Cronulla clearly haven’t had enough of winning premierships, which is how it should be when it takes you 50 years to win your first.
It is still relatively early days this season, just seven rounds in, but the events of the past two rounds in particular suggest the Sharks could end the competition’s back-to-back premiership hoodoo.
The last club to win to win consecutive titles in the same competition was, of course, Brisbane, in 1992-93.
The Broncos won two in a row again in 1997-98, but this time in different competitions – the breakaway Super League and then the reunited NRL.
The circumstances surrounding the Sharks winning last year and Brisbane in 1992 were mostly different, but there was one important factor they had in common.
Like it was with Cronulla, the win by the Broncos was their first.
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Brisbane had that feel about them since entering the competition in 1988 that they were destined to win the premiership, so much so that even though it only took them five years to do it, they thought they should have done it sooner.
The Sharks were the complete opposite. There was never the belief they were destined for greatness and although they played in a grand final as early as their seventh year, their history became that of the club that would occasionally go close, but never quite make it.
Until last year, that was.
When the Broncos won their first title, it was like it was meant to be – from the inside and the outside. They had no doubt the top of the mountain was their place, so they went out and won it again the following season.
You can’t win it every year, but Brisbane have obviously been a major force ever since.
None of the Cronulla players who went on to win last year were even alive when the club’s history of near-misses and good, but not quite good enough disappointments began, but they still faced the challenge of blocking out the noise.
The talk from the outside was that it was, after all, the Sharks, so there was bound to be heartbreak in the end.
But they pulled it off, and against a team, in Melbourne, that knew how to win the big games as well as any other side and better than most.
A lot of people seemed to think that would be enough for the Sharks for the time being; that the competition would naturally re-align itself this season and they would fall back to a level just below what was required to take it out.
But there is no evidence of that happening at this stage and back-to-back wins on the road in which they have kept both the Storm and Penrith to two points apiece speaks volumes for their desire.
It doesn’t have that feeling, like it did at Brisbane in 1993, that it was meant to be, but it doesn’t have to.
As long as the Sharks believe it can be is enough, and they clearly do. The rest of it is all about hard work.
It is an open competition that has thrown up some early-season surprises, but one of the real possibilities is that Cronulla are a genuine chance of making it two premierships in a row.
Sharkattack
Guest
Souths and the one man band Cowboys were both media darlings the next season after their GF victories but we aren't. Maybe if they keep doubting right up to the Grand Final, we will keep silencing them.
The Barry
Roar Guru
They are giving it good shake but it's still early days. Every year in the last five or so there's been a point in the season where the defending premiers have looked the team to beat. Cowboys in 2016, Souths in 2015, etc. I think it has to do more with how a team responds when things aren't travelling so well as opposed to how they look at their best. How hungry will they be when they've got five out or backing up from origin? After 3-4 months of being the team everyone wants to beat? When there's a few niggling injuries? A team will go back to back sooner or later and it will be a monumental achievement when they do, including if the Sharks do it this year.
Squidward
Roar Rookie
He sure is. Local junior along with his brother
Squidward
Roar Rookie
I definitely haven't been kicking stones and stewing over team lineups for days after loses since the monkey has been off
Swannies
Guest
Cronulla won't go back to back...it will be Storm's turn this year and send off Cronk in style.
Albo
Guest
Yep ! They are travelling really well on the back of their pack and a very solid defence. No reason they can't go back to back pending their continued great run of no key injuries. Key players for Sharks are Graham, Lewis & Maloney. If they stay sound they will be hard to beat. They will likely lose a few around Origin time ( Graham, Maloney, Fifita & Bird) and it might be fingers crossed for fans for a few weeks.
matth
Guest
PS, yes the Broncos 1997/98 has an asterisk beside it, but it was still a heck of an achievement, which they added to in 2000. In 1998 they were definitely the hunted team but they just blew the entire unified competition away. What a team they were. Lockyer's golden fullback years.. It was a pretty good roster: 6 players scored more than 10 tries. Look at those reserves! Darren Lockyer 19 tries Wendell Sailor 18 Darren Smith 23! Steve Renouf 20 Michael Hancock 10 Kevin Walters Allan Langer 10 Peter Ryan Gorden Tallis Brad Thorn Andrew Gee John Plath Shane Webcke Petero Civoniceva Kevin Campion Tonie Carroll Michael De Vere Phillip Lee Ben Walker
matth
Guest
Ennis, for me the key reason that I thought the Sharks would slide, and the quality of his replacement with such little experience has been why the Sharks are exceeding my expectations. Is he a NSW eligible player?
matth
Guest
Very true
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Two very impressive wins by the Sharks indicate they intend to put up a very solid defence of there Title. We all thought they would struggle without Ennis ( they still could ) however at this stage they are going pretty well.
PNG Broncos fan88
Roar Guru
As soon as the Broncs fell in Townsville, I was cheering for the Sharks all the way for the 2016 title. But I hope they don't break my teams record of back-to-back...just yet, until Broncos do it again.
Joe
Roar Rookie
Fully agree. It will come down to injuries. Fortunately the Sharks have had a great run as the Cowboys did the previous year. The Storm and Raiders not so good with injuries. Whichever team is injury free come September will win it.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
I'll bide my time, take the wins with a smile,losses with a whimper. What i do know, with 95% of games they play,they give me full value for my entrance charge. A team of hardheads melded with a group of young carefree players with speed, and football ability to burn. They need to not take the lower teams such as the Knights seriously.Their effort when they played them was a nightmare for us fans. Meantime I'm enjoying the ride,and don't want to get off the choo choo train, driven by Engineer Gallen.
AGO74
Guest
Yes it's interesting the media stuff. Because the Sharks aren't one of the giant or glamour teams of the comp there is a perception amongst some (not all) that sharks got lucky. Put it this way I think if the storm had have won gf or cows had have been able to stagger on and win two more games including the GF I think they'd be receiving more recognition than sharks have as actual premiers. A number of pundits claimed at start of season they would struggle to make the 8 - seriously? Now it's not impossible that they miss the 8 but to suggest at start of season that a defending premier may not make the top 8 is laughable. I can't see that comment being made if Broncos, Cowboys or storm win the GF. Then there is the Phil Gould "soft comp" comments as well but that's another matter....
Benny
Guest
They won't win. We hear the same thing every year. Early 2014 everyone was saying it was the Roosters and Manly again that would be up there. Early 2015 nobody could see anybody beating Souths, people were even saying they'd go undefeated. For the first half of 2016 people were saying it wouldn't be anything other than another Broncos Cowboys final. The thing is, the teams the previous year won the title for a reason, nobody could figure them out. And without playing them a bit more and other teams getting the game experience to become better, they aren't going to magically be able to beat them over the off season. It takes getting into the season a little bit for the improved teams to start becoming legitimate premiership contenders and to start working out the best teams from the year before. Look at last year for example, many people thought the Sharks and the Raiders would be much improved, and they were, but they didn't establish themselves as premiership contenders over the Broncos and Cowboys until the 2nd half of the season.
E-Meter
Guest
Keeping Melbourne and Penrith tryless in consecutive weeks is highly impressive. If they are on the lower end of the injury spectrum at finals time, then they are a good chance of two in a row.
jeff dustby
Guest
it is April
up in the north
Roar Rookie
I'd love to see the Sharks go back to back, but given how close the table is at the moment and also how unbalanced the draw is, it's hard to picture what lies ahead at this stage. If they continue doing what they're doing now they're at least the best possibility.
SewingMachine
Guest
If Ennis was playing definitely..although traveling nicely at the moment without him.. it will be in the big games later in the year..when Ennis thrives..that the Sharks will miss him the most..and their back to back premiership hope may falter.. Good luck to em though..
Sharkattack
Guest
I agree with Clinen. Much more relaxed as a long time fan now, it used to be hard to take before because people like me thought we would never live to see our team do the victory lap. The club culture is changing, but seriously, the media jumped on the Cowboys to win 2 in a row after 2015, but not us. So far this year, we have beaten Canberra, Melbourne and Penrith away from home, we just need to start playing well at home again, and also make sure we always convincingly win games where we are hot favourites. If the injury list stays low, no reason we can't make this season even better than last year !!!