The numbers that show Cronulla Sharks will win the competition

The Cronulla Sharks are firming to finish the season in one of the strongest positions since 2016 and are developing as an outfit primed as a premiership threat in September.

The club is nestled in the top four, and is building with confidence each time they take the field, perfectly timed for a finals raid which many have deemed only a two-horse race between the Penrith Panthers and Sydney Roosters.

But the Sharks will enter the finals with greater confidence than they did in 2022, when they finished second.

Being unable to progress past the preliminary finals in recent years, all the learnings and shortcomings they've endured have the club's key personnel ready to rise to the challenge.

Sharks premiership winner Michael Ennis was all praise for the way the club has gone about business in 2026.

“I'm telling you, Cronulla can win the competition if they want it,” said the 2016 Grand Final hero on Fox League's coverage of Sunday's 32-16 win at home.

“When the prelim final comes around, that's when they'll be judged… but from what they're showing and how healthy they are, they can absolutely win this competition.”

Here's why they're likely to be there in October.

Spine in career-best form

There's no doubt the fullback, halves and hooker are the valuable key positions that separate the elite teams from those making the numbers.

What also helps is when all four of those players are playing the best they ever have.

Momentum is a real thing in rugby league, and Sharks' timing in the premiership race is a credit to coach Craig Fitzgibbon and the coaching staff for limiting the burnout and player fatigue that often takes place in the backend of the regular season.

Livewire fullback William Kennedy is playing well above a player who only recently extended for just 12 months, showcasing elite ball-playing, agility and work rate at the back.

He appears to be everywhere when an opposition threat pops up, safe under the high ball and deadly on the left edge with his cousin Braydon Trindall.

In 2026, Kennedy has nine tries, 11 try assists, nine-line breaks and a whopping 60 tackle breaks. It'll give the club no option but to extend him further, with clubs no-doubt looking to come knocking if he heads to the open market on November 1 this year.

Trindall has also been showcasing career-best form, leading the NRL in try assists with 29, while also providing 19 line-break assists for his outside men.

It brings his average to 1.5 assists per game in 2026, more than the NRL's leading halves in Nathan Cleary and Jahrome Hughes.

Meanwhile, his partner in crime, Nicho Hynes, is arguably in better form currently than in his 2022 Dally M-winning season.

In three fewer appearances for the Sharks this year, Hynes has notched 20 try assists and 21 line-break assists, showcasing a prodigious split of attacking flair on both edges of the park.

With Hynes playing with full confidence, he shapes up as a formidable halfback threat, particularly so when paired with Trindall's chief playmaking skill set.

Meanwhile, Blayke Brailey is also cruising along in career-best form following a successful NSW Blues campaign, playing Games 1 and 3 when the Blues thwarted the Maroons in those encounters.

Playing with elite deception, marker manipulation and firing the Steeden straight to the chest of his teammates from dummy half, Brailey is in the upper echelon of hookers in the NRL.

The 27-year-old is entering his prime years and doesn't look like slowing down.

Squad health

One of the key facets working in Cronulla's favour is their healthy squad.

The Sharks have remained able to keep their - relatively best - side on the park for most of the year, with only Brailey's fractured arm marking the long-term injuries in the club's casualty ward list for 2026.

The club came out of the affected period unscathed as they didn't lose while Brailey was out with his injury.

Toby Rudolf is expected to return from a knee problem to bolster the forwards stocks, with the only long-term worry coming with Siosifa Talakai suffering a suspected bicep injury on Sunday.

KL Iro remains in concussion protocols alongside Hohepa Puru, but are expected to return before the end of the season.

It's no secret the NRL season has been criticised for being too long, and the side that can stay fit and on the park usually has the best chance of going deep into the finals.

The Sharks remain in the prime position to have all of their stars on deck for September.

Premiers can only win the comp from the top four

Since the NRL's inception in 1998, no side has won the competition outside of the top four.

There have been only two teams in Australian rugby league history to defy the odds, 1993 Broncos and the 1995 Bulldogs.

With the Sharks humming along and placing plenty of pressure on the Warriors, Roosters and Panthers, it'll make for an intriguing run into the finals.

Especially given the ladder-leading Panthers play the third-placed Warriors this weekend, then followed by a showdown against the tri-colours the week after.

As it stands, there are only two wins separating the Sharks and the Panthers.

Plenty of space could open up for the Sharks to climb even higher than fourth, secure a home ground advantage and make their claim as title contenders.

Teams such as the Rabbitohs and Knights can be lethal on their day, and if South Sydney have troops return, there is a case for them to make a late push.

But the luxury of a week off in an already long season has proven to be too rewarding for past premiership sides.

Going up by sixes

Hynes kicked all five goals in the Sharks' win against South Sydney on Sunday, edging closer to an incredible record.

The classy halfback has kicked 32 consecutive goals, playing a major role in why the Sharks have won nine of their past 10 matches in their current hot streak.

Widely regarded as the best conversion kicker ever, Bulldogs winger Hazem El Masri holds the record of 35, meaning Nicho needs three to level.

Hynes overtook two honourable names in the South Sydney clash: his coach Craig Fitzgibbon, who had kicked 26 straight goals in his day, and Daryl Harrigan, his kicking mentor and former Bulldog, on 30.

Harrigan has been working closely with Hynes to nail the extra two at Sharks training, sabotaging his own kicking record for the betterment of the Shire outfit.

The club has identified it to be essential that they must go up in sixes when it comes down to the big games at the end of the year, and Hynes has perfected his trade as he broke a club record.

All eyes will be on Hynes when he faces the Dragons this weekend, when he has the chance to overtake El Masri and create another slice of history.

“I was warned,” Fitzgibbon said jokingly when Hynes overtook his kicking record.

“Any bit of s**t they can put on me around here, I'm copping it – don't worry.

“The way he and Daryl worked together has been pretty impressive.

“Daryl is one of the best for goal kicking and he's doing a great job.”

Balanced forward pack

Cronulla's engine room has the correct strike and balance to dominate most other packs in the NRL.

Big boppers like Fonua-Blake, Thomas Hazelton and Siosifa Talakai juxtapose the agile frames of Cameron McInnes, Billy Burns and Jesse Colquhoun, perfectly rounding out both elements you want from your forwards.

The fast pace of the modern-day game has allowed quicker, agile forwards the ability to insert their mark on the contest via the six-again introduction.

Agile forwards find their front between two defenders with footwork and speed, generate a lightning quick play the ball and set the momentum downfield.

Meanwhile, the injection of Fonua-Blake and Talakai, who generate elite post-contact metres, drawing in defenders, gives Fitzgibbon the best of both worlds.

Backline that won't stop working out of their end

The Sharks work out of their own end of the park alleviates an incredible amount of pressure from the forwards, who are getting a quick breather returning to play.

Ronaldo Mulitalo, Sione Katoa, Jesse Ramien, KL Iro.

They are all strong in contact, fast, agile, and hard to get a hold of.

In the modern-day game, teams need to rely on their outside backs to start the sets on the front foot and stick their nose through the advantage line on tackles one and two.

The first back we saw excel at it is Panthers' Brian To'o, who made a name for himself with his quality carries from his own end. Now it's widespread across the league.

The Sharks' back five in their latest outing (excluding Iro who left the field after 27 minutes) all had over 12 runs and 110+ metres gained.

It shows a tactical coaching approach to get the most out of the players, leaving the forwards with more fuel in the tank to keep stiffening up the ruck.

The Sharks have a favourable run home and don't face Top 8 opposition until the finals, with matches against the Dragons, Raiders, Titans, Eels and Storm.

If they can continue their impressive form, they will enter September with plenty of momentum as the race for the 2026 title begins to heat up.