The spirit of Steve Rogers will loom large over Optus Stadium on Saturday as the Sharks look to defend the silverware that bears his name in a rivalry steeped in history and honour.
Cronulla wrested back the Steve Rogers Memorial Trophy from Manly in September last year with a 40-20 victory at 4 Pines Park.
As a mark of respect for a league giant, the Sharks and Sea Eagles have played for the special cup since Rogers' tragic passing in 2006 aged 51.
Crowned a Sharks Immortal as the best of the best in 2003, Rogers was also inducted into Cronulla's inaugural Hall of Fame alongside his son Mat in February.
"It's massive for our club," Cronulla captain Cameron McInnes said.
"Steve Rogers is one of if not the best Shark of all time. Not only him, but the Rogers family are massive in the Shire and the Sharks community.
"We know Mat and the whole family will be watching. We know how important and special a day it is for them to have their father's name brought up again and remembered. We want to do that justice. We want to give a performance that Steve would be proud of and his family would be proud of."
Sharks second-rower Teig Wilton added: "It's always a big thing for the club, for the Rogers family and it's something we don't take lightly.
"We'll be looking to honour him and put in a great performance for him."
Rogers proudly represented Cronulla in several famous battles that lit the fuse for a longstanding rivalry with Manly. He made his first-grade debut as an 18-year-old in 1973 and featured in the brutal grand final loss to the Silvertails that year.
He captained the Sharks in the 1978 grand final and grand final replay against the Sea Eagles during a peerless career comprising 202 top-grade games for the club.
Rogers played 21 games for NSW, 24 Tests for Australia and won a Rothmans Medal and Dally M Player of the Year award. He was inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame in 2008 and named as one of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) in a list commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year.
With Rogers having forged close friendships with Manly greats including Bob Fulton, Max Krilich and Paul McCabe on Kangaroo touring teams, the Sharks and Sea Eagles came together with the idea for a trophy to enshrine his legacy.
The first game with the trophy on the line took place in March 2006, almost three months after Rogers' death. The prize was put up each time the teams met until the end of the 2010 season, after which it was contested just once a season at the current holders' home ground if the teams were drawn to play each other twice.
In May 2016, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of Rogers' passing, Manly and Cronulla returned to the original format of playing for the trophy in each meeting.
Kick-off in Perth on Saturday is at 1pm, with the Rogers family to be in attendance.
Steve Rogers Memorial Trophy
Matches played: 30 (Manly 21, Cronulla 9)
2024, Rd 27: Cronulla 40 d Manly 20
2023, Rd 11: Cronulla 20 d Manly 14, Rd 21: Manly 30 d Cronulla 26
2022, Rd 7: Cronulla 34 d Manly 22, Rd 23: Cronulla 40 d Manly 6
2021, Rd 20: Manly 40 d Cronulla 22
2020, Rd 7: Cronulla 40 d Manly 22
2019, Rd 10: Manly 24 d Cronulla 14
2018, Rd 21: Manly 33 d Cronulla 32
2017, Rd 16: Manly 35 d Cronulla 18
2016, Rd 3: Manly 22 d Cronulla 12, Rd 11: Cronulla 20 d Manly 12
2015, Rd 26: Manly 14 d Cronulla 12; Rd 17, Manly 28 d Cronulla 16.
2014, Rd 6: Manly 24 d Cronulla 4, Rd 15: Manly 26 d Cronulla 0
2013, Rd 6: Manly 25 d Cronulla 18; SF: Manly 24 d Cronulla 18
2012, Rd 3: Cronulla 17 d Manly 14
2011, Rd 5: Manly 19 d Cronulla 13
2010, Rd 5: Manly 40 d Cronulla 12; Rd 19: Manly 48 d Cronulla 18
2009, Rd 19: Manly 32 d Cronulla 26: Rd 25: Manly 18 d Cronulla 16
2008, Rd 1: Cronulla 16 d Manly 10, Rd 18: Manly 34 d Cronulla 6
2007, Rd 19: Manly 29 d Cronulla 22
2006, Rd 3: Manly 20 d Cronulla 18, Rd 16 Cronulla 15 d Manly 12
