As far as days to remember go, Saturday, May 16, will live long in the memory of Cronulla Sharks fans.
It was a historic day for the club as the Harold Matthews Cup and SG Ball teams won national titles and their NRL team won a heart-stopping golden point thriller against Gold Coast Titans.
Cronulla’s under 16s survived a late fightback from Townsville at Belmore Sports Ground to win 26-20 after leading 26-0.
Luke Metcalf scored a double for the Sharks while Monty Raper, Fine Kula and Julian Spanos all crossed.
In the U18s, Cronulla claimed a dramatic win at the death over the Stingers to make it a national double. Cameron Scott scored with less than two minutes remaining to seal an 18-16 victory.
First grade coach Shane Flanagan said he was proud of the club’s achievement.
‘‘To win the two comps is a great achievement and there has been a lot of work go in by a lot of people over four or five years,’’ he said.
‘‘Those boys worked really hard as well. It is something that hasn’t been achieved by any club.
‘‘There’s still a lot of work to be done. We can’t rest on those two wins. The club has got to work really hard to develop these players and we will.
‘‘It’s a big step in the right direction. We need to nurture the next generation of kids to keep that production line going.’’
The future looks bright on the field for Cronulla with a number of their SG Ball squad to make the step up to the club’s under 20s team, while several others are eligible to play under 16s and 18s again next season.
Four Cronulla players were also selected in a 26-man NSW under 16s Pathways Squad after the Sharks won their Harold Matthews grand final a fortnight ago.
Dylan Smith, Metcalf, Jaeman Salmon and Lachlan Smith will be part of the NSW under 16s clash with Queensland in the curtain-raiser to Origin I at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday, May 27.
In the NRL, the Sharks broke their two-game losing streak on Saturday night with a thrilling 23-22 golden point win over the Gold Coast Titans.
Cronulla winger Valentine Holmes was the hero as the youngest player on the field stepped up to nail his field goal attempt one minute into extra time.
Flanagan said he was delighted with the character of his team.
‘‘It was a great win, especially on the back of last week where we had the game stolen from us in the last minute,’’ he said.
‘‘We hung in there. I always thought we’d come over the top of them once we got some ball.
‘‘The guys showed great character. We can go into the week off with a positive mindset.’’
Cronulla hit the lead for the first time in the 71st minute when Jack Bird crashed over but the advantage didn’t last long.
Anthony Don crossed for the Titans after a Sharks mistake from the kick-off only for Aidan Sezer to miss his first attempt at goal for the night to leave the score locked at 22-all.
Both teams failed to break the deadlock in regulation time, leaving Holmes with the chance to win the game with his 35-metre field goal.
Cronulla Sharks 23 (tries V Holmes 2, L Lewis, J Bird; goals M Gordon 3/4; field goal V Holmes) d Gold Coast Titans 22 (tries R James, D Mead, A Don; goals A Sezer 5/6) at Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast; crowd: 10,466.
Leader man of the match: Andrew Fifita.
