![\"Cameron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2d31bd31d72769fa8126b4f6f31cd9642f44355a.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n\u201cI know what we\u2019re building here \u2013 that\u2019s the only belief I need, and the outside noise is just that. The only way we can stop that noise is by performing well.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven the times we do perform well, we\u2019re still not seen as a good side, and I\u2019m not sure if that\u2019s to do with being the underdog, or how we\u2019re a small club, and how people think we can\u2019t compete with the top teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve done everything but play in a grand final the past few years. People can talk, but I know what we\u2019re building towards. I want to win a grand final here. That\u2019s my goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since Fitzgibbon took charge of the club at the start of the 2022 season, the Sharks have played finals every year, including last year\u2019s loss in the preliminary final to eventual premiers Penrith.<\/p>\n
They have won a total of 61 games in the past four years on Fitzgibbon\u2019s watch, which puts them behind only the Panthers and Storm (both 67) during the same period.<\/p>\n
Brailey says the finals experience, and the fact the club\u2019s spine is starting to click and play well at the right time of year, are two good enough reasons they can go all the way.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Cameron McInnes and the Sharks reflect on another missed opportunity after losing to the Panthers in the preliminary final in 2024.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt we\u2019re in that premiership window \u2013 we have a chance to do something special, and I don\u2019t want it to slip,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to look back in few years wishing I could have done more or worked harder. Everyone has that same feeling here.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last few weeks, the confidence our spine has, the way we\u2019re training and preparing; footy is at the forefront of everyone\u2019s mind. You need to be committed 24-7 to win a comp. \u2018Connection\u2019 is a big word in the NRL, and being the tight family we are \u2013 if you were to walk into our sheds, you\u2019d hear us fighting and bickering like all families do \u2013 but we love each other, and only want the best for each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been to the big games, we\u2019ve won some, we\u2019ve lost some, we\u2019re tracking in the right direction to peak at the most important time. There\u2019s just a really good buzz and feel around the place.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Could](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0b3c0f2eda51112c65b89e27986dcfe570393dd6.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Could this year be different for Nicho Hynes and the Sharks?Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Ask Braydon Trindall about the lack of external respect for the Sharks, and he refers to being in the \u201ctrenches\u201d with his teammates, his \u201cbrothers\u201d, and embracing that blue-collar spirit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talk about being in the trenches here \u2013 this place is a trench, it\u2019s not too flashy,\u201d Trindall says. \u201cWe\u2019re just a bunch of hard-working blokes who love trying to put in good performances.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love trying to prove people wrong, but at the same time prove ourselves right because we know we can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Addin Fonua-Blake, the man-mountain lured back to Sydney after some eye-catching years with the Warriors and regarded as the kind of player who could take Cronulla that extra week deeper into September \u2013 was unconcerned with trying to change people\u2019s perceptions.<\/p>\n
He learnt early in his career, he says, that people were quick to form opinions and that it was a waste of time attempting to change them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe club in general gets a lot of stuff said about it, but we come into work every day, nobody brings any baggage \u2013 we only worry about what we can control,\u201d Fonua-Blake says.<\/p>\n
Why can you go all the way, Addin?<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the boys are coming into their best years; we\u2019re hitting our straps at the right time,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve ever seen Fonua-Blake up close, you wouldn\u2019t argue.<\/p>\n
![\"Chad](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ea55dc3907bd97f338ca8f7a137326f661ba0fca.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Chad Townsend helped end Cronulla\u2019s long premiership drought in 2016.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
But back to Brailey. The well-spoken new leader grew up in the Shire and won a hatful of junior competitions with the Aquinas Colts alongside former Shark Kyle Flanagan. Sunday\u2019s clash against Newcastle will be a family affair, with older brother Jayden lining up for the Knights.<\/p>\n
Jayden, who will join the Raiders next year, has since become the new family favourite again, says Blayke, because his partner, Liliana, recently gave birth to a boy, Beau.<\/p>\n
As for replacing the injured and inspirational Cam McInnes as leader, Brailey says: \u201cThis club and the captaincy means everything to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember sitting on the Family Hill watching \u2018Gal\u2019 [Paul Gallen] lead the side out each week. I was behind the posts when Andrew Fifita scored in the 2016 grand final.<\/p>\n
![\"Blayke](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/f1dc3952ea0ac948a0b373ed33ad4e780b5e7f05.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Blayke Brailey wants to win a premiership with Cronulla.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was born, my first words weren\u2019t mum or dad, but G-Train [a reference to Gallen]. Everyone jokes about our sheds and facilities, but growing up, this place is all I ever wanted to be a part of. It was never flashy, but I wanted to be here. Now I\u2019m here, and I love it.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my best memories is a game in my first year when I had one try-assist, which was for Gal to score at Suncorp. He shooshed the crowd when he scored, then kicked the goal. It was a cool moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy old man [Glenn] won\u2019t admit it, but he was a Tigers fan growing up. My grandfather Brian played for them [Balmain]. One of my favourite players growing up was [premiership-winning Tiger\u2019s halfback] Scott Prince.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Cronulla has always been home and the club I wanted to play for. I still pinch myself now I get to put on the jersey each week. Our whole family and Jayden\u2019s friends will be here on the weekend. He still has a lot of ties here.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe beat Newcastle earlier in the year in Newcastle, and it would be nice to do it again. I know when my brother left, I made it my mission to make sure a Brailey held on to the hooker jersey at Cronulla, and that\u2019s been a big motivator of mine each week.\u201d<\/p>\n
McInnes ruptured his ACL against the Titans when he felt it buckle during a tackle. He had suffered the same injury a few years earlier, so he knew what it felt like \u2013 but just to be sure, he raced out of the defensive line a second time<\/a>, praying his knee would hold up. It didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n He knows the Sharks have a golden opportunity to go all the way and emulate the heroes of 2016.<\/p>\n McInnes is only contracted until the end of next year. So is Brailey, although he is close to inking a lengthy extension.<\/p>\n Loading<\/p>\n When CEO Dino Mezzatesta reads Brailey\u2019s quotes above about how much he loves the joint, it should be enough to sign him on the spot.<\/p>\n Brailey can see big things happening.<\/p>\n \u201cI know where this place is heading, and I want to be a part of it, and to contribute to that success,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Who doesn\u2019t love an underdog? Just maybe, Brailey\u2019s men are about to change some perceptions about the Sharks.<\/p>\n