Flagship Episode w/ Sam Shinazzi (6/8/26)

[00:00:01] The Royal Motor Yacht Club Port Hacking is a hidden gem of the Shire, situated on the banks of the beautiful Port Hacking. It's a great place to catch up with friends, celebrate your birthday or any special occasion, and they always show the NRL live on the big screens. The RMYC Port Hacking, proud sponsors of this podcast and big supporters of the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks. Check out their website rmycph.com.au

[00:00:26] They've got a Facebook page, or you could go old school and call them on 029523 9300 Back in the Shire, turn your porch lights off because we're coming home with a trophy.

[00:01:05] Hey there, welcome to SharkCast, part of podcast dedicated to the greatest sporting club in the history of the world. The mighty Cronulla Sutherland Sharks. My name is Sam Shinazzi, I'm OG from 2015. This is our 12th season of podcasting, thanks to everyone who's been on board. Whether it's all 12 years or whether it's your first week, I appreciate you all and let's get into it. Flagship style, solo edition, Derby week, I'm fired up. Great time to be a shark. This episode is brought to you by Dysons Logistics, the greatest logistics company in the world.

[00:01:34] The Royal Motor Yacht Club in Port Hacking, if you haven't been there, go there just for the view alone. But then the food is better than the view, and the view's amazing. The drinks are phenomenal. The service is amazing. The space itself, friendly, welcoming. A great club. The Royal Motor Yacht Club in Port Hacking. Jason Hawes at Crips and Crips Real Estate, also a proud sponsor of ours. He has just become the head honcho of Crips and Crips. Look out world, here comes Jason.

[00:02:02] The loveliest, most honest real estate agent you will meet. Those words don't always go well together. We are also having our coffee supplied to us by Mr. Paisley's in Caringbah. We urge you to go down there. It is the best coffee you'll ever have. And that's not even me embellishing that. Tell John, tell Will, who's currently overseas, tell our mate Joe, tell them all that SharkCast sent you. Great place to hang and have some food, have some drink.

[00:02:30] They're open early until about 2, 2.30. Check your local guides, but seven days a week in North Carring Bar. The best cafe in the world. Derby Week. Couldn't find Brooksy. I think he's in hiding. And we're just going to go for it ourselves. So stick with me, have some fun. We'll get through a whole bunch of different subjects about the sharks. And we'll probably get another episode out to you before the Derby, but we'll see how we're going. If we don't, don't hold against me.

[00:02:56] But if we do, you'll know because you're subscribed via Apple, via Spotify, via YouTube, via whatever podcast app you listen to. Social medias, you'll know. If you're not subscribed, it's totally free. Please do so if you don't know how to do it. Which I know is a simplified way of saying, if you're not up to date with modern times, drop me an email and I'll politely tell you how to do it. Because we have listeners of all ages, and not all of them are all over the apps. Anyway, I sound like I've had too much coffee today, but I haven't.

[00:03:26] Sharks sitting in fourth place. We could be higher by the weekend being over. Let's wait and see where we finish at the end of the weekend. But the Sharks are flying high. On somewhat of a streak now. I don't want to jinx things here, but not that I believe in jinxes anymore. 2016 cleared all that up. Sharks are traveling really well. The attack is flowing and the defense is holding really strong. Injury-wise, not too bad. We know this week we're going to miss KL with a one-week concussion sit down.

[00:03:55] And we also have Siffer with one week off with his bicep. That could have been so much worse. We thank the Shark Lords above us that got us through that. And he's going to be back probably for the Canberra game. Canberra game being Saturday week, early game, 3pm at Ocean Protect Stadium. Get a ticket while you can. Again, I believe we only have two home games in the regular season. We'll address all that other stuff later. So Canberra, Saturday week afternoon.

[00:04:22] And then we have the Round 27 blockbuster against Melbourne, Saturday night. And that'll be a sold out event. So you want to get a ticket now for that one, at the very least. People are asking if the streak has started too early. If we peak too early. I think it's a lazy way of looking at it. And I think it's a lazy way to cover this team. I'm quite outspoken about the way the media covers things in general. And especially our beloved Sharks. And that's pretty awkward because I work for the media as well.

[00:04:51] So I do tiptoe around that a little bit. But you will know my true feelings when you need to. I think it's a lazy narrative. Have they peaked too early? Can they keep going? We're not going to know that till we know it. If we weren't playing like this, we'd be complaining that they're not playing well enough. If they were winning by two points every week, you'd be like, oh, they need to blow away a team. They're blowing away teams. I don't peak too early. This team cannot win. We beat the Dolphins 66-0. Nico Hines breaking records left, right and center.

[00:05:19] The next day, some buffoon on some buffoon's podcast says move him to lock. Give me a break. Stop being lazy. Stop being silly. Stop saying silly things that aren't true. The same people saying we have financial problems but can't prove it. Give me a break. Also, Sharks fans listening to this podcast, which is all of you, mostly 99% of you, stop listening to these people. Yesterday, I saw a post.

[00:05:47] Someone had posted that one of our former players, I won't even say who it was, had passed away. And I'm getting messages from people going, has such and such passed away? Someone quite legendary. And I said, not to my knowledge, but I saw a pretty bad AI version of a death report. And it clearly is not true. And so, I appreciate people want to know that. That's a bit more of a serious subject. But you literally can't trust 90% of what you read online. And I don't know why people are subscribed to these groups. I don't know why people have these groups.

[00:06:17] I don't know why people comment without reading what's not actually true. I might have a rant in the flagship already and no one's around to stop me. We need to start using our big brains, as I say to my son. Because we're getting out of control here. Let me go back to the media. Can we keep going? Can we win a comp with Will Kennedy? You bet your backside we can win a comp with Will Kennedy. We got to stop buying into these narratives.

[00:06:43] They want us to do that so we can click on their silly sites and their silly podcasts. And they can get clicks and they get paid by their sponsors. It's that simple. They get paid by YouTube and more hits. The whole thing. It's all a big cycle of small amounts of money being funneled to these people who should know better. The same person who said we were moving from Ocean Protect Stadium and never going back there from the end of this year. On the eve of the last derby where we whipped the dragons.

[00:07:09] We're shouted down from every corner of every avenue by everyone who knew better than him the truth. That that's just false and why are you saying that? He didn't back down. Didn't apologize. He got all his clicks. And then this week in derby week he's saying that a loan didn't go through and I'm getting messages about Sharks financials and it's the same crap guys. Stop buying into it. On to the performance of the Sharks. I cannot be critical of a team firing like this.

[00:07:38] I cannot say they're doing it too early. And they're winning in different ways. You know, we're winning by blowouts against Manly and Dolphins. Two on paper pretty good teams away from home in places we don't usually win. Knights Comertown, they're a pretty good team. It's a close one. They're winning in different manners. But the one thing that's consistent is they're playing well throughout these games. They're defending well. Nico Hines now has a bunch of try saving tackles.

[00:08:04] There was one last week and the next tackle after that they scored South Sydney. But Nico Hines still stopped the try before that. The play before it was going to be a try and he stopped it. They're playing to win. And the coach, you know, the coach made headlines because he was being emotional in the box. I mean, they weren't negative headlines to be fair.

[00:08:27] And a lot of our fans have cried out for years about we need to find Fitzy in a different emotional state than just everything's kind of chill. And I tell you week in week out, that's not who he is. He is an emotional guy. He does love to win. But it wasn't until the wider circle of the world saw it last week in the box that everyone kind of went, oh. But then I saw some other comments saying, is he feeling the pressure? It's like, oof. This club literally cannot please everyone all at once.

[00:08:56] And I feel dreadfully sorry for a bunch of them. And I know they get paid well. I know that they live a rock star life. I get it all. But it's just a bizarre world we're living in. It's a bizarre world we're living in. Speaking about the media. Where a club, Parramatta, has to release an official press statement about a player of theirs that's been alleged to have been stood down for alleged other things. And it's reported by numerous people online.

[00:09:26] And then the club says, uh-uh, that ain't right. And we're looking at legal action. And then the people involved don't even kind of backtrack. This is where we're at, guys and girls. Not a good place. Not a good place. And that's why we definitely avoid the sensationalism on this podcast. We've tried to always avoid it. We haven't always had that luck. But we try to. We just try and talk about the footy. And the club, of course. But as far as agendas and spreading rumors and all that kind of thing. Aside from maybe the Joey Manu one.

[00:09:55] Everything's out of control, people. But I'm happy because we're sitting in fourth. Aiming for second? I think first might be out of reach. But we're aiming for second. Get that home final. And of course, then we open the can of worms. A local derby this week. Pretty excited for it. Dragons have named a decent enough team by them. But we should still do the job for lots of different reasons. And we'll get to that shortly. I enjoyed the Souths win. We've podcasted a lot about it. So I won't get into too much detail about that. But almost a week on.

[00:10:24] And it's sitting well with me. The performance and the way the players are carrying themselves. They're not getting ahead of themselves. I think if anything, maybe the fans might be starting to believe. Which is good. I'm all for that. And I'm telling you right now. This team, if they turn up to all these games, they can win them. It doesn't matter if it's the local derby. Or round 27 at Ocean Pre-Decstating against Melbourne. Or if it's a grand final against Penrith.

[00:10:51] They can turn up and they can win in the right frame of mind as a group and individually. And I spoke about that with some of the players this week. Go back a few episodes and listen to Billy Burns, Cam McInnes, Will Kennedy. And spoke about the psychology behind getting the job done. Particularly with Cam McInnes. And this team can do it. They just need to keep doing it. And it's a good place to be in. Been watching a lot of the 2016 games. We've been doing recaps. Ben Harlem and I have got a new one ready for you any moment.

[00:11:21] Round 10 against Newcastle. The big one. And it's fun. It's fun to watch a team starting to click. And they've only just started to click in that game. They're on a streak. And it's a good streak. But this is a real big win. And it shows how serious they can be. The correlation between the 2026 team. I mean, it's a different looking team. But they're playing really well. They're putting it together. Smart coach. Good team around him. And I'm believing. I wasn't believing necessarily all year.

[00:11:50] I never stopped believing. But I wasn't necessarily where I'm at now. And Matt's full of hope. So, not the worst place to be. Following the match, Shark CEO Peter Gow, dining at the club restaurant, ripped a Dragon supporters jersey off him and cut it into pieces with a pair of scissors. He took the jumper off and then he proceeded back towards the front desk and got a pair of scissors and cut up the jumper in front of what I don't know. And he conceded in the restaurant. 200 people I suppose.

[00:12:18] Former Dragons forward, Barry Beath, attempted to intervene and was punched by Gow. To do what he did. That really got my back up and that's how the incident all started. Alright, let's check out what's happening in Sharkland and around the NRL if need be. But one of the great couple of weeks that we have yearly is Indigenous Round and we have hit that spot. It's Indigenous Round week one. There's two weeks this year. Home and away. Away to the Dragons at home against Canberra.

[00:12:48] The jerseys are beauty. I urge you to go on thesharks.com.au. There's a story about how they came about it and it's fascinating stuff as usual. If you also, and it's a double plug to be perfectly honest, if you jump onto the latest NRLW Sharks podcast, which I'm co-hosting with Jada Taylor and producing that podcast. It's called This Is How We Play. It's on the SharkCast feed, so you'll find it if you're a subscriber very easily. If you go to sharks.com.au,

[00:13:18] there's stories there about where you can find it as well. But Jada Taylor talks about the Indigenous jersey and how they came about, the design and what it means and there's a really nice explanation by her proud Indigenous woman. So we're going to see both the men and women playing in that this weekend. The men will also, I believe, be handed out their jerseys by a couple of Indigenous legends from the Sharks, TBC on that.

[00:13:45] I can tell you that Phil Dottie, who was identified as the first Indigenous shark to play for Cronulla, he has been in town and talking to our friend Ash Taylor, The Historian, there's a great story about Phil's career and life on sharks.com.au. I hadn't thought about Phil Dottie for a long time. He only played, I think I'm correct, sang a handful of games in the NRL level, but played with the club for a while. And if you're watching around that time, which was in the,

[00:14:16] I think mid to late eighties, it's a name that would ring a bell with you. But a very proud history we have with Indigenous players and the Sharks. And I think it's just great. We've gotten to the point now where it's so well publicized and people are learning about it. And people like me are wearing the Indigenous hoodie. I think it's an awesome way to promote the country's Indigenous history and especially our Sharks Indigenous history. Check all that out on the official website and you can buy the jersey and it looks great.

[00:14:43] And hopefully they can represent it really proudly over the next two weeks. NRLW, if it hasn't been a must-win game yet, it certainly is this week. And we play the Titans at Ocean Protect Stadium. So Saturday, 3.15pm, you can get down there and watch the NRLW team in person. There's potentially some debutants playing as well, which is exciting. Unfortunately, there are a number of injuries at the moment within the club, but there is depth coming through.

[00:15:10] Players like Anessa Biddle, Shante Kiriratu, to Nevada George, Rhiannon Byers, Stephanie Faulkner. They've all been hit with the injury bug. So they're a bit down on troops. It's not an excuse with how they've necessarily been playing. They haven't been playing to the best of their abilities, but there is a good team in there. I know that. And I'm hoping they can turn around this week and then string a few together, at least be competitive for the finals, keep the dream alive. It certainly hasn't gone the way we planned, that's for sure. They're a good group, good squad.

[00:15:40] And I quite like Tony Herman. I know he comes under a lot of fire for maybe not switching their team around too much and that kind of thing, but I think there is a good coach there. So I'm certainly behind them and hope you can be too down at Ocean Protect Stadium. If you have a season ticket, you can get in using that. Otherwise, I'm imagining the ticket isn't very expensive. Against the Titans, we are one and one. So hopefully we can go on and win the game this week.

[00:16:06] And again, if you do listen to the This Is How We Play podcast, Jada Taylor does talk about her indigenous side of things and how proud that jersey makes her. And I know she's going to be having a big game. I can guarantee you that. Gates open 2.45 Saturday for a 3.15 kickoff, depending when you hear this, of course. If you've already noticed the game's been played, then I apologize. But this is what we're doing, letting you know the game is on. With the current form of the team, people are asking me about whether we'll get a home game or not.

[00:16:36] Home being at Ocean Protect Stadium in the finals. And my concrete answer is they will certainly probably ask for one, the Sharks. We know that the NRL have sort of put in place in pencil that that won't happen. They haven't inked it in yet. So I think they're waiting to see who the opposition may be. Now, if you look at that top four, all three teams would probably attract some of the water crowd. You would think they probably won't want us playing at Ocean Protect Stadium.

[00:17:04] I would like to think that if we are playing the Roosters and we're the home team, then we would not play at Moorpark. Now, we'd be given the choice, I would think, but it'd be up to whether the club wants to do it. And that goes back to the coach, the CEO, the board, etc. And I'm of the thinking that they won't want to do that. So where do you go from there? I mean, I think my choice might be to play at the Parramatta Complex.

[00:17:31] There are other venues that you could probably choose and they'd be okay with it. I think we'll just wait and see them where we're at. But I'm just addressing that because I do get a lot of mail about that. Would I want to see us play at Ocean Protect Stadium? The reasons I would would be number one for Spite. That's one for you Sidefile fans. And number two, because it's pretty rocking when it's finals time down there. But we've seen it go different ways. So I'm just happy we're in the conversation. I'm happy that we're going to play finals this year, you would think.

[00:18:00] In lower grades, both the Jersey Flag Sharks and Newtown Jets won their round 22 games. Jersey Flag defeated Souths, winning 46-18, but they had to come back from an early deficit. So that was good. And the Jets scored late to win 14 points to 8 over the Rabbitohs. And they're still in the qualifying race for the finals. This week we have the local derby in Wollongong.

[00:18:27] Sharks-Dragons, 2 o'clock kickoff on Saturday. And then we have the Jets game on before that against the Dragons in Wollongong. It's at the Collegiate Sporting Complex. That's a midday kickoff. Stay tuned on that one. I can tell you a number of the guys playing for the Jets are really playing out of their skim. Liam Eysen is really hitting his straps. Like he is, you know, getting borderline NRL ready.

[00:18:53] Now the body needs a bit more work, but the skill and the desire and everything else, like he's the real deal. So if he stays healthy, he'll be playing first grade at some point. Our fullback is going really great in Will Kennedy. I'm not looking to move him on anytime soon. I believe Liam Eysen will be the understudy. He will wait his time and there'll be a switchover at some point and that'll be it. But it won't be for sometime soon. And so Liam will bite his time, but he's going really good. Really good.

[00:19:22] Riley Pollard having an excellent season. He played Hooker the other week. He will be our backup half for the Sharks. It's my belief in 2027 because Nephi Peru has signed a deal with the Perth Bears. That's official. Nephi Peru is a Perth Bear as of next year. So that means there's a bit of a change in the half systems. And I think that Riley Pollard will be next man up.

[00:19:48] I'm led to believe there have been some other more senior halfbacks approach the Sharks, but at the moment it's no dice. And I think that Fitzy will look to the youth. Now what I would like to see, and I'm not sure if this will happen, but I'd like to see Taj Ford come across the Sharks system as well. Very handy half slash fullback. And I'd like him to be the Riley Pollard of this year.

[00:20:13] So the pecking order would be Heinz Trindle, and then it would be Pollard, and then Ford. In my ideal world, let's wait and see on that one. Tsukuhai Tapu has been going great. Brad Fernley has been really impressive for the Jets, I think. I get to watch the Jets every week, and he's been really good. Sam McCulloch, Harrison Hassett, Jackson Lavender, they're all very consistent footballers. Big Felix Fartili is going great. He has got himself into some serious shape.

[00:20:41] There was a time when he, you know, wasn't looking like a professional footballer, and he's completely turned that one the other way, and he's going great. So I'm wondering if Felix will be pushing for something next year. He's certainly got the body for it. As for the real young fellas, there's some superstars in the making there. Nickora Williams, Preston Lancetou, Jai Davies, Xavier Cacciotti, Thomas Dello is a very well thought of young man, and he's going great.

[00:21:11] A lot of good footballs there. I've probably left some out, but the future's looking pretty bright for the Sharks over the next four or five years, that's for sure. By this time, you know that Leo Jacques has signed on with the Sharks. He's one of the Australian Rugby Union's most exciting young prospects. He's switching codes, and he has signed on with the Sharks for next year. He's only 20 years old. He played for Australia in the under-20s at union level. He's very tall. I saw him in the flesh. Very tall. And he's close to 100 kilograms.

[00:21:40] So, he's played for the Waratahs. He's played for the Junior Wallabies. His position is listed as outside center, fullback winger. He's a Scots college graduate, and he's played league for the Coogee Wombats up until the age of 16. He was a member of the Sydney Roosters Matthews Cup squad. And he was also invited in 2022 to the New South Wales Junior Blues Academy camp with the likes of Jesse McClain, Fletcher Sharp, and Harrison Hassett and Liam Isen.

[00:22:09] So, he definitely knows about the Rugby League. He just hasn't played it for a little while. But I think that a big off-season from him, big summer training session, getting amongst that he's already been in and around the boys in the past week. I think he's going to be pushing for something right here. I'm not making too much of a grand statement, but I think that there is a wing and a center spot up for grabs next year, looking at two of the guys that are going at the very least.

[00:22:36] And I think he's put his hand up for potentially a wing spot, but let's wait and see on that one. But it's exciting to have good competition down there. He's very tall. You could kick to him all day, but he's got a lot of other attributes as well. So, watch your space on Leo, but welcome to the club, young man. We're all on Nico Watch. 3 to equal Hazem. 1 more than that. 4 to break it. Let's hope he does it at Cogra. It'd be beautiful.

[00:23:03] But if he can't do it at Cogra, let's say we win... 3 times 6. We win 18-0 against the Dragons this week. And then he comes home and kicks the first goal to do it against Canberra at Ocean Protect Stadium. Either way works. I really hope he breaks it. No pressure on him to do so. What will be, will be. But if he does, it'd be great accolade for him and just another stepping stone towards his greatness as a player. Cardi.

[00:23:34] Was that played at? Fafitis chipped ahead. Cry to the Sharks! A miracle! Bit of mail to get through. Steven says, Wanted to let you know my thoughts from the last few months. We're starting to play to our potential, especially over the last month. Our forwards going really well laying our platform for Braley, Hines and Trindle. The last four weeks sum up why I get frustrated at different times with the team.

[00:24:01] I know how good they can play, but at times they've failed to do it. But it's good to see us playing to our potential blowing teams off the park, grinding out wins. Let's hope it continues. I'm trying not to get excited about what might happen this year, but when we play like that, it's hard not to. Up up. And that was from Steven. I hear you Steven. I know what you're saying. You're saying that why don't we do this every week? And also, I want to believe, but I need to see more. So on the last bit, I don't think you need to see more. I think you've seen him beat really good teams in really good places.

[00:24:32] And sure, you want to knock off a Penrith or a Roosters, but let's do that when it means something. And as far as why they couldn't have done this earlier, my friend, they play for want of better words, all intents and purposes, a 27 week regular season. Now I know there's breaks in there, but that's a long time to play footy. Even Penrith have dips sometimes, you know what I mean? So I take your point, but I think as long as they're playing it now, that's what you need to focus on. Appreciate you Steven. Hope you're well.

[00:25:01] Enjoy the ride. Mitch has been in touch. The team is flying the hottest ticket in town for the next two months. Why would you want to be anywhere other than Ocean Protect Stadium? A brilliant day out for my seven year old daughter and I. She was a lucky kids member, picked to run out with the players. And I scored a slot on the members guard of honor. Become a member everyone. You might get to do cool stuff. He created your sharkily Michellica. He also says, was our journo mate around who doesn't like the stadium.

[00:25:31] He missed a sensational afternoon in Woolaware. I bet you he always misses those good ones, my friend. Nevermind. He'll be back. Don't worry. James sent me something about Nico Hines, all 32 of Nico Hines goals. Thank you so much. I appreciate that, James. I hope you're well. Thank you. Thank you. Will was in touch via the website, via sharkcast.com.au. He just dropped me a line there, which is great. Easy to do. You can also leave a voicemail. If you leave a voicemail, keep it short for me.

[00:26:00] Will said, was fortunate enough to be in the corporate box to watch the Rabideaus at Ocean Protect Stadium on the weekend. Got there early to utilize the facilities and as a result got to meet Dino and Leo Jacques, who appeared to be doing the rounds popping into the boxes. The kid is enormous, particularly for an outside back. Do you think we've signed him as a backup or do you generally think the intent is for him to take a spot over Gabriel or Stone Street? If so, any news on whether the preference is for his center or wing?

[00:26:27] I know rugby is devastated they lost him and saying it's like losing Marky Mark all over again. Seems like a high ceiling, exciting time. So that's from Will. Glad you had a good time, Will, on the hospitality side of things. I did just cover that a little bit, but there's no official word on where they think he'll play or who he may replace, etc. But given his attributes and given his experience, it's sometimes hard to stop these guys.

[00:26:56] I got a feeling at some point he'll play first grade. Now, whether he comes out the blocks in the summer and blows everyone away and he's been ready for round one, I couldn't tell you. Fitzy's a pretty loyal guy. He signed Stone Street for three years. Stoney hasn't really let us down. He scored a bunch of tries and played pretty good. As you talk about the ceiling though, can this kid be better? So I think the mature part of me says, let's wait and see, let him play Reggie's, get his league back on.

[00:27:24] But the immature part of me says, if he has a good off season, there's no reason why he potentially won't be considered. I think they're looking at wing, but I don't know that for a fact. I say that because I think Michael Gabriel probably has the inside of running, but I don't even think he's guaranteed a spot next year. I think he's, you know, he's got to fight for it. So in the last sort of year or so, we've seen Fitzy with a bit of a, at least a harder edge from a public point of view about these things.

[00:27:53] So I think that no one will be guaranteed a spot out of the younger sort of B team. So I'm glad you saw him though. Glad you met him. He's a very big unit. I was quite taken aback when I saw him in the flesh. Nathan was in touch about something I need to reply about personally, but he also said, you're always improving, always raising the bar with the pod. And I'm always hanging out for every episode. So I appreciate that, Nathan.

[00:28:22] And I will write back to you about what you have asked. And I appreciate you getting in touch about it. Matt Chu, who is a post game regular on our live stream wrote and said, just watch the David Hatch podcast. You mentioned a Wally Lewis, Bruehaha that was on sharks.com.au. And we also have the audio version on our podcast side of things. That's the great whites podcast series. We're very close to bringing that back.

[00:28:48] I think I can say we had David Hatch on and Matt Chu said he went to the grand final in 78. The replay always love Hatch. He was born in 71. So a seven year old Matt Chu went to the 78 replay. That's a, yeah, the replay is the heartbreaker, right? Yeah, really enjoy those episodes. So thank you for that. And I'll try and reply to you about what you wrote about the Wally Lewis thing too.

[00:29:12] Thanks to Ed who last week supplied a lucky listener slash viewer with a couple of tickets to the Souths game. So anytime you want to offload any tickets for whatever reason, whether it's you can't use them or for charity or whatever, I can always find them a good home. We found just happened to have someone who replied and they were having some financial struggles, et cetera. So they're really appreciative of it. So thanks to Ed and thanks to all of our listeners who have offered to do that in the past.

[00:29:41] And yeah, don't be shy about that kind of thing. If you want to go and we have tickets, let me know. If you want to supply tickets, let me know. And occasionally we get them through our own means, of course. Now I want to give a bit of love to our man Jay who actually rang through for the first time on the weekend. And Jay is a very good listener viewer and you all are, don't get me wrong. We appreciate each and every one of you, whether you give us one like or whether you listen once or whether you write to us a bunch of times.

[00:30:11] There's no in between. Like we appreciate everything. Jay though is, he's in my grill a lot and it's cool. And he said, here are some good wins over the Dragons as the years have gone by. 0-2, round 13, 34-13 full time at Cronulla. And this is a bit of an infamous one. Down 13-0 at halftime on a seven game losing streak. Big second half, 34 unanswered points. Started the 11 game winning streak. It equaled the most consecutive wins in a row to the 2016 team broker. So that was pretty cool.

[00:30:41] He said, 2000 round one game, 28-12 win. Payback after losing the prelim the year before. One of my favorites, which I've spoken about a lot. 0-2 semifinal, 40-24 at the SFS. Matthew John's last game, he got injured in that game. And we saw, I think Greg Bird from memory go to 5-8. 2013, round 23 at Wollongong. The infamous Fafida try in the 79th minute. That was a pearler. I remember where I was for that.

[00:31:09] 2016, round two thumping, 30-2. The Chad Townsend game, if you will. Go back and watch the recap with Ben Harlem and I doing that game. 2022, round three, first derby win for Fitzy. Reigning in the Sharks win 36-12. He said it's subjective. There are good wins in 08 with the Goodwin try. Or even the Chad Townsend last game at Coggera, where he kicked the winning field goal, even though it wasn't the best game to watch. Which is Jay being very nice.

[00:31:36] But that's some great Dragon memories from Jay. So I appreciate that very much. Local derby. The Dragons up against the Sharks and George Illawarra. Alright, derby number 58 is coming up. And of course, that's since 99. Because before that, it was a different kind of derby. That derby doesn't exist anymore. Because that club doesn't exist anymore. And I'd say that just because it's factual. I don't gloat about it. I'd hate for my club to go away. So I don't make the rules.

[00:32:06] They went away. This is the 58th derby. Sharks have won 32. Dragons have won 24. There was one draw. The good news is under Craig Fitzgibbon, the Sharks have won eight of the past nine local derbies. Only loss was last year in round 23, 22-14. The bad news, it was the same corresponding round as last year. We were on the same kind of run. And I believe Kale Iroh was missing as well. However, we're going to win this game. So don't worry about it. This year in round 14, we beat them 34-12 at Ocean Protect Stadium.

[00:32:35] After winning two of the opening nine games at Stinky Coggera since 99, don't forget that, the Sharks have won five of the past six games there. As far as this year goes, we're scoring the second most points in the game. They're scoring the fewest. And we're averaging a club record near 30 points per game. Sharks are conceding the third fewest meters. The Dragons are conceding the most. We're missing the second fewest tackles. They're busting the fewest tackles. Good news for them. They received the second most penalties.

[00:33:05] We received the fewest and we're conceding the second most. Let's get down the opposition 20 because we have the best record in the NRL this year of scoring the quickest when we're inside the opposition 20. So let's go down there and camp down there and score some points. Hey, get some Nico goals from in front. Break that record. Got to protect those wings, Cronulla. We are conceding our highest percentage of tries on either side of the touchline.

[00:33:30] And the Dragons score their most tries down either side of the touchline. Fitzy loves coaching against the Dragons. He has his equal best record. Ironically, alongside the other opposition we don't like, Manly. Coming into this game, the Sharks looking to win their sixth straight game for the first time this year. First time since 2024. We've won nine of the past ten games. We've won the past three and five of the past six away from home. Wasn't that way to start the season? And if my math is somewhere near correct,

[00:34:00] we've won the past three away games. Approximately 142 to 18. And I say approximately because I think I did that. I was half asleep. But it's pretty good margin, whatever it is. We have the second best completion rate in the NRL, therefore making the third fewest errors. And I love that about this club this year. I love that completion rate. I love it. Trindle has broken the Triassist record at Cronulla in a season, breaking Nico Hines record of 2023.

[00:34:28] Now Triassists haven't always been recorded, so keep that in mind before you send me long emails about Steve Rogers and Mitch Healy and everyone else. In the modern day, modern era, I'll say since 07 at the very least, if not a little bit before that. Trindle now holds the record. 31 Triassists and we've still got five. Regular seasons ago, not to mention the finals. Nico Hines has 24 Triassists. They easily have the most for a club half pairing this season. Not bad, Nico, for a guy who should be playing lock.

[00:34:57] He's kicked 32 straight goals. Not bad for a guy who should be playing lock. His first conversion on Sunday passed Coach Craig Fitzgibbon's best streak of 26 goals. 26 straight goals. His third kick was 29 straight. Sharks club record passing the great Luke Gavell. And his fourth conversion passed Darryl Halligan's record of 30. That's not too bad for a lock forward.

[00:35:21] At 32 straight, Hines sits level with Nathan Cleary and needs three goals to equal Hazem El Masri from 03. Four to break the record. He needs 12 points for 1100 NRL points. Not bad for a guy who should be playing lock. Ronaldo Militaro needs one try to pass club legend David Pici for the second most tries for the club. 111 it will be. Currently, he's equal with David Pici.

[00:35:49] He needs one point in that try to pass Pici. He's the outright ninth highest point scorer for the club. Both currently on 440. What about the Dragoons, you ask? The Dargons? The Stinkies? Well, they've won two games all year. One was against Brisbane. One was against West Tigers. They're on a three game losing streak. Four of the past six have been decided by eight points or less. So they can be in a tight game. They're averaging 16 points in attack, 30 in conceding defense.

[00:36:17] At Coggera, they've won one of four. They're ranked last for tries, points, line breaks and tackle bus. Ranked worst for conceding tries, points and meters. They've conceded the most long range tries. So over 51 meters starting in the opposition territory. In the NRL this year, 22 of them. It's going to be a game where the Sharks need to turn up mentally and physically. And if they do that, they'll win this game. I guarantee you that. Because they are the better team. We're the better club. We're in better form.

[00:36:46] And we've got more to play for. Now I know a bunch of our fans are going to be heading over. It's a derby. There'll be a bunch of their fans there as well. Make sure you look after yourselves. But also make sure you let them know you're there. Don't cross any line, but let them know you're there. Because this is our world baby that is living in it. It's Blake Braley's Island. We're just on the island itself. I'm pumped up for a derby. Can't wait to get the win. But yeah, we've got to turn up for it. We've seen Dragons teams even this year.

[00:37:16] When they want to do something and it clicks, they can kind of do it. But I am confident if we turn up and we play to our game, play to our potential, which I have no reason to think we won't. We'll get the two points. And you never know where you end up if you keep winning. So let's just keep winning. Appreciate the solo flagship style podcast. We've got more coming for you. Just make sure you subscribe. You never know when we're going to drop something.

[00:37:42] And we'll definitely do a post-game show for the derby. So make sure you tune to our socials as to when that will be. Most likely we'll be at full time. But, you know, if I'm in the house, well then maybe it won't be at full time. So just stay tuned. And definitely that night I would think we're doing a post-game show. So I want you all calling in. I want you writing in and telling us how you feel, what's going on. Shucks forever. Thanks again for your support for our podcast. Thanks for the NRLW.

[00:38:11] This is how we play podcast. If you haven't listened to it, I urge you to go give it a listen. It's family friendly. It's just stories behind the athletes. It's not so much X's and O's. It's more about the life, the way they go about it and all that kind of thing. It's co-hosted by Jada Taylor. So it's not just me talking. And she pipes in a lot with her thoughts and views and experiences, which is really lovely. And we have a different guest each week. And last week it was Madison Ashby. This week with a new episode, it's China Pilata. I'd love for you to give it a listen.

[00:38:41] Even if you put it on for five minutes and you go, okay, it's not for me. Turn it off. Or if you put it on for five minutes and it is for you, it's about a half hour episode. And I think you'll get something out of it. So definitely want you to have a listen. I'm urging you to have a listen. I'd appreciate it. It would be a personal favor to me, but also I'll just leave it with you. No more pressuring up up Cronulla. We rule the world and let's go get it on Sunday. Local Derby man doesn't get more personal on this up up. Let's go.

[00:39:11] Shark cast is supported by the best and most honest real estate agent in the Sutherland Shire. Jason Hawes from Crips and Crips Real Estate. He's an expert in the Karimbao region and has his eye all across the Shire. Lifelong Sharks fan and supporter of this podcast. If you're looking to buy or sell in the region, the person you need to be talking to is Jason Hawes from Crips and Crips Real Estate. Call him on 0410 417 450. That's 0410 417 450.

[00:39:41] Jason Hawes, Crips and Crips Real Estate.

[00:40:36] Shark cast is supported by the best and most honest real estate agent in the Sutherland Shire. Jason Hawes from Crips and Crips Real Estate. He's an expert in the Karimbao region and has his eye all across the Shire. Lifelong Sharks fan and supporter of this podcast. If you're looking to buy or sell in the region, the person you need to be talking to is Jason Hawes from Crips and Crips Real Estate. Call him on 0410 417 450. That's 0410 417 450.

[00:41:06] Jason Hawes, Crips and Crips Real Estate. In the Shire. Turn your porch lights off because we're coming home with a trophy. Call him on 0410 417. Go!