Cronulla hero Toby Rudolf has declared the Sharks are sick of losing big finals games as they plot an upset in next week’s semi-final.
The prop scored the match-sealing try in Saturday’s 20-10 elimination final triumph over the Roosters, charging over from close range to evoke memories of Andrew Fifita’s game-winning try in the 2016 grand final.
While they finished fifth on the ladder and held home-field advantage, the Sharks had a poor recent finals record and were outsiders leading into the game.
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Toby Rudolf Try
It’s a position they will be in again next weekend when they face either the Broncos or Raiders in a sudden-death semi-final.
“We don’t listen to the external noise,” Rudolf said. “No one ever gives us a chance and that’s fine. We know internally what we’re capable of, we back each other internally and that’s the most important thing.
“We just proved to ourselves what we’re capable of and that’s what I’m most proud of. We’re not proving the doubters wrong, we’ve proven us right. It was awesome to get a win [at Sharks Stadium]. I’ve been here now for six years and we haven’t been able to do that yet at home.”
Saturday’s victory was just Cronulla’s second from their last nine finals games, with the side answering plenty of questions about their ability to handle the big moments throughout 80 tense minutes.
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Sharks v Roosters – Finals Week 1, 2025
The Roosters scored early in the second half to pull within two and looked destined to finish over the top of their opponents.
The hosts steadied the ship, however, and the injection of Rudolf and star prop Addin Fonua-Blake midway through the second half helped swing the game back in the Sharks’ favour.
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All Tries – Sharks v Roosters
Coach Craig Fitzgibbon praised his side for their composure post-game and Rudolf declared their recent finals experience is motivating the team throughout this year’s campaign.
“We’re just sick of losing,” Rudolf said. “We’re sick of sitting around and saying next year. Next year’s today, next year is next week, next year is right now.
“That’s the difference. We’re mature now as a team, we had the eight blokes from Newtown in 2019 [NSW Cup premiers] that are still together and we’re over it.
“We’re over [losing in the finals]. We’re maturing as a team and we’ll be in the twilight pretty soon so it’s time to make a run before it ends.”
Rudolf endured a challenging start to the 2025 campaign, with shoulder and ankle injuries restricting him to just four games in the opening 14 rounds.
Since then, however, he has worked his way back into form in the run to the finals and produced a number of outstanding performances.
The prop has made a habit of delivering in big moments throughout his career. Rudolf was man of the match in the 2018 Queensland Cup grand final and again in the 2019 NRL State Championship after Newtown’s NSW Cup triumph.
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While the 29-year-old’s work in the middle can sometimes be underappreciated, Fitzgibbon said it does not go unnoticed within the club.
“Every team has injuries and periods where you miss players but some are more valuable than others,” Fitzgibbon said. “We’ve barely had [Tom Hazelton] and Toby together the whole year and when we got them back they’ve shown their capabilities.
“I’m so happy for Toby, he’s driven me mad for 3.9 years but he’s delivered. As far as players go, he’s one of our most selfless players and the things he does off the ball you don’t notice. He’s a fantastic player, he’s underestimated and it’s great he gets his moment in the sun.”