As a young league fan there were few things that brought a smile to my face quite like throwing on my team colours.
That was exactly the case for a lucky group of Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs this past week as a surprise visit from a traditional "enemy" lead to an afternoon of big smiles.
Sharks fan and current president of the Cronulla Sutherland Supporters Club (CSSC) Nate Eikenhout made the trek south to deliver black, white and blue jerseys to the excited Junior League players.
Despite playing in what is traditionally a Steelers now Dragons area, the youngsters were more than happy to show off their new colours as 60 + shirts were handed out.
This was far more than an attempt to "one-up" their local rivals as Nate explained the reasoning behind the decision on where to send the shirts saying: "The CSSC has ties to the area itself and we wanted to give back to the area that has had a rough trot the last 9 months.
"CSSC has always looked to be a community based organisation and has partaken in various events and programs over the years and always looks to align its sponsors accordingly."
"The South Coast is an area that we identify as having very strong community spirit similar to the Shire so why not try and build on a relationship between the two areas and we are hoping to get the Sharks Club involved in our efforts."
Fellow CSSC committee member Troy Dillon, a fire fighting captain spent countless hours battling the horror fires earlier this year including the horror blaze in the area.
The Currowan Fire in the Shoalhaven burned for 74 days and across 499,621 hectares devastating the local area.
This was not lost on the Supports Club who voted as a committee to present the shirts to an area so close to their collective hearts.
When asked what it was like carrying almost 70 shirts into "enemy territory" Nate was quick to point out that the South Coast was fast becoming Shark Town.
"Ulladulla and in fact the majority of the Shoalhaven has turned into more of a Shark territory after the merger of Saints and Illawarra. From our experience there are more Sharks fans down there than Saints and this could be due to the close ties the Shire has with Ulladulla and the surrounding areas with it a regular holiday destination for a lot of the Shire."
As the longest running independent supporters club, the CSSC has formed a tight relationship with both the club and community. Committee members often dedicate time to assist the Sharks in their local community.
From dedicating their time to assist membership drives, to working game days despite potentially missing action, to independently sourcing 600+ tickets and booking 11 buses to take 550+ loud and passionate members and fans to the 2016 Grand Final, the CSSC has been a noticeable presence since their inception in 2006.
Sharks Flyers Re-Sign
In good news for fans of the Sharks, both of their young flying wingers look set for long stints at the club after the official re-signing of Ronaldo Mulitalo and the soon to be announced re-signing of Sioni Katoa.
Multialo has signed on with the club until the end of 2023 after his impressive debut season.
Katoa, currently leading the competition try scoring tally is said to be just formalities away from signing a similar deal.
The signings ensure that the main core of the Sharks youngsters, including Briton Nikora, Blayke Brailey and Braden Hamlin-Uele are tied to the club for the foreseeable future.
With the club sitting seventh despite the majority of the side being far less experienced than their rivals, the Sharks are looking toward the future rather than looking for quick fix, big money signings that have landed them in trouble previously.
Throw in the excellent form of Shaun Johnson and Wade Graham as well as the return of Matt Moylan and Josh Dugan and skies in the 2020s for the Sharks look as blue as the club's jersey.
New Cult Figure in the Shire
24 year-old Tobu Rudolf has become a cult figure both in the Shire and in the wider Rugby League community.
Despite playing just 14 games in the top grade following his debut appearance in early 2020, Rudolf's incredible efforts and infectious personality have quickly made him a fan favourite.
Incredibly the former Redcliffe Dolphin and Newtown Jet is looking for a third straight Grand Final win after winning the QLD Cup and NSW Cup titles in consecutive seasons.
Speaking earlier in the season to the Fins Up Podcast Toby mentioned his focus was on just becoming a regular first grader and letting the rest take care of itself.
Safe to say the rest has certainly taken care of itself.
