'Development club': Sharks ready to reap rewards on bumper weekend of finals

Cronulla's rise to the preliminary final has been meticulously planned since well before the Jets lifted the NSW Cup in 2019. 

Years of careful planning and development has been put into structuring their pathways programs, with a clear path from the Sharks Jersey Flegg Under-21 team to the Newtown reserve grade side and into the NRL. 

Jets head of football Greg Matterson coached the 2019 side to the premiership and said the clubs have developed a seamless relationship since their partnership began in 2015. 

"Playing reserve grade is such an important step to prepare for the rigours of NRL," Matterson told pan66.com. "Going from age-group grades into the NRL is very tough so NSW Cup serves a great purpose for players. 

"Everyone at the two clubs works together from recruitment with Darren Mooney to [coach Craig Fitzgibbon]. We have a great relationship with them and the honesty between the two clubs is key. 

"Logistically it's a good fit with the way we operate. You wouldn't call either of us high-flying clubs, we both try to get value for money from our players and think alike in a lot of areas."

The Sharks' success this season isn't confined to the NRL, with all three men's grades and their NRLW side to play major finals this weekend.

The Sharks Under 21s side will face the Bulldogs in Sunday's Jersey Flegg grand final before the Jets face North Sydney in the NSW Cup decider. 

Cronulla will also take on the Broncos in an NRLW semi-final at a sold-out Totally Workwear Stadium in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon.

Should all go to plan this weekend, the Sharks could have a team playing in all three matches on NRL grand final day. 

Cronulla CEO Dino Mezzatesta said the success is the result of considerable investment in participation at the junior level all the way through to the elite teams.

"Being a pathways club across men and women, it's important we invest the time and effort into those streams," Mezzatesta told pan66.com. "We've got really positive key metrics around the business when it comes to pathways and we're seeing success now at that level. 

"The indicators are demonstrating what we're doing is working. As a club you need to do that to show there's a path for the great nursey sitting here not only within our backyard but people want to come and be part of this club."

With such a talented crop of players coming through, the Sharks were determined to ensure the 2019 NSW Cup winners thrived once they progressed to the top grade. 

The early signs were mixed, with Cronulla finishing eighth in 2020 before losing to Canberra in the opening week of the finals. 

The situation saw Mezzatesta pounce on the chance to sign Craig Fitzgibbon as coach early in the 2021 season in a controversial move to axe John Morris. 

The decision sparked plenty of backlash but Fitzgibbon has achieved instant results since his arrival in 2022. 

The Sharks have played finals in the past three seasons and Mezzatesta said the coach's impact on the club was clear immediately.

"From the moment Craig Fitzgibbon walked in the door, he started setting the culture for the playing group and the club," he said. "The business adopted that culture along the way. We want to be the best in the market and performing at our optimal level.

"Craig has set the standard and the culture and everyone's believed and we've had that buy in. We say regularly that winning together is amazing and we celebrate the success but we also lose together and we have to support each other and stick together. 

"You're going to go through patches when things aren't going your way but if you stick together you can get back on the task at hand and results come your way."

Fitzgibbon's tenure has seen a host of players take a major step forward in their careers. Crucially, the squad has made that leap together and they have grown from their shared experiences on the field. 

Nine players have reached 100 NRL games this season, joining a further four who entered the year in the triple figures. 

Six of the eight NSW Cup premiers have notched a century, with Teig Wilton (84) and Braydon Trindall (70) destined to achieve the milestone in the next two years.

Wilton said the players have developed a close bond throughout their time together which has translated to success on the field. 

"It's special to come through the grades together," Wilton told pan66.com. "We grew up together and we all have great memories of our time at Newtown. Winning a premiership only made us stronger and being together for so long we understand how each other plays. 

"As a squad we've been developing nicely over the last few years. The club's done a good job keeping us together. Everyone is buying into the system and that's shown with every team in the club alive at the moment."

While success in the lower grades is important, clubs are ultimately judged on how they perform in the NRL.

Penrith have been the benchmark in that respect, having played in the past four grand finals, winning the past three, and out to book their spot in a fifth-straight decider. 

While the Panthers have set the standard, Mezzatesta said Cronulla are determined to prove they have reached the same level. 

"We haven't replicated anything they've done, we've done it on our own," he said. "It dates back some time to when we got involved in development and we've had some great people come through the system. 

"We couldn't copy them, we knew we had to do it ourselves because of the interest in the Shire and the amount of people playing the game, both men and women. 

"We're into the second year of our NRLW team and proud of what our girls have done in just two years. It was only four or five years ago we were lucky to get a dozen girls show up to rep trials. This year we had close to 100 girls at the trials. 

"That tells you we are doing something here to encourage the youth to get involved. We're now showing we can be competitive and have the right people to nurture talent."

Cronulla may have struggled for respect in recent years but this weekend is the chance to prove they are an NRL heavyweight.

Given how long they've been building to this point, the Sharks are determined to take this opportunity with both hands.