
