The Sharks have created a “siege mentality” in recent weeks and one NRL great believes it might be able to work for them this finals series.
The us against everyone mindset worked last weekend. In the lead up to their upset elimination final win over the Roosters, there were comments made in the media from Sharks players, notably winger Ronaldo Mulitalo, upset they were being underestimated.
Cronulla backed it up, defeating the high-flying Roosters 20-10 to book a place in this Saturday’s semi-final against Canberra.
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Even following the win, Sharks star Nicho Hynes still had a gripe with the commentary around his team.
“People going to say what they want about us. People are going to say what they want about me, they’ve been doing it my whole career. It’s not a worry,” Hynes said.
“No one ever gives us a chance. I feel like when we beat good teams, it’s always because who is injured or who didn’t play well.
“We want our club to be spoken about in a respectful way.”
NRL360 co-host and premiership winner Braith Anasta says he doesn’t mind the Sharks’ siege mentality approach.
“There is no doubt in my mind listening to them is that there is a siege mentality this year,” Anasta said.
“The last couple of weeks they’re in the trenches, saying ‘stuff everyone, no on believes in us’. You can see it, it’s there and I don’t mind it.
“They’re thriving off the media and everyone’s opinions of them. They’re using all of this and I think it could help them.
Perhaps there’s some truth to the Sharks receiving much less respect than other teams in the finals.
This is a team that is have won their last four games, including wins over the Bulldogs and Roosters.
However, the club’s finals record since winning the comp in 2016 has been poor. Including the Roosters win, Cronulla have won just three of 13 finals games from 2017 to now.
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For that reason, foxsports.com.au’s Paul Crawley believes that’s why the Sharks might not be taken as seriously as some other sides.
Crawley also called Hynes’ comments “delusional”.
“Why do we talk about their past record? Because they haven’t won finals. Why do we sometimes sit here and talk about Nicho? Because in big games he hasn’t aimed up,” Crawley said on NRL360.
“On the back of the way they beat the Bulldogs, I don’t think anyone looked at that game last week and didn’t give them a great hope because they were playing so well.
“What they’ve done the last two weeks in the last two weeks is completely different to what they’ve done in the past but to carry it forward, is it going to do them any good?”
“I thought it was very honest. Nicho is very honest and people don’t like that with him,” veteran journalist Andrew Webster added.
“I have to say I was surprised he would make those remarks because you don’t normally hear a player talk like that do you in the lead up to a big game like this.
“Cronulla will be judged on what they do in the next three weeks. It was almost like they won the grand final because they go through to the semi and it’s like, that’s not going to be enough.”
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