Powered by a slew of emerging Sharks players, Caringbah-based Endeavour Sports High School will tackle Patrician Brothers' College Blacktown in Wednesday's prestigious Peter Mulholland Cup grand final.
The competition comprises the best schoolboy talent from NSW, Victoria and the ACT. Endeavour earned a place in the decider at Campbelltown Sports Stadium after advancing through the pool stage and fighting back from 14-0 down to defeat Canberra's Erindale College 16-14 in last week's thrilling preliminary final.
The winner of Endeavour and Patrician Brothers' Blacktown will face the top Queensland school – Palm Beach Currumbin or Kirwan State High, who will clash on Thursday – for the NRL National Schoolboys Cup title on September 11.
Thirteen of Endeavour's expected 17-man squad are Sharks juniors, nine of them having represented the club this season in the Harold Matthews Cup team guided to the finals by Brad Kelly, who is also a member of the school's coaching staff.
The Cronulla contingent includes Australian Schoolboys pair Tom Dellow, a workhorse lock who was crowned the Sharks' Junior Representative Player of the Year in May, and Nikora Williams, a strike centre who played SG Ball Cup this year before progressing swiftly to the under-21 Jersey Flegg ranks.
Endeavour coach Dave Howlett, who has a storied association with the Sharks spanning more than 20 years including a stint as an NRL assistant coach, is confident his boys can defy their underdog tag and come away victorious.
"It's a massive bonus for so many of our players to have that continuity at the Sharks and then jump in as the nucleus of our school team," said Howlett, who has been Cronulla's SG Ball head coach for the past three seasons.
"There's also continuity in the coaching style given the Harold Matts coach – Brad Kelly – coaches with the school. That's been a real foundation for our success this year."
Endeavour has waged several memorable battles with Patrician Brothers' Blacktown over the years, upstaging its rival in the 2014 national GIO Schoolboy Cup in what was the Sutherland Shire school's most recent final.
A decade on, Howlett is hoping to repeat the dose.
"We've had a long history playing each other at the pointy end of schoolboy footy," he said. "Their team has similar traits to their teams of previous years – they've got four Australian Schoolboys in their line-up, they're big, they're powerful.
"We know it's going to be a big challenge for us, but we're all excited about the opportunity. It's been 10 years since we've been in a final.
"They had a team chock-full of Australian Schoolboys and we were the underdogs then as well. We're hoping for the same outcome on Wednesday.
"There's a real buzz around the school population, the staff and students.
"We could feel it last week when we came to school the next day. That buzz has built over the week. We're looking forward to having strong support."
A renowned nursery of world-class talent, Endeavour has produced a smorgasbord of NRL stars including current Sharks Will Kennedy and Teig Wilton.
Howlett and Kelly's involvement, as well as Endeavour's sterling reputation for developing young players in its argeted program, have helped ensure the long-term strength of Cronulla's junior representative and pathways systems.
"We're really proud of the link between the school and the Sharks," Howlett said.
Kick-off between Endeavour Sports High School and Patrician Brothers' College Blacktown on Wednesday is at 12.30pm. If you can't make it to Campbelltown, the match will be streamed live through KommunityTV.
