Chad Townsend's shock second-half benching during Cronulla's 2016 qualifying final against the Canberra Raiders remains one of the most talked-about coaching calls of that premiership run.
The circumstances behind it trace back to a chain of late changes forced on Shane Flanagan that night at GIO Stadium.
On one of Chad Townsend's latest episodes of his podcast, The Chad Townsend Show, he sat down with his former coach to discuss the Cronulla Sharks' 2016 premiership glory, as it had been 10 years since the historic upset over the Melbourne Storm.
Townsend asked Flanagan why he was hooked in the first week of the finals.
"We lost Gal [Paul Gallen] during the week; he hurt his back in the gym, so he didn't play," Flanagan said.
"We are having a great season, and we'd have no injuries, and we get to the big games, and Gal hurts himself and can't play.
"And then Wade [Graham] had the concussion; first set, gets knocked out. So Gal's gone, my next captain's gone in Wade.
"We were down 12-nil pretty early... I was going on the back of three losses. I'm going, 'What's going on with this team?' And we weren't humming that day, Chad."
Flanagan then explained that while he doesn't blame Chad, he felt a change was needed to swing the scoreline back in their favour.
"To be fair, it wasn't your fault, but we needed to score points at the back end, and it just wasn't clicking for us that game," he said.
"There were a lot of players replaced during that year, and that was just your time.
"At the time, I just thought it was a move to get Birdie [Jack Bird] on the ball. We needed to score, and whether it was the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do, in the end, the week after, you had this bee in your bonnet that you were going to be one of the best players in the game, and we went out and played the Cowboys and smashed them."
The 2016 premiership-winning coach spoke on the aftermath of the game and on taking Townsend off the field against the Raiders.
"I remember post-game I grabbed you, and you were upset," Flanagan recalled.
"The team won, but you weren't out there. I remember going to you straight after the game and saying, 'Listen, mate, it happens, but you're our halfback.
"You'll be our halfback next week, suck it up and get on with it."
Chad Townsend recalled how 'filthy' he was at the time with Flanagan's decision, but remained adamant about preparing well against the Cowboys.
"I was filthy after the game. I remember Gavin Orr rang me; he said, 'There's going to be a bit of press around; just ignore it, don't worry about it," Townsend said.
"'Go into Flanno's office and tell him it'll never happen again.'
"I did that. We spoke; you had your reasons. You said, 'You're my half.'
"That gave me a lot of confidence.
"I was staying off my phone; I was not speaking to anyone, not watching any media. And I was prepared to play the best game of my life against the Cowboys."
Townsend played the full match against the North Queensland Cowboys, and while the noise around the benching followed him into the preliminary final, he responded with a try of his own and set up another in a 32-20 win that sent Cronulla into its first grand final in 38 years.
Townsend would be part of the Cronulla side that beat Melbourne 14-12 to win the club's first-ever premiership.
