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Opinion
The NRL is heating up and with just one round of regular season footy to be played, each top eight side will be trying to make a statement before finals time.
The Penrith Panthers will be looking to retain the title, whilst the rest of the contenders will be attempting to dethrone Penrith.
Amongst those sides is the Cronulla Sharks who for some unknown reason have been flying under the radar all season, despite being a consistent top four team all year.
The Sharks always seem to be an underestimated team, regardless of rarely having a slip-up in 2022. After Cronulla’s 2016 grand final victory, you’d think they would be taken more seriously, however they continue to be overlooked every season.
The Sharks had a few key additions over the off-season, including Dale Finucane, Nicho Hynes and Cameron McInnes. McInnes has arguably been the best utility player over this season and being alongside Finucane has created a deadly duo.
Nicho Hynes is the buy of the year, as he has pushed this Cronulla Sharks team to another level and is becoming one of the top players in the league at the moment. His skill level has significantly developed since joining Cronulla and I think he will be a hot shot for the Dally-M medal next season.
Nicho Hynes (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The Sharks future lies in their own hands, they could continue their winning ways, or throw away a superb season. They’re all-but guaranteed to take on the Cowboys in week 1 of the finals, which could be the most intriguing match-up of the week.
Cronulla will finish in the top four and a round 1 playoff win would place them in prime position to reach their second grand final in six years. They will finish the regular season, winning two of their five matches against the current top four teams.
They lost both of their games against Penrith, which is a side who has obviously been a massive challenge for every team in the league.
Of course, if you want to be the best, then you’ve got to beat the best and there’s a high chance they will have to take on Penrith if they wish to find premiership glory. In my mind, they can certainly take home the ultimate title, although they’re not my favourites to win it all.
Cronulla don’t have enough grit and grind in them, plus they try to play a little too fancy, which will not beat top dog teams like Melbourne and Penrith in September.
Despite not being at the top of my list of chances to become 2022 champions, the Sharks have a much better probability than a lot of people are giving them.
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