Yes, Cronulla, that respect you’ve craved has been well and truly earned.
You are off to another preliminary final, you have won nine of your last 10 games, your defence has been sensational, and you are entitled to believe you can upset Melbourne in their own backyard next Friday night and play in the grand final.
The Sharks celebrate a try. Credit: Getty Images
The Sharks broke Canberra hearts with a 32-12 victory on a chilly Saturday night in the nation’s capital.
Most of the Raiders fans were only just starting to recover from the horror show that was the 94-minute golden-point loss to the Broncos six days earlier.
Those fans have had so much to cheer this year, but they will spend the next few months wondering what could have been after bowing out of the finals in straight sets.
Things were not helped when Ethan Strange was ruled out on Saturday morning because of the flu. You need luck in September, and Canberra’s failed to appear when most needed.
Only the players will know if they were mentally and physically hungover from the Brisbane epic.
Josh Papali’i of the Raiders is tackled. Credit: Getty Images