Tonight, at a gala ceremony held at Sharks Stadium, eleven of the finest players ever to don the black, white and blue will be inducted into the newly created Sharks Hall of Fame.
Granted automatic entry due to their previous recognition as Sharks Immortals are celebrated icons Gavin Miller, Andrew Ettingshausen and Tommy Bishop, along with the late Steve Rogers and Greg Pierce.
Additionally, six other Sharks legends will be revealed as inductees.
While it took 58 years to establish a Hall of Fame, the club has a rich history of honouring its past players. In this article, we'll journey through the archives to revisit the events that brought us to this moment.
In 1993, a fundraising scheme, initiated by the Ways and Means Committee of the Football Club, saw members of the public given the opportunity to pick a 'Super Sharks' team. A team of players, considered the best player in their respective positions, over the club's first 26 years.
An entry fee of $5 allowed contestants the opportunity to select the best player from a list of eligible prospects listed weekly in the St George and Sutherland Shire Leader newspaper.
At the conclusion of the competition, the entrant whose side most resembled that selected by the panel of judges won the first prize: a dinner with club legend Andrew Ettingshausen and wife Monique.
The panel chosen to select the 'Super Sharks' consisted of St George Dragons legend Johnny Raper, former Cronulla Sharks first-grade coach Ted Glossop, former club secretary Arthur Winn, rugby league historian Gary Lester and respected sports journalist Ian Heads.
On August 12, 1993, during a gala event at the Cronulla Sharks Leagues Club, the 'Super Sharks' side was named.
Unashamedly, the team was heavily populated with the stars of the 1973 and 1978 grand final teams. The 1973 side was represented by British imports Tommy Bishop and Cliff Watson, along with Rothman's Medal winner Ken Maddison, flashy winger Ray Corcoran and uncompromising hooker Ron Turner.
Internationals Steve Rogers and Greg Pierce were also named, as well as Mick Mullane, Chris Gardner, Barry Andrews, Steve Kneen and Rick Bourke. These players embodied a strong period for the club, highlighted by an appearance in the 1978 grand final and victory in the Amco Cup the following season.
The remaining spots were taken by two stars of the 1988 minor premiership-winning side, Gavin Miller and Dane Sorensen, with Ettingshausen being the only current player selected.
At the time, Mal Greer, an organiser of the Ways and Means Committee, said: "While the judges were split on a couple of positions, the selected team would more than match the greats from other clubs since 1967."
In 2003, the club set a task of identifying their first 'Immortals', an initiative adopted from the Rugby League Week magazine in the early '80s.
Sharks historian Gary Lester nominated 24 players, including all but one player recognised a decade earlier (Barry Andrews) as well as legends Les Davidson, Fred Dennehy, Jonathan Docking, David Hatch, Mitch Healey, Terry Hughes, Paul Khan, Mark McGaw, David Peachey, Mat Rogers and Barry Russell.
Through a fan vote, the list was narrowed down to 10 players. The panel tasked with the distinguished job of naming the club's first Immortals were Big League magazine editor Neil Cadigan, Daily Telegraph senior league writer Peter Frilingos, Lester and former club doctor Peter Malouf.
On July 30, 2003, in front of a packed house at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney, MC Tony Squires unveiled Steve Rogers, Andrew Ettingshausen and Gavin Miller as the first Immortals of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Football Club. These three legendary players were selected over other finalists Tommy Bishop, David Hatch, Mark McGaw, Steve Kneen, Cliff Watson and Dane Sorensen.
To mark the occasion, leading Australian sports artist Dave Thomas was commissioned to paint the finalists in an enduring piece of memorabilia fittingly labelled 'Legends of the Cronulla Sharks'.
Two years later, on July 8, 2005, lion-hearted halfback Tommy Bishop and former Australian Test captain Greg Pierce were added as Immortals in front of a packed house at the Sharks Ball, a black-tie event held to support the Breakfree Foundation. On the night, Pierce said: "I played 13 years for the Sharks, was always loyal to the club and loved my time here. It is a great honour for me to join the other great players to have been chosen as Sharks Immortals."
The following season, in celebration of the club's 40th anniversary, the St George and Sutherland Shire newspaper named 'The Leader Dream Team'.
A panel of Gary Lester, Dr Peter Malouf and Jim Geraghty put pen to paper to name, for the third time in 25 years, a list of players regarded the best of the best.
The side of course featured club Immortals Steve Rogers and Ettingshausen as a centre pairing, Bishop at halfback, and Pierce and Miller in the forwards.
Ray Corcoran retained his spot on the wing from the '93 side, as did Ken Maddison, Cliff Watson, Ron Turner, Steve Kneen and Dane Sorensen.
Then-captain Brett Kimmorley was named on the bench, with David Peachey, Mark McGaw, Jason Stevens and Mat Rogers the other new faces.
Perhaps the most contentious decision was the naming of Chris Wellman at five-eighth. Gary Lester explained: "To understand how subjective the process can be, when the Sharks' last 'Best Team' was selected, Barry Andrews was the five-eighth. This time Wellman made it, unanimously, yet not until some deep discussion. Simply, Wellman's sheer brilliance, his scheming, his dash and toughness, which many felt should have guaranteed a place on the 1973 Kangaroo Tour, got him the nod."
The 50th anniversary 'Team of the Half Century' in 2017 near on mirrored that named a decade earlier.
The only players not already mentioned were those part of the 2016 maiden premiership-winning side: Valentine Holmes, James Maloney, Michael Ennis, Andrew Fifita and Paul Gallen. Shane Flanagan was named as coach.
While Ennis (51 games for Cronulla) and James Maloney (45 games) may have seemed like contentious choices, given that together they played fewer than 100 games for the club, their contributions over two seasons achieved what those before them could not: that elusive premiership.
Less controversial was colossal prop Andrew Fifita. "Fifita tries to crash his way over, he does, Fifita got the ball over the line!"... Need I say any more?
Despite the establishment of numerous "best of" teams, the induction of five club Immortals and the awarding of over 100 Life Memberships, it was evident that a Hall of Fame was the missing piece in recognising the club's past greats.
In late 2023, a subcommittee was formed to consolidate the criteria for Football Club Life Membership, with the goal of creating a clear and concise framework for nomination and induction. This new criteria was formally approved through a unanimous vote at the 2024 Annual General Meeting and is now enshrined in the Cronulla Sharks Football Club Constitution.
Going forward, eligibility for the Hall of Fame requires a player to first hold Life Membership. Additionally, no player will be elevated to Immortal status unless they have previously been inducted as both a Life Member and a Hall of Fame inductee.
The establishment of these criteria sets a definitive and objective standard, removing any reliance on opinion or subjectivity.
Now, the only questions left to ponder are: who will round out the inaugural Hall of Fame class tomorrow night and when will the next Sharks Immortal be named?
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Ashley Taylor is the official Sharks historian and the chair of the Hall of Fame selection panel.
