1 week ago
2
Cronulla have taken an interesting step in their preparations to face Canterbury on Saturday by playing crowd noise from Bulldogs supporters in a bid to mimic the atmosphere that they may face at the Accor Stadium on Saturday night.
There is still plenty to play for in the race for the NRL finals with the Sharks able to leapfrog the Broncos into fourth place if they beat the Bulldogs in their final game of the regular season.
Currently, Brisbane and Cronulla are tied on 34 points, meaning Cronulla will need Michael Maguire’s side to suffer defeat against Melbourne on Thursday if they are to sneak into the top four.
That would see them set up a qualifying final tie against minor premiers, the Canberra Raiders. Craig Fitzgibbon’s side could earn a bye to the preliminary finals with a victory, and would also gain a home fixture in weeks two and three of finals with a top-four finish.
And as they ramp up training ahead of the final round of the season, Fitzgibbon and his coaching team have devised a creative plan to help his players keep their cool on the footy field, as Bulldog fans will inevitably look to spur their team to victory at Stadium Australia.
A video was posted on social media by Reddit user Strayangunner, showed some members of the Cronulla team training at Shark Park this week.
Craig Fitzgibbon and his coaching staff have deployed some interesting measures to prepare their side for their upcoming game against Canterbury
The Sharks can gain a home semi-final fixture or preliminary final fixture if they usurp the Broncos to finish fourth in the NRL ladder
The club were also blaring crowd out over the speaker system at the 20,000-capacity stadium, with cries of ‘Bulldogs, Bulldogs, Bulldogs’ heard over the tannoy.
It follows an interesting ploy that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta once used during the 2021-22 Premier League season, where the Gunners and Liverpool had been battling to seal fourth place and secure a berth in the Champions League.
While it was an ingenious idea, the Gunners left many perplexed by their decision to blare out Liverpool’s anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ from speakers during a training session at their London Colney campus ahead of a match at Anfield.
However, things didn’t quite work out for Arsenal that season. The North London club had trailed the Merseyside outfit by two points in fifth place, but when they arrived at Anfield, they suffered a bruising 4-0 defeat.
It comes as the Sharks will seek an exemption from the NRL to host their finals matches at Shark Park in the eventuality that they do usurp Brisbane to secure fourth place.
Allianz Stadium has traditionally been the Sharks' home ground in that case, with only major venues hosting finals after week one.
But repairs to a defective drainage layer mean the $830 million venue is out of commission after a charity event on September 15.
The works must be finished in time for rapper Kendrick Lamar's concert on December 10, so cannot be delayed to accommodate a Cronulla home final in either week two or three.
Mikel Arteta’s ‘crazy idea’ to make the Arsenal team train with ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ in the background at London Colney, to replicate the intimidating atmosphere against Liverpool at Anfield, as seen on Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing: Arsenal’. 🔊 #afc pic.twitter.com/cmX9rO70EN
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) December 21, 2023Mikel Arteta attempted to prepare his players for the Anfield test by acclimatising them to the hostile surroundings using speakers to blare out 'You'll Never Walk Alone'
It comes as the Sharks will seek an exemption from the NRL to host their finals matches at Shark Park in the eventuality that they do usurp Brisbane to secure fourth place, however rep
The Sharks have been told to prepare to host at a third-choice home venue, either CommBank Stadium or Accor Stadium, if they finish fourth.
Cronulla have reluctantly accepted that proposition, but AAP understands they are prepared to raise the situation with the NRL if they draw the four-time reigning premiers Penrith.
The Panthers have played home games at CommBank Stadium all year as Penrith Park undergoes refurbishment and have won the last three grand finals at Accor Stadium.
Penrith also notably defeated the Sharks in last year's preliminary final at Homebush.
Cronulla feel playing the Panthers at either western Sydney venue would put them at a disadvantage and would push Shark Park as their preferred home ground.
Ahead of round 27, Craig Fitzgibbon's side remain a live chance to host the Panthers in either week two or three of the finals.
If Penrith lose to St George Illawarra and the Sydney Roosters beat South Sydney, the Panthers will finish the season eighth on the ladder.
That would put the four-time reigning premiers on course to meet the Sharks at their makeshift home ground in week two of the finals.
Alternatively, if the Panthers remain seventh on the ladder, they could meet Cronulla in week three if the Sharks placed fourth and beat Canberra in week one.
Accor Stadium is a 30km drive from Cronualla's training base, with CommBank Stadium even further away at 35km.
Travelling to either stadium from Shark Park takes around two hours via public transport, though this time would be cut down if direct train services ran from Central to Olympic Park on the night.
