WHY SHARKS FANS SHOULD TEMPER THEIR EXPECTATIONS

The Sharks have won four straight and are charging towards the finals, but is it time to start planning for October or should supporters keep their expectations under control?Chris Kelly returns alongside Franko, Francis Crossle and Boldo to assess Cronulla’s red-hot form, where the Sharks sit among the genuine premiership contenders and whether recent dominant wins have answered the questions surrounding this team.The panel discusses the challenge posed by the leading sides, the importance of finishing inside the top four and why Cronulla’s performances in September will ultimately determine how this season is judged.The Bally M Player of the Year leaderboard is updated following the Manly victory, with Braydon Trindall still leading Nicho Hynes and Will Kennedy at the top of the standings.The panel has also done its homework, bringing along a collection of random Sharks statistics. Boldo risks the wrath of Franko by calculating that Nicho Hynes has a 19.7 per cent chance of extending his current streak far enough to break the record for consecutive successful goal kicks.Francis provides the Southside Physiotherapy injury update, covering Addin Fonua-Blake’s pectoral strain, Thomas Hazelton’s back tightness, Toby Rudolf’s latest setback and whether Cronulla should consider resting players before the finals.Franko then puts Boldo through a sudden-death selection game to determine his current favourite Shark, before the panel previews the Round 22 clash with South Sydney, examines both team lists and debates what Cronulla’s strongest possible finals side looks like.We also launch the ET Stand Sharks Leagues Club Opening Date Competition.Predict the date on which the redeveloped Sharks Leagues Club will officially open for your chance to win a prize from our mates at Displaywear.Entries close at 11:59 pm AEST on 10 August 2026. Each available date can only be selected once, so enter early:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1R4s3WvX33s2EI-4vjV49JMp2sSV9eg8StTX3pNSEWY6pbA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=111105599445833233613Join the ET Stand Discord:https://discord.gg/nXEC9QNfmKThanks to our partnersSolve Accounting https://www.solveaccounting.com.au/Miranda Hotel https://mirandahotel.com.au/Morgans Cronulla https://morgans.com.au/Southside Physiotherapy https://ssphysio.com.au/Displaywear https://displaywear.com.au/Mortgage Choice Sutherland, Cronulla and Wollongong https://www.mortgagechoice.com.au/patrick.johnson/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.