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South Sydney started the trend in 2014, ending the club’s 44-year NRL premiership drought with a comprehensive 30-6 win over the Bulldogs.
The Cowboys won their first premiership last year, ending a 22-year drought with a 17-16 golden points win over the Broncos.
On Sunday, the Sharks are poised to win their first premiership in 49 years of history when they take on Melbourne.
The trend is there – the third time to prove it?
In the lead-up, one of the best sights has been the hordes of school kids in the Shire proudly wearing their Sharks jumpers, and genuinely excited about their team being in the decider.
And their best chances rest with Michael Ennis, Paul Gallen, Andrew Fifita, James Maloney, Valentine Holmes, and Ben Barba.
Ennis isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but – for this game especially – he’s mine. (Click to Tweet)
In fact, he’s the most important Shark on the park. His niggling tactics are bound to keep opposite number Cameron Smith busy in the hope his usual commanding game will be restricted.
Yes, Ennis can be a right royal pain in the butt, but he’s vital to Cronulla’s chances of creating history.
Gallen is the inspirational skipper. Every minute he’s on the field he will lead from the front in attack and defence, that’s his bag, and he does it well.
The head-to-head clash between Fifita and Jesse Bromwich will be worth the cost of admission alone. There won’t be any prisoners taken, and both will be knackered by full time – the collisions will take their toll.
With equal possession, the backs will come into their own.
James Maloney, Cooper Cronk. Valentine Holmes, Suliasi Vunivalu. Ben Barba, Cameron Munster. It doesn’t get any better than those three match-ups.
This is Maloney’s third grand final, having been the playmaker to get the Warriors into the 2011 decider, the Roosters in 2013, and now the Sharks. And the bigger the game, the better he plays. No better example than his two-try performance against the Cowboys last week.
Cronk has been a top-shelf performer for 300 NRL games, he doesn’t need any further introduction as an Immortal-in-waiting.
If you were selecting a track relay team, Holmes and Vunivalu would be the first two picked, both expressmen with superb ability to beat defenders pointless.
Barba is back to his sensational 2012 form, when he captured the Dally M. He’s electric and can turn a game on its ear.
Munster is no longer the replacement for the injured Billy Slater, he’s a quality fullback in his own right.
So the scene is set for a classic decider, with the drought-breaking trend in the Sharks’ court.