Cronulla are adamant that their dismal record against Penrith is in the past, despite the fact they haven’t scored a point against the Panthers in nearly 800 days. However, the Sharks could be heading into Saturday’s grand final qualifier without their first-choice centres, Jesse Ramien and Kayal Iro, who are both dealing with injuries.
Ramien, who has been spotted in a moon boot, is battling an ongoing ankle injury, while Iro’s chances of playing are uncertain due to a biceps injury.
After breaking their finals drought with their first post-season win under coach Craig Fitzgibbon, the Sharks now face a significant mental challenge at Accor Stadium. While many teams have struggled against the dominant Panthers, who have lost few games since 2020, Cronulla’s record is particularly troubling. Their only victory against the reigning three-time premiers in recent years came during an Origin-affected round in 2021.
The Sharks have struggled offensively against Penrith, having been held scoreless in their last two encounters with the Panthers. Their most recent points against Penrith came on July 28, 2022, which will be 798 days by the time they face off this Saturday. Among the current players, Ronaldo Mulitalo is the last Shark to score a try against the Panthers in the past four seasons. Overall, Cronulla hasn’t managed a single point in their last 219 minutes of play against Penrith.
Despite this, Nicho Hynes and his teammates are confident there’s no mental barrier preventing them from overcoming the defending champions.
“If I didn’t believe we could break them down, we wouldn’t be here,” Hynes said. “They’re human, everyone can be beaten. It’s tough though – they’re three-time champs for a reason and are chasing a fifth grand final. But we wouldn’t be in this position if we didn’t believe we could do it.”
One of the Sharks’ toughest defeats this season was a 42-0 loss to Penrith at home in May, a game where Hynes left the field due to a head injury and calf tightness. At the time, Cronulla had won seven consecutive games, and Hynes was one of the top performers in the league, tied for the lead in the Dally M Medal race. That loss marked the beginning of a rough stretch for the Sharks, where they only won three of their next eight games, and Hynes became a highly scrutinized player.
However, Hynes insists that the round-12 defeat is in the past. “That was long ago,” he said. “We’re a much better team now, playing better and more connected football. The way we performed in the final round against Manly and last weekend against North Queensland gives us confidence.”
The Sharks’ players believe that their season wasn’t derailed by the round-12 loss, attributing any struggles more to injuries than that specific game. They also feel that regular-season results have little bearing on finals.
“We’re aware of the past results, but we’re not focused on that,” Mulitalo said. “This is a new competition, and we have another shot at it.”
CRONULLA’S RUN AGAINST PENRITH:
* Round 9, 2020: Penrith 56-20
* Round 15, 2020: Penrith 38-12
* Round 9, 2021: Penrith 48-0
* Round 14, 2021: Cronulla 19-18
* Round 19, 2022: Penrith 20-10
* Round 19, 2023: Penrith 28-0
* Round 12, 2024: Penrith 42-0
Total: 250-61
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