Flagship/Preview Episode with bonus Fitzgibbon Presser - NRL Rd 20, 2026

[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 RNYC 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 And to all you people back in the Shire, turn your porch lights off because we're coming over the trophy.

[00:01:04] Hey there, welcome to SharkCastPod, a podcast dedicated to the greatest sporting club in the history of the world, the mighty Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. My name is Sam Shinazzi, OG from 2015, and it's a great thrill for me to be making another episode for everyone listening and or watching. In some space audio only podcast today. This is going to be a bit of a mishmash of episodes because we didn't get to the flagship just due to a lot of different reasons. So we can kind of call this a mini flagship.

[00:01:33] We're going to hear from the coach, from his press conference this morning, a lot of information there. And we encourage you to go watch the press conference on sharks.com.au, of course, and their social pages. Stay tuned for his press conference, Craig Fitzgibbon's. And big game on Friday night, recording this on Thursday mid-morning. Haven't got the final 24-hour team list.

[00:01:59] Craig Fitzgibbon did say that there are a few maybes and didn't speculate too much more on that. But keep listening to the episode and the drop of the press conference to hear exactly how and what he said. Because you might get something out of that. Coming off a record-breaking 66-0 win against the Dolphins. A lot of media talk about it during the week on various TV shows and radio shows and podcasts.

[00:02:27] The smarter ones are doubling down on the fact that the Sharks were really good. In fact, they were record-breakingly good. And Nico Hines was out of this world. The less smart programs are going with the notion of, it was a bad day for the Dolphins. The Sharks did pretty good. This is what they do. They beat up little teams. Well, the Dolphins are actually a very good team with very good players at their own home ground where we had to struggle and beg for tickets for our members.

[00:02:55] So it was a predominantly Dolphin crowd. And we went up there and did a number on them. And every member of that Sharks team, coaching staff, should be proud as punch. And as fans, I know we're walking with our heads a bit higher this week. There is the come down because we've got Newcastle literally coming down the highway to play at Ocean Protect Stadium. And it's going to be a tough game. And I keep saying that. And look, we might win by 30 and I'll have egg on my face. But I do think that Newcastle are the real deal this year.

[00:03:24] Can they go all the way? I'm not sure. But they can definitely be a top eight, if not top four team. As far as the positioning of the ladder goes, we know that it's a little bit confusing looking at it because some teams have had buys, some haven't. We've had all our buys. We're not getting any extra help here. Where we land is going to be the result of how many wins we have for the rest of the year. Newcastle are right behind us. Thankfully, the 66-point win means the for and against got a massive shot.

[00:03:52] But essentially, we could be two wins, in theory, go with me on this, ahead of Newcastle if we beat them this week because of the for and against. So it'll be two competition points. And then you could probably double, maybe triple it depending on how we win. If we win by a bunch, which I don't necessarily think we will. But if we do, then gangbusters. Happy days. So every game is important. Every game you want to win, obviously.

[00:04:20] I was speaking to a good friend of the show last night who shall remain nameless just because of the comment he has made to me. And he says, we're going to go undefeated. I don't know if that's the case. I don't know if that's the case. It's not that I don't believe. I actually believe we could go undefeated. And I have no problem with that. I have no problem with going into finals without a loss. I don't believe in that kind of thing. But I'm not certainly going to make that statement personally because I just don't know if it's true.

[00:04:48] My friend last night thinks it is true. So fair enough. But each game is super important. You know, one at a time. Let's go. Knights. Let's tick that off when we get there. Then we go to Brookvale. That's always tough. But we've got great recent record there. And we're probably in better form than Manly. Well, we are in better form. Then we come home to South. And South might have a few troops back. Let's just go one game at a time to get the win.

[00:05:12] Some very sad news from the Sharks and the Sharks family. Two former players passed away this week. Really sad news. Shark 141, John Byrne. And Shark 342, Carl Lavelle. Depending on your age, one may be more known to you than the other. Maybe none are if you're really young.

[00:05:38] Personally, I obviously definitely saw Carl Lavelle play. And had a few interactions with him in recent times. Once he let everyone know that he was pretty sick. Just a few chats with him behind the scenes. And seemed like a lovely fella. And a lot of friends are friends close to him. So very sad news for Carl. He was a member of the 2002 team that did so well. And made the prelim.

[00:06:07] And a very tough physical player. He was born in New Zealand. And he made his debut with Parramatta in the Super League season, 1997. As a young fella. Played there for a couple of years. And then went to England. Where he kind of made a name for himself. And then came back to the Northern Eagles in 2001. And then in 2002, came across with Noddy and a few of the boys. To take us almost all the way.

[00:06:36] In that season, he played 16 NRL games for us. And he played 55 all up in the NRL. He did return to his hometown of Tuclay. And we do send love to his family and friends. Many of whom are listening. I know that for a fact. So super sad news. And he'd been sick for a while. And yeah, just sending love to everyone there. The other player that passed away. Unfortunately, Shark 141, John Byrne. He was a rugby player.

[00:07:06] Played for the Wallabies. Unfortunately, passed away this week. Age 72. Played three seasons for the Sharks. He was born overseas in Ireland. And then when he moved here. Played in the South Sydney area. Playing his junior football there. He switched to Rugby Union. And he was actually a Wallaby. And then he came back to Rugby League in the mid to late 70s. Playing with South Sydney and the Roosters. And then he came to the Sharks in 81. Playing in 81, 82, 83.

[00:07:36] Played close to 30 NRL top first grade games. Over those three seasons. And he ended up going back to the Roosters after that. So very sad news in Sharkland. The team will be playing in black armbands. I'm not sure what else will be happening. There may be a minute of silence. There may not be. There may be a minute of applause. There may not be. There may be a video tribute. I'm not sure on that kind of thing. There's no right or wrong here. But the club have acknowledged it. And they will be wearing black armbands. I'm led to believe. So again, to both families.

[00:08:07] Send our love. And they shall not be forgotten. That's for sure. Not sure if you caught up on the early episodes this week. But I did get to go and do a tour of Ocean Protect Stadium. And I know that sounds a bit weird. If you don't know what I'm talking about. But our good mate, Ash Taylor, who is the official historian of the club, he has been running tours every so often.

[00:08:35] I think it might be related to school holidays, but I'm not sure about that. But some of the tours of Ocean Protect Stadium. And you have to be a member to be involved. And you got an email recently. And you could have signed up for one of two tours on Monday night. The tours go for about 50 minutes to an hour. Essentially, it's behind the scenes of what you want to see at the stadium. Really great idea.

[00:08:59] Openly admitted to Ash and to a few other people that I thought the idea may not have, not so much the content, but the, I guess, the space to do it. But they've done a great job. Ash has done an amazing job. And if you are able to do so next time he does it, please go down and do it. Tell him I sent you. But essentially, I rocked up and there was probably 20 to 30 other Sharks Tragics over two tours, separated by about 10 minutes. And you start off with a video.

[00:09:28] And it's a great video put together by Ash. And it's the history of the stadium. It's essentially all about the stadium. Obviously about the Sharks, but it's about the stadium. The stadium is a subject matter. There's amazing photographs. And there's some video. And they go through the construction. They go through the reasons why we chose there. The different fit-outs of the ground over the years. He doesn't miss anything.

[00:09:53] And from there, we went to the gym where the players obviously do their thing. And we were lucky enough, and it was more circumstance than the plan, I think. But we were lucky enough to see the NRLW team throwing some weights around and having a wrestle and all that kind of thing. And Ellie Johnston came over and had a chat. And it was really cool just seeing them in the moment. And from there, we went to, I think, the coach's box. Craig Fitzgibbon and Tony Herman's coaching box.

[00:10:23] And we got to sit in there. And you could take a photo. You can do that kind of thing. We also went to the dressing rooms, which is probably one of the big ones. And spent a lot of time in the dressing rooms. And you can sit in the little dugouts for each player. You can look at all the history in there. Ash actually brought Mark Nooks' Esky from the 2016 Grand Final. Luckily enough, there was a bunch of trophies in there, including the NRL Premierships. You get your photo taken with that.

[00:10:48] And just a really amazing insight into a place that not many people get to go. I mean, it's no secret that in my 12 years of doing this, there's been a few perks. And one has been behind the scenes quite a lot. Also, to do with my other job, my day job as well. I get to go behind the scenes. So I still did not take that for granted, though. And it was great to be in a company of people who have never been in that dressing shed. They had chills. And I had chills being in there. I get chills every time I go in there.

[00:11:18] Amazing stuff. So if you are interested in this kind of thing, keep an eye out for your members' email. There might not be another one until the next holidays. I'm not sure. But you can drop a line to the members if you want to inquire some more. Definitely recommend it. And I appreciate Ash sending me the invite. Definitely recommend it. It was a lot of fun. Everyone left with a smile on their face. Ash was there to answer all your historical questions. You got the gas bag with all the fans about what's going on. And a little plug there for my mate Ash. And he's a good fella.

[00:11:47] And you'll be hearing more from Ash on the show soon enough. Stay tuned. We're going to run the coaches press conference real soon. Until then, there's a bit of news floating around. Toby Rudolph is rumored to be signing a one-year deal with the Sharks for 2027. It's not completely official yet. It's looking that way. By the time you hear this, it may be official. So keep that in mind.

[00:12:12] Rumored that he's turned down a three-year Super League Catalans contract, which is pretty brave because that's three years of constant income. Now, I'm not sure what they were offering him. So maybe a year at the Sharks is a year and a half at Cuddle Arms. I'm not sure how that all works financially. But it means that he wants to stay home. It means he wants to win a comp under Craig Fitzgibbon and with bulk of the guys who will be here next year with the spine in particular.

[00:12:41] So another sign of confidence, another showing of confidence from a player sticking around where he could have gone for three years somewhere else. It looks like he's sticking around for one year. For the Sharks, it's a good deal. I imagine that not throwing the bank at him. We know what we're getting from Toby Rudolph, particularly in his better moments. He's a very solid first grade forward. You only have to go back to the Warriors game the other week where we had the upset and he was terrific.

[00:13:08] So he's still got a bit of juice left in the legs and he's obviously a great character. He's a great personality, good person to have around the club. Loves the club. So I would expect with all the news and buzzing around that Toby will stick around for another year. There are other reports that our mate Brayden ULA won't be offered a deal. I'm not privy to that information at the moment. Not sure where that information came from. I would say it's never over till it's over.

[00:13:38] I think if they can find money for Brayden to keep him around, I would be doing that on a number of different reasons. But if they don't, I can also understand why. They are dancing in the streets of Brunella even now. From Carrickva to Sutherland to Miranda. This week we have the curtain raises for the NRL clash down at Ocean Protect Stadium.

[00:14:02] I think it's a 3.35, maybe 3.45 the latest kickoff between the Newcastle flag team and the Sharks flag team. The Sharks actually won on the road last week, which was great. They defeated Melbourne in Melbourne. So, eventually winning 36 points to 12. Kickoff is at 3.35pm. And you can see the likes of Nikora Williams. You can see the likes of Callum Grantham. You can see the likes of Jai Davies.

[00:14:31] Xavier Cacciotti. Great young hooker. Probably next in line down the pecking order at some point. Thomas Dello at lock. You'll be hearing about him as well. Some great young Sharks on display at Ocean Protect Stadium from 3.35pm on a Friday. They're playing the Knights. Unfortunately, the Newtown Shark Jets lost last week. That's their second loss in a row. Losing to the Storm 20 points to 18.

[00:15:00] They are playing the Knights on Saturday at 3.30pm at Henson Park. So, you can watch that before you go to Accor Stadium maybe. Or you can watch it on Bar TV. However you want to do it. You've got Liam Eisson at fullback. Riley Jones in the centres with Sam Stonestreet in the wing. Riley Pollard. Nephi Peru at the halves. Jaden Beryl currently listed at hooker. Harrison Hassett. Sam McCulloch in the back row. Felix Vartilli on the bench.

[00:15:29] Taj Ford on the bench. Pretty good team playing at the Newcastle Knights on Saturday at 3.30pm. So, that's what's going on in some of the lower grades. We've discussed NRLW on another episode which will drop at some point. But they are playing at 5.15pm against Canterbury. Both teams looking for their first win. And that's at Homebush 5.15pm. It'll be on Fox, KO and Channel 9 affiliated programming.

[00:16:00] Sharks had a much better outing against Brisbane last week. As opposed to the week before against the Knights. And they're looking to win their first game. The team is pretty consistent here with what's been named in the past. Although, we have the return of China Pilato. I believe missed last week. I think I'm correct in saying that. Team is Jada Taylor. Cassie Staples. Tiana Penitani-Gray. Enissa Biddle. Georgia Ravix. Georgia Hannaway. Shante Kiriratu. The forward pack is Ellie Johnston. Quincy Dodd. Caitlin Johnson-Green.

[00:16:30] Manalita. Takapotolo. China Pilato. And Tegan Dimmick-Lox. The scrum. Playing against her former team. The Bulldogs. With the exciting Madison Higgins-Ashby. Anne-Marie Kiriratu. Neshwada George. And Jadika Tafua. Extended bench at the moment. Will be cut. I'm not sure who will be cut and who will play. But the talented Jacinta Carter is at 18. Leilanu Assam. Kofi Brookfield. And Courtney Tyrell. Named on the extended bench.

[00:16:58] So, that's what's going on at NRLW land. I do expect us to get the win. And be 1-2 to kick off our season in the win category. At least. A much better game last week against the Brisbane Broncos. Probably should have won. Which would have really shook the system up. But wasn't to be, unfortunately. Alright, let's get to some mail. Peter has written to us.

[00:17:26] I believe Peter left a message via our website. Sharkcast.com.au So, appreciate that. It's very easy to use. It's just simply leaving a message slash email on a webpage. You can also leave a voicemail. Which is easy enough to do as well. It's sort of self-explanatory. But write to me if you don't know how to do it. Peter says. As for listening to the episode about Sharky's merch, I bought my first bit of merch since the 80s. Oh wow. I purchased it at the store and sat down and watched us beat the Sea Eagles at Shark Park.

[00:17:56] Every game day since, I've proudly worn my Sharky's jacket and cap and watched my Sharky's win. All except one day that I forgot. Can you guess it? It was the game against the Roosters. I won't be forgetting again. Pete, that's amazing. Why didn't you wear it? You're the reason we lost. How dare you? So let me get this straight. After listening to Sharkcast Pod, an episode about merch, you bought your first bit of merch since the 80s. At the store.

[00:18:26] You're alleged, Pete. Appreciate you so much. Thank you very much. I'm going to forward that to Barnsley as well. I want to give a shout out to Ben, who was in touch about a few things. And he also said, thanks for the pod. It's been a staple for me every week for over eight years now. And I appreciate the time you take to do it. So I appreciate that, Ben. Thanks so much. And great to chat about the other information that you sent. And hopefully there's some good news there on your behalf. Roger also left a message on the website, sharkcast.com.au.

[00:18:56] He said, I want to say I could not believe the result against the Dolphins. A 66-0 win was simply incredible. And in my opinion, the best Sharks performance I've seen outside of the 2016 Grand Final. To be honest, I was so pumped after the game, I couldn't sleep that night. Everything clicked. The defense, the attack, the effort and intensity were outstanding. One of those performances we'll remember for years. My 3-2-1 votes. Braden Trindle gets three. Game management was excellent. His defense really stood out.

[00:19:25] Two, Nico Hines. Another outstanding performance. Controlled the game brilliantly. Capped it off by setting a new club record. A special night for him. Number one, Jesse Ramian. Outstanding defensive job he did on Herbie Farnworth, who I believe is the best center in rugby league. To keep a player of his quality so quiet, was a tremendous effort. Now he also has been doing a bit of scouting. He wants to mention a player called Christopher Woodbridge from the Toowoomba Clydesdales and Queensland Cup.

[00:19:55] You believe he's a future NRL star. Would love the Sharks to sign him. Love to hear what your listeners think about Christopher. I'm not related to him. I don't know him at all. But it'd be great to get some feedback from people who've seen him play. Thanks again for another great episode after the glorious win. I've played it twice now. I always enjoy listening and appreciate the knowledge and passion you bring to the game. Up, up. Roger, thanks so much. You're too kind. I appreciate you listening twice. That's better than once. And we'll keep an eye out on Christopher Woodbridge.

[00:20:25] And yeah, just appreciate you taking the time. So thank you very much. Now Ben Harlem and I, as a bit of admin, we did just release a look back 2016 episode. We've been doing them sporadically, I would say, but we're going to amp it up a little bit. We did the Canberra game. So round seven Canberra in Canberra. We've reviewed that game and everything about it. The coverage and the day and everything. So check that out on your podcast feed. It's on YouTube as well if you want to watch it.

[00:20:53] It's on our website and we'll have another episode for you. Round eight against Penrith pretty soon too. So we're going to keep pumping those out and appreciate your support on that and everyone who's watched it and listened to it and liked it. Shout out to Troy, who's going to be at the game this week, which is exciting. Thanks to Luke, who was listening and writing to us at the same time. And he thought that we'd forgotten about Tom Hazleton in the discussion for props and middles. And that was something on the Kieran episode, but he also realized we did get to him eventually. So thanks for that.

[00:21:22] Hello to PK, our friend up north who got to go to the game eventually. He was struggling to get tickets. He had a bit of controversy there. It's a great lesson actually for everyone. Don't buy unsolicited tickets off people, especially on Facebook and Marketplace and those sort of places. 99% of people are trying to rip you off. Unfortunately, PK was a victim to that. But the good news is he got to go to the game eventually through more wholesome ways.

[00:21:49] And he sent me a whole bunch of pictures with his kids and our players and had a great night. So awesome, PK. And we'll see you later on in the year. Luke says, What a win. I'll leave this short because I could write a novel on how it will ever run played. But I want to highlight the play that set it all into motion. And give a huge shout out to the man who burns his toast. Oh, Billy boy, Billy Burns. 14 minute mark. He gives away an escort penalty. 50 seconds later puts in a huge effort to stop Flegler from scoring.

[00:22:18] It won't get spoken about too much because of how good the attack was. But our scramble D and the way the boys busted their backsides for 80 minutes was unbelievable. The dorsal fin cup is ours. Up, up. That's from Luke. Thanks, Luke. Amazing. Appreciate you. John was in touch. He didn't realize that if you were an NRL season ticket holder at Cronulla, so if you have a ticket or a general admission pass for the NRL, you can use it to go to NRLW.

[00:22:47] And he sort of doubled up a little bit, which he's not too fussed about, but he didn't really realize. He wanted everyone to know that. So hopefully people do know that by now. If you're a ticket holder for the Sharks, you can get an NRL dub. Roscoe said, AFB definitely brought back his origin to be running style back with him. Everyone had an 8 plus out of 10 game against the Dolphins. Thanks, Roscoe. Now, I've got a reply to this one more personally, but David was in touch.

[00:23:13] He's a long-time listener, and he sent more of a personal note, but very much a correlation between my life and his life, which is pretty eerie. So I'll reply to that, David, when I get some time. But please know that I've seen it, and that's awesome, and I appreciate you being in touch. Matt asked why NRLW on a Thursday night? You're never going to pull a crowd that way, play on the weekend and get people to look around. And I replied, it hasn't got nothing to do with the Sharks.

[00:23:41] They're just told where and when. But moving forward with the New Deal TV deal, that might change because the NRL has the final say, as opposed to the broadcasters who influence the final say, I would say. Stop saying say. Last play. I think they'd run it. And they do run it. Oh, no, there's a kick. There's a kick. There's a try. Wilton has set the Sharks. Thanks to Brad, who was in touch about inquiring about Jesse Colquhoun.

[00:24:11] And I can tell you that Jesse Colquhoun will be back in a matter of weeks. It might be for the Manly game. It might be for the Souths game. They're waiting to see. It's nothing serious. He was not able to play last week, obviously, against the Dolphins, with the short turnaround for the team. Not for him, but for the team that decided to stick with what they've got and give him more rest and hopefully ready for Manly, if not Souths. It's nothing too serious at all.

[00:24:39] Andrew was in touch about a bunch of things, but he said one last thing at full strength. Best 17. No injuries. I have to find a spot for Hojepa this year. Next year with Cam, it's obvious, but honestly, this year he's in my 17. And that's hard to dispute. So that's a bunch of the mail. Appreciate everyone being in touch. If I've missed anyone, please let me know and I'll rectify that. So coming up, we do have the Knights game. And you'll hear from the coach in just a little bit. We'll finish with that.

[00:25:08] Just to get you up to speed on what's going on with that round of football against the Knights. This is kind of how it looks head-to-head. Played 63. Sharks have won 30. Knights have won 32. One drawn match. Can you recall when that drawn match was? Under Fitzgibbon in recent times. Under Fitzgibbon, we've won 6 of 7 against the Knights. He's got a terrific record against the Newcastle Knights. They've been decided by a lot of points mostly,

[00:25:35] except for the Atco field goal game. At Ocean Protect Stadium, we played 29. Sharks have won 18. Knights have won 11. We've won the past 7 at home against Newcastle. The past 7. As far as 2026, the Knights are a much better team all over, mainly due to their coach and some of the purchases they made in the offseason. They're busting the third most tackles. Cronulla's conceding the second fewest.

[00:26:02] The Knights, however, are also missing the second most tackles. There's a lot of pros and cons there. We have the second best completion rate. 83%. They have the second worst at 76%. 76%. So there's really a chance for us to hold that ball and keep it out of their hands and dominate the possession. Last week, we completed 91%, over 91% in fact. And it was a great effort against the Dolphins, over 91% possession. We know that we're not getting too many penalties

[00:26:31] and the Knights also get the third fewest. There might not be too many penalties in this game, although we do concede the most. We're in fourth place. They're in fifth place. Yes, we're coming off our biggest win ever. We've won the past two and six of the past seven, and we've won the past four at Ocean Protect Stadium. We've won the past four at Ocean Protect Stadium. We're averaging 35 points a game at Ocean Protect Stadium. We're averaging 29 points a game. And as far as the history books go,

[00:27:01] that's the most we've ever averaged at a season end. I understand we're not at a season end now, but if the season was the end now, we would have our best attack ever. It's our most points at this time of the year. In a season. So we're scoring like crazy. Trindle leads the triassist. Nico Hines is ranked equal fourth, along with a guy you may know called Nathan Cleary. So Trindle leads the triassist. Hines is equal fourth with Nathan Cleary. Blake Braley is chasing his 100th NRL win for the Sharks.

[00:27:31] When he does so against Newcastle, he'll become the 11th player to reach this milestone. A bit on the Knights, they're getting pretty good. They're in fifth place just behind us. They've won seven of their past nine. Both games that they've lost in this period have been by two points to the Storm and the Souths. So seven of nine they've won, and they've lost both games by two points only. So it could be a tight one here.

[00:27:59] Away from Newcastle, they've won five of nine. They've lost the past two. Couple of milestone men in that. Matt Croke will play his 100th NRL game, and Justin Holbrook will coach his 100th NRL game as well. Got to watch out for their back three, although all back five guys are really pretty strong on their day. Obviously, Ponga just loves playing against the Sharks. He's scored seven in nine against us. Greg Marzi as well has got a number of tries against us.

[00:28:27] Dom Young, all talented players. It's going to be interesting to see how we kick to them. And former Shark, kind of, Lockie Crouch, will play against us in his third NRL game. That's what's going on in Sharkland, in Sharkcastland, and big game against the Knights on Friday. Big game against the Bulldogs in NRLW on Saturday afternoon. The Jets are playing. Fleg's playing. It's all happening. We're podcasting and having a great time.

[00:28:55] And appreciate you all for your love and your correspondence. Please get in touch with us anytime you like. Sharkcastpod at gmail.com. You can DM us on all the socials. When you're on the socials, give us a follow. Give us a like. Give us a subscribe. It's free to do. YouTube, Spotify, Apple, Facebook, Instagram. The X, the TikTok even. Get amongst it. And we promise to give you everything we got. That's all we can do is give you everything we got.

[00:29:25] And looking forward to being down at Ocean Protect Stadium this Friday. If you see me out and about, say g'day. If you see me out and about and you can't stand my guts, don't say g'day. Looking forward to it. Can't wait. Up, up, Cronulla. Here comes the coach, Craig Fitzgibbon. You're going to hear from him to finish the episode. I think that's kind of appropriate. Someone a lot smarter and wiser than me to finish out the episode. Mr. Craig Fitzgibbon. Up, up, Cronulla. Let's go, baby. After reviewing last week, what did you like the most?

[00:29:54] I just thought the entire team played really well. Obviously, you need to, to have a performance like that. That was an important day for us. Obviously, we had a couple of milestones there. But the most pleasing thing was the whole team performance. Just building on some things we've been working on and coming out of right. Obviously, it's a rare day. Not everything goes your way like that, usually. How do you come back to the first, so to speak, after such a big win like that, especially coming into this week with another top four type of game?

[00:30:24] Yeah, it's a challenge. It's actually more difficult. You know, sometimes the situation can get a team motivated. And, you know, it's a different motivation. Sometimes you're responding to a loss. So it's easy to get them back up. And then other times, you've got to keep going from a big win. So every week's different. We're aware of that. We're playing a quality opponent in Newcastle. So it's up to us to make sure that we're doing the simple things and the hard things well. So it's not an assumption. Every week's different, as you know.

[00:30:53] And, yeah, there's a really good opponent coming down here to play tomorrow night. So we'll have to be strong. Nico made the streak on the weekend as well. Why is it, do you feel, that he goes under the radar a bit or maybe that spotlight doesn't get shone on him unless something negative happens? Or why is it that he's so underrated? I just think it's a narrative, obviously. If you've said it once and criticised him once, a lot of people would probably, it's almost confirmation bias. You stop it. You want to prove yourself right, I guess.

[00:31:22] And that's been a bit of a story. But I think he's respected enough that I know he's a good player. And then, ultimately, most hubs are under more pressure than the rest of the team because they're tasked with the delivery of getting a team over the line. So if your team's close and you don't tend to win, they tend to be under more pressure than anyone else and none more so than Nico. And, obviously, yeah, we've been close enough and not far enough. So that brings some pressure.

[00:31:48] But he handles it a lot better nowadays and he's a pretty strong-minded guy and he's playing some good footy. And we're really comfortable with the way him and Tricky are developing together. And Tricky's been having some amazing games recently, basically, the whole year as well. So it's a good combination for us. Teams on track. So the club record from the most place per game. Like, you don't think you can put that down to it? Not really. We sort of... Possibly the game helped the way that the rule changes.

[00:32:17] I think most teams would have higher scores. I think that's probably come back to the field a little bit in recent weeks. But, yeah, maybe early in the year some big blowouts and things like that help. But, yeah, it's still about executing the way we want to play. And each year we've kept a similar system. We've tried to add little parts to that and gradually evolve it and not change a great deal so you lose your way on it. And we've had some strong performances where the system's worked well and the players have applied to that.

[00:32:44] So, but it's, you know, it depends on the situation. You've got to hold the ball. You've got to be disciplined with the referees. And obviously you've got to find a way to break down an opponent. So everywhere's different. How do you contain the Knights attacking the refs? Yeah, they've got plenty of them. And they ask plenty of questions. So we're under no illusions as to the challenge that they'll bring. They've been entrenched up the top of the ladder for nearly the whole season.

[00:33:12] And they've got class across the board there. And obviously Justin's had a big impact on the club in his return. It was in his short period there, sorry. And, yeah, we'll have to be strong in all areas. It's 4v5 tomorrow, 8 weeks to go. How do you feel the teams place in the runs of the finals? Yeah, well, I think performance levels have been pretty consistent for a relatively long period now. But there's still a long way to go too. It is, I think, the congestion and the ladder.

[00:33:42] I think we said it was sort of similar last year from memory. And, yeah, you can have a couple of losses and drop significantly and a couple of wins and rise. So I think it's a good competition for that fact. But also there is a long way to go. And we still feel like we've got some parts we've got to keep getting better at. And, yeah, as I said before, every week's different. And this, yeah, Newcastle pose a different threat. And they've got different players and different circumstances. So, no, I think they've got a couple of milestones themselves. So they'll be able to beat. Do you expect any changes to the team tonight?

[00:34:12] I'm not sure at the moment. We'll get through today. We've got a couple of maybes, to be honest. But I'm still confident at this stage that we'll get out there roughly what we line up on paper. But you never know. How far is Jesse for me? Not too far. Just still a little bit sore, Jess. So, again, it's not a serious injury. It's going to keep him out for a long period of time. But, you know, we didn't take him up to Redcliffe. And it's a six-day turnaround for us.

[00:34:39] So we felt like he's been playing really strong for us. And he's so valuable. And we're actually pleased that the other players that stepped in played really well. And we'll keep him out and make sure he's right. Especially at the back end, we want to make sure we've got a selection headache at the end of the year. Not now. As a reporter, Toby might be signing off for another year. What was your reaction? Did that was anything you could confirm? Not yet. We'd hope so.

[00:35:08] It's obviously he's got an approach from Catlands. Like, we've been pretty clear with Toby along the way that what our stance will be. And deep in negotiations with that at the moment. But, yeah, I hope so. He's been out for the last sort of four or five weeks now, Toby. But I think if we really want to see what Toby means to us in last year's semi-final, it was obvious. But I thought the last game he got hurt in against New Zealand over there, yeah, that's the sort of player we want here. And he's one of those. How's his recovery going? Is he far off?

[00:35:41] I probably don't want to put all that. It's not far, though. Yeah, maybe a week or two. But he's back running and he's getting strong again. So his knees, legs looking like he's ready to get back into some hard team training. And Tom Havlinson's got another try last week. But away from the field, he got the Kent Stephen medal nomination. What does he mean to this club, particularly away from the field? Yeah, Hazo's one of those good country boys from Goulburn. She's not the like. Everyone loves Hazo.

[00:36:11] He's so popular. He's obviously a bit of a cult hero here at the Sharks. And just like a quality guy and incredibly reliable. And he's playing some of his best footy this year too as well. So to be nominated for that award, you know, it shows you what sort of person he's away from the Sharks. And he is. He's just such a good guy and so reliable. And he's one of the more popular players I've seen in my time. Britton, coming back to the team, adding into the starting lineup, how did you write their origin series debut? Yeah, really good.

[00:36:40] But obviously Britt, we didn't back Britt up last week. He had 49 tackles in 65 minutes and had a Category 2 there. So in the space of a couple of days, that wasn't worth the risk for us. But I thought he really put himself about and be better for the experience. It all been a painful one. And yeah, I thought Blake also got himself back and fit to get into the decider there. And I hadn't got a bit of criticism after the first two, but I thought he showed what he's about in the third game.

[00:37:09] So all three players, we were incredibly proud of them as a club that they got to play State of Origin. And yeah, they always come back better players. And it's eye-opening. And it's either joyous or painful. Depends which side you sit on. But lessons nonetheless, yeah. Ronaldo was very passionate during the week about sending off the boys who are off contract at the end of the year on a high. Is that sort of an extra motivation to really finish this season off?

[00:37:36] Oh, listen, every season's filled with motivation. Everybody, we're in it for one reason and one reason only. But for us, some of the boys have been here their whole careers. So yeah, the boys are really close and they know that. And it's the end of, it's not the end of the Sharks. It's the end of that current crew that have spent a lot of time together. So it's important to the players here that they perform.

[00:38:02] And it's important to the players definitely that are leaving as well. They're pretty clear and they're still Sharks at the moment. And they've only got their eyes on playing well for us. And they have been too. But they're a really close bunch. And yeah, we'll be really disappointed to see some of those boys leave. But nonetheless, I'm really proud of them that they've got some good opportunities elsewhere. Last one, women in the league wearing a special jersey. And the boys are representing some of the people that are really important to them. Yeah, definitely.

[00:38:32] I mean, the amount of different women in all the players' lives that have contributed to their career so far. It's a really important round for the players. And yeah, they're excited to wear a slightly different jersey this week. And represent those women that have helped them along the way. And it's not lost on the players. And yeah, we'd like to make sure we put a performance out of it they're proud of.

[00:38:58] SharkCast is supported by the best and most honest real estate agent in the Sutherland Shire, Jason Hawes from Crips & Crips Real Estate. He's an expert in the Caringbah 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 & Crips Real Estate. Call him on 0410 417 450. That's 0410 417 450.

[00:39:27] Jason Hawes, Crips & Crips Real Estate. Sharkies! Sharkies! And to all you people back in the Shire, turn your porch lights off because we're coming home with a trophy. What are we? We are looking at the same team as we're coming from the B2F. The other team is a team that's going to be searching for men than the team. You can see it as we can reach us-