Cronulla - So Close but yet so far

[Knight87]

To you Sharks supporters out there, I want your opinion on a couple of questions:

Firstly, what is your opinion on the Sharks seasons 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001 and 2002? By that, I mean this: which of those seasons do or did you wholeheartedly believe that the Sharks should've won the comp? In 1995, the Sharks held 12 pt leads over both Manly and Newcastle, and lost both of them. In 1996, the Sharks lost to Manly in the prelims. In 1999, Cronulla lost to Dragons in the Prelim. 2001, same as 1999, except it was Newcastle. IN 2002, it was the Warriors in the prelims. What is your overall analysis on those games? Where did the Sharks go wrong in those games/why did they lose them (1995: vs Manly and vs Newcastle, 1996 vs Manly, 1999 vs St George, 2001 vs Newcastle, 2002 vs Warriors)? How did you feel after they lost those games (which of those losses hurt the most)? I sorta remember the 2002 game, i know it was 10-all, but there was some controversial incident apparently that led to the Warriors try which won them the game, I dont know. Also, 1999, they were minor prems, did they play heaps bad in 2nd half after leading 8-0 to lose to Dragons or what?

Secondly, what was/is your opinion on former Sharks coaches Chris Anderson and Stuart Raper when they were at the club? How does Ricky Stuart compare to them and does Ricky have what it takes to get the Sharks into premiership contention

 

[hammo1405]

I'm too young for 1995, but we were definitely good enough to win the comp in 1999. I have never forgiven Anthony Mundine. 1999, 2001, 2002 we had 3 half-time preliminary final leads. Lost all three. So we realistically could've won the comp any of those years. 2001 Parra were abviously the best team but choked Sharks-style.

 

[Since 73]

To you Sharks supporters out there, I want your opinion on a couple of questions:

Firstly, what is your opinion on the Sharks seasons 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001 and 2002? By that, I mean this: which of those seasons do or did you wholeheartedly believe that the Sharks should've won the comp? In 1995, the Sharks held 12 pt leads over both Manly and Newcastle, and lost both of them. In 1996, the Sharks lost to Manly in the prelims. In 1999, Cronulla lost to Dragons in the Prelim. 2001, same as 1999, except it was Newcastle. IN 2002, it was the Warriors in the prelims. What is your overall analysis on those games? Where did the Sharks go wrong in those games/why did they lose them (1995: vs Manly and vs Newcastle, 1996 vs Manly, 1999 vs St George, 2001 vs Newcastle, 2002 vs Warriors)? How did you feel after they lost those games (which of those losses hurt the most)? I sorta remember the 2002 game, i know it was 10-all, but there was some controversial incident apparently that led to the Warriors try which won them the game, I dont know. Also, 1999, they were minor prems, did they play heaps bad in 2nd half after leading 8-0 to lose to Dragons or what?

Secondly, what was/is your opinion on former Sharks coaches Chris Anderson and Stuart Raper when they were at the club? How does Ricky Stuart compare to them and does Ricky have what it takes to get the Sharks into premiership contention

Thanks for reminding me.
There's a coupla grand in therapy down the s bend.

 

[ghoti]

2001 I was sure was our year. Towards the end of the season we were playing some of the best football I've seen...the semi against the Bulldogs where Peach and Preston carved them to shreds is one of my favourite all time footy matches.

We were unlucky that year. Dykes was in and out of hospital in the week leading up to the major semi with knee surgery/infection...the ref held the skinniest ten of the year for us and we buckled under the pressure.

2001 is the exact sort of football I dream about us playing today, but it'll never happen.

Why did you have to come and bring me down?

 

[Nullajet]

JT....you are a very very bad man to come in here with that....oohhhhhh the pain!!

For me 95 was the one that cruelled me most.....to lead by 12 twice in a row and squander it thru the errors of 2 players who were always outstanding for us...Green with the intercept and ET with the in goal fumble....yeah that was the year I really thought was going to be it.

But then go back to the late 80s that game v Balmain...another year we had the goods but fell

 

[Knight87]

Soz, I wasn't really a rugby league follower in '95 (I officially became a supporter in '96). What is this Green Intercept and ET goal fumble thing youre talking about? Isnt the '95 game vs Newcastle the one where Matt Johns kicked a field goal with seconds to go to win? (Sounds like the Sharks of '95 were like the Knights of '98: Knights blew a 15pt and 16pt lead in the finals to lose both games and hence eliminated)

And don't worry about the pain part. As a Knights supporter, I had to endure the "agony" part twice, in terms of blown finals games that eliminated us ('98 semi vs Bulldogs and '00 prelim vs Roosters). You may also wanna add the '02 QF vs Dragons (a game i went to, the one that ended Johns season), but that didn't really have the same effect as that game didn't eliminate the Knights.

 

[Knight87]

JT....you are a very very bad man to come in here with that....oohhhhhh the pain!!

For me 95 was the one that cruelled me most.....to lead by 12 twice in a row and squander it thru the errors of 2 players who were always outstanding for us...Green with the intercept and ET with the in goal fumble....yeah that was the year I really thought was going to be it.

But then go back to the late 80s that game v Balmain...another year we had the goods but fell

Would the Sharks have been able to win the comp, had they managed to get to at least the Prelims (playing either Manly or Newcastle), followed by Bulldogs in GF?

 

[Qld-Sharkie]

JT, Why dont you give me a paper cut......and squeeze lemon juice into it....

The hardest one was my first. I was a young nipper in the 70's visiting relatives in Home Hill, and one Sunday afternoon I sat there watching Cronulla Sutherland V's Manly. We should have broken our duck that day...GODDAMN YOU HADLEY!!!!
Forget the 90's.....the 70's were the hardest, (Back me up here Quigs) I cried like a 12 year old girl many a time. In the 90's I just shook my head each time we lost and said "Well theres always next year" but unfortunately each year followed another and another until its 2007, some 30 odd years since that day in Home Hill where we nearly, lost our cherry.

 

[Go Nulla]

78 was the hardest for me we led at half time and lost.

 

[Russell Crowe's Band]

geez


its 8:48 in the morining and im already reaching for the bottle after reading this tale of woe.........

why jt why?

 

[carcharias]

99 worst year.

ando worst coach.

 

[emetic]

2001 i believe we were ripped off against Newcastle. In the final stages of the game newcastle almost scored but dropped ball, peachey scooped up the loose ball and was off, would have scored a length of the field try only to be stopped by the ref, who then went to the video ref which ruled no try anyway.

We would have beaten parra in the final aswell.

1999 was just a solid choke made worse by the cockiness of mundine.

 

[tom of poland]

1995 - I put it down to immaturity
1996 - Manly were just sh*t hot, otherwise a good season
1999 - Mundine was on fire for that preliminary final
2001 - best shot - injuries as was mentioned Adam Dykes had the knee problem, Chris McKenna missed the final, Luke Stuart was in the centres for the Newcastle game, though we would have beaten Newcastle if they played with more intensity
2002 - too many walking wounded is why they lost the preliminary final v the Warriors, but I doubt whether they'd beaten the chooks in the final.

Best coach of the 3 was Johnny Lang by a country mile. He knew how to build a team based on the talent he had available - a truely intelligent coach, Anderson had one formula only, Ricky I am still uncertain about.

 

[panfashark]

99 was so dissapointing, we should have won that game, 8-0 at half time, we did not score again.

73 i vaugely remember my parents watching the game. 78 (bloody Hartley), how many players were out in the replay?

2002 was our big chance, we lead the Warriors at half time,again we got run down, i cried that day with the belief that we at destined to never win a premiership! We would have beaten the roosters.

It is a curse i tell you.

 

[spider]

in our first year in the comp the sharks coach use to deliver mirrors for a bit of cash on the side

he smashed his truck breaking the half dozen mirrors in the back

the rest is simple mathematics now.......

 

[Nullajet]

Soz, I wasn't really a rugby league follower in '95 (I officially became a supporter in '96). What is this Green Intercept and ET goal fumble thing youre talking about? Isnt the '95 game vs Newcastle the one where Matt Johns kicked a field goal with seconds to go to win? (Sounds like the Sharks of '95 were like the Knights of '98: Knights blew a 15pt and 16pt lead in the finals to lose both games and hence eliminated)

And don't worry about the pain part. As a Knights supporter, I had to endure the "agony" part twice, in terms of blown finals games that eliminated us ('98 semi vs Bulldogs and '00 prelim vs Roosters). You may also wanna add the '02 QF vs Dragons (a game i went to, the one that ended Johns season), but that didn't really have the same effect as that game didn't eliminate the Knights.

V Manly, we lead by 12..it got whittled away and on an attacking play late in the game...Paul Green throws a pass only to have Cliff Lyons intercept it..sadly it was a misunderstood backline movt because there was no one on the ru around to even receieve the pass Green was throwing EXCEPT Lyons!!

V Newcastle..again having at one stage lead by 12, the lead was whittled away and late in the game ET gave Newcastle the equaliser i believe because instead of diving on the ball in goal he tried to pick it up and fumbled it...Newcastle coming thru scored!! Any other day ET either dives on the ball or DOES pick it up on the fly...

Thats the way it goes...and goes...and goes...and keeps on f**king going!!

 

[Knight87]

in the '95 semi, didn't the sharks lead by 18-0 over the knights, instead of 12 pts?

 

[Sheros los Deros]

1995 Missed oppotunity. The Bulldogs took that opportunity. Manly were waiting to be beaten by someone.
1996 Manly too good
1999 Best chance. Minor premiers. Clearly the best side in the preliminary rounds
2001. An up and down season. Beaten by Andrew Johns
2002. Roosters wouldv'e beaten us in the GF. They'd already beaten us twice in 2 weeks.

1. 1999
2. 2001
3. 1995

 

[jc155776]

lets not forget the humiliating 97 final.

I know we were never meant to win that one but to be spanked the way we were...

 

[wittyfan]

1999 was the year.