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Five years after arriving at the club on a train-and-trial deal with no promises, Siosifa Talakai will celebrate his 100th match for the Sharks against the Cowboys on Saturday night.
Having fought his way back from the rugby league wilderness, Talakai will be forever grateful for Cronulla's decision to give him another shot at the NRL.
He refused to let it slip, quickly forging a path into first grade and establishing himself as a reliable and versatile performer in black, white and blue.
The significance of the milestone isn't lost on the humble powerhouse, who will come off the interchange at Townsville's Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
"It means the world," said Talakai, Shark #535.
"This is the club that gave me my second opportunity. I just want to put everything I've learnt into the 100th game and many more games to come.
"I had nothing, no opportunities lined up, and I was ready to walk away from footy. They threw me a lifeline and got me to where I am now."
Talakai was presented with his jersey at a team meeting on Friday morning, with coach Craig Fitzgibbon and captain Cameron McInnes paying tribute to the Mascot Jets junior's resilience and selflessness.
"He's a great story, Sifa," Fitzgibbon told media.
"Balancing Sifa's positional changes... not many players can play centre, back row, middle and do it at the level and with the capabilities he has.
"He's very selfless, Sifa. He doesn't care where he plays as long as he's playing. He'll do whatever the team needs him to do.
"He's one of those players you love coaching. No fuss. The boys respect him and we want to put a good performance on for him."
After making his NRL debut for the Rabbitohs alongside McInnes in 2016, Talakai was cast aside at the end of the following season with 11 games to his name.
He spent two years away from the top level before earning another crack after helping Sharks feeder club Newtown win the NSW Cup premiership in 2019.
The now 27-year-old made his Cronulla debut in Round 4 of the COVID-impacted 2020 campaign and has been a key contributor ever since, endearing himself to fans and collecting NSW State of Origin and Tongan Test honours in the process.
Talakai has scored 23 tries and kicked a goal in his 99 Sharks games to date.
