During this week in 1986, coach Jack Gibson debuted a local junior widely regarded as the most versatile player in club history – Shark number 220, Alan Wilson.
Wilson, the son of former Shark Graham and nephew of club great Kevin Hogan, spent his childhood in the regional NSW towns of Young, Wellington and Armidale due to his father's involvement in the pub industry.
In his late teens, Wilson moved back to the Shire and joined the De La Salle Caringbah club.
Despite being overlooked by the Sharks during junior trials, Wilson's persistence paid off in 1986 when he was graded straight from park football.
"I was introduced to Mick Souter (Sharks head trainer) one day who asked me if I was attending the Sharks open trial. I replied, 'No, if I couldn't get an invite to trial for 18s, I won't be trialling for grade'. He said he'd seen me play and that I should think about it."
Encouraged by his friends and on the advice of Souter, Wilson trialled for the Sharks' under-23s team. His efforts were rewarded when he earned a spot as a halfback/lock in a squad that included future first-graders Glenn Coleman, Barry Russell, Sean Watson and Mal Wheeler.
On July 27 1986, Wilson's big break came as he was seemingly plucked from obscurity when Gibson chose to use the 18-year-old off the bench in the Sharks' Round 21 match against the Balmain Tigers.
The match, played before a modest crowd of 7,523 fans at Ronson Field, now named PointsBet Stadium, was a close affair, fondly remembered amongst Balmain fans as the first game Ben Elias was chosen to captain the side.
Balmain won the match 16-14, but Wilson earnt praise for having made 18 tackles despite only playing the last 15 minutes. "I still don't know how it all happened; in July 1985 I'm playing under 19s with De La and working at Sharks games as a ticket collector, 12 months later and I'm playing first grade," Wilson said.
Wilson was used again off the bench later in the season. Despite limited appearances in the top grade, he was chosen by Gibson as part of the Sharks sevens side that travelled to Orange, where they successfully defended their national sevens title.
At the Sharks' annual awards ceremony, Wilson received the Alf Clarkson Memorial award for the club's Rookie of the Year, as well as the under-23s Player of the Year award along with Glenn Coleman.
Wilson, a trainee car salesman, was a shock selection when named by Gibson to start the 1987 season as the side's hooker. Having undertaken a strenuous sprinting and weights program in the off season and after a number of standout performances in the trials, Gibson had no choice but to name the youngster in the opening match against the Canberra Raiders.
"I was scared and nervous. I remember making the bus trip down to Canberra – was a real wreck," Wilson said of his starting debut.
Wilson played a number of positions in the opening few rounds of the season before the return of Gavin Miller from the UK saw him relegated to the reserve-grade side.
Wilson continued to excel in the second grade, earning selection in the Sydney Colts team who played Brisbane in the curtain raiser to the Kangaroos Test match at Lang Park. Wilson was exceptional in this match, earning the game ball as the best player on the field.
Wilson was recalled to the first-grade side for the second half of the season and finished playing every position but prop. "I am learning from playing all these new positions but playing different positions all the time is not that easy. I think you need a couple of weeks in the same spot to get rhythm going," Wilson said.
At the 1987 Dally M awards, Wilson was named the game's best young player when crowned the Rookie of the Year, beating a list of players that included Easts' David Smith, Manly's Paul Shaw and Ian Gately and the Panthers' Mark Geyer.
The 1988 season was arguably Wilson's best when he was instrumental in the Sharks claiming the first minor premiership in the club's history.
Wilson played 21 matches that season and was singled out for praise by coach Allan Fitzgibbon in the club's 1988 annual report: "The contribution of points (161) provided by Alan Wilson deserves special mention as many of these were obtained in pressure situations and allowed the team to proceed with the job on hand."
Both Wilson and the Sharks had another great year in 1989 under Fitzgibbon, with Wilson's form earning selection in the Gavin Miller-captained NSW Blues side for the second and third games of the State of Origin series.
After the Sharks' poor end to the 1991 season, Wilson was unfortunately a casualty of the club's new administration wanting to take the side in a different direction.
After a number of seasons at the North Sydney Bears, Wilson returned home in 1994 where he led the Sharks' reserve grade side to the premiership. This year marks 30 years since the amazing achievement.
The career of arguably the Sharks' most versatile player is best summed up by Fitzgibbon in Gary Lester's book, 'Colour me Black, White and Blue'.
"Enormous talent. He had special skills and his strength was enormous. And he had pace and great leg strength," Fitzgibbon said.
"Given half a cha1nce through a gap, he would burst through real quick. He was very good as a back rower, but we used him at hooker and then on the wing. I don't think he was comfortable there, but he was our goal kicker and we had to pick our best team."
Wilson has remained connected to the club post career and plays a major role in the organising of the yearly 'Great Whites' get together.
Fact File - Alan Wilson
Born: 25 September 1967
Position: Utility
Years at club: 1986-91 and 1994
Player no: 220
Games for club: 155 (105 in first grade, 30 in reserve grade and 20 in under 23s)
Debut: Round 21, Sunday 27 July 1986 against Balmain at Ronson Field
Last Sharks game: Round 14, Saturday 2 July 1994 against Eastern Suburbs at Sydney Football Stadium
Statistics for Cronulla: 520 points from 37 tries, 185 goals and two field goals in first grade. A further 56 points in reserve grade and 64 points in under 23s
Representative football: Two State of Origin games for NSW in 1989.
Other clubs: North Sydney - 1993 (player no. 865) - two games; St George - 1995 - two games
