The 2016 Cronulla Sharks won the Premiership and ended a drought of 50-odd years. for fans.
No team in the last 20 years has won back to back Premierships and the Sharks will be looking to break another long-standing record in 2017.
2016 Round 1 Team
- Ben Barba
- Sosaia Feki
- Jack Bird
- Ricky Leutele
- Valentine Holmes
- James Maloney
- Chad Townsend
- Andrew Fifita
- Michael Ennis
- Matt Prior
- Luke Lewis
- Wade Graham
- Paul Gallen
- Sam Tagataese
- Chris Heighington
- David Fifita
- Jayson Bukuya
Obviously, the biggest talking point between the 2016 and 2017 teams is the loss of fullback Ben Barba. While many pundits believe this will actually be a positive thing in the long, allowing young gun Valentine Holmes to move to fullback, the Sharks might struggle early to cover his experience.
The real struggle for the 2017 Sharks will be replacing hooker Michael Ennis. A career-best season from Ennis was a huge part of the Sharks success. Once again, his experience will be a massive loss, with the veteran a master at reading the opposition and putting them off their game.
The battle to replace him seems to be down to young NYC graduate Jayden Brailey or the well-traveled Daniel Mortimer. Mortimer will most likely get the nod to start the season but don't be surprised to see Brailey getting minutes from the bench or even starting later in the season.
With level-headed halves and a forward pack that has played a wealth of big games across the NRL, State of Origin and international rugby league, the Sharks should though have more than enough experience across the park to ease the new guys into the lineup.
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