For pretty much all of the first 50 years of their existence, Cronulla lived in the shadow of the Dragons.
They were always the little brother down the road.
The paupers who made the best of a bad situation at Endeavour Field, pimping out the naming rights to the ground at regular intervals to make ends meet before it became commonplace for stadiums to sell themselves to the highest bidder.
They emerged the same year St George’s unprecedented 11-year premiership dynasty ended in 1967 and even though they had fleeting periods of success in the 1970s, late ‘80s and ‘90s and into this century, the Sharks were never in a position of power when compared to their red and white rivals.
When the Saints and Steelers merged 25 years to go, the Sharks were surrounded by the St George Illawarra joint venture and despite being minor premiers, we’re denied a Grand Final berth that year by Anthony Mundine and Nathan Blacklock cartwheeling their way past them in a devastating preliminary final defeat for Cronulla.
When the merged Dragons came of age under Wayne Bennett to win the 2010 Grand Final while the Sharks were still searching for their first title, there was no doubt about who held the upper hand in the long-running enmity between the enemies.
But after hitting the depths of the wooden spoon a decade ago on the back of the peptides scandal which engulfed the club, Cronulla have been the alpha in their complicated relationship with the Red V while the Dragons have rivalled the Wests Tigers and Titans for ineptitude.
Even after their 2016 premiership breakthrough, the Sharks have maintained a high standard of sustained success, making the finals in nine out of 10 years, including this one, with their low point a ninth placing in 2021 when they missed out on for and against to the Titans after they thumped the Warriors by 44 on the final day of the season.
Jamie Soward, Wayne Bennett and Dean Young celebrate after the 2010 Grand Final win by St George Illawarra. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
In the red corner, St George Illawarra have finished out of the finals in 10 of the 12 seasons since Bennett bounced, winning just the one playoff game in 2018 and never placing higher than seventh.
Their low point came during the reign of error under Anthony Griffin which was mercifully cut short midway through last season after 2.5 years of on-field mediocrity, baffling signings and off-field incidents which made the club a laughing stock.
The moment of truth came last year when the club was spurned by one of its favourite sons in Jason Ryles when he was offered what would have been his first coaching gig.
It was a kick in the guts for the Dragons at a time when their best player, captain Ben Hunt, was agitating for a release to return to Queensland.
But true Dragons dusted themselves off and after narrowing the field down to a couple of other home-grown former stars Dean Young and Ben Hornby and a premiership-winning coach with a tainted record in Shane Flanagan, they went with the experienced option.
And just like he did at Cronulla, he is culling the deadwood grim the roster and cutting the crap that has been an unfortunate hallmark of the club in recent years.
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While it took a rookie coach in Cameron Ciraldo more than a year to get the Bulldogs playing in the style he wanted, Flanagan has taken half as long to instil much-needed steel to the Dragons.
He has stuck with the more experienced players in his roster with the likes of Toby and Ryan Couchman, Mat and Max Feagai and Christian Tuipolotu forced to bide their time at NSW Cup level to prove they deserved an NRL spot rather than having it handed to them in the name of playing for the future.
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Flanagan is too competitive to go into any match more concerned about building for the future at the behest of the two competition points on offer.
The result has been that these younger players have hit their straps because they have earned their first-grade jersey.
Tyrell Sloan has had the reverse applied to him. The young fullback was not performing to expectations and was dropped to let him know that complacency is the most common cause of careers coming to an early end in the NRL.
The unusual part about the Dragons being in eighth spot with three rounds to go in possession of an 11-10 record is that, statistically, they should be much lower.
Tyrell Sloan celebrates scoring a try. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
They have a -92 for and against, they have the sixth-worst defence (conceding 25 points per game), their attack is a lowly 14th (20.7 points per game) and only the cellar-dwelling Rabbitohs and Tigers average less than the Dragons’ 1374 running metres per game.
St George Illawarra are the fifth-worst for running metres conceded (1493), rank second last in average kick return metres (64) and make more errors (10.7) than anyone apart from Brisbane and Parramatta.
Their for-and-against record will be costly if they end up equal with the two teams directly below them on the ladder – the Dolphins (+2) and Broncos (-92).
Just like games aren’t won on paper when it comes to the team lists, results don’t necessarily follow the statistical indicators that would suggest this Dragons team should be near the bottom of the standings.
Flanagan is a master of the siege mentality. It was one of his go-to devices at Cronulla to create an us versus them culture which got them offside with plenty of opponents and referees but it bred success.
The Dragons are well on their way to restoring respectability in their logo and whether or not they make the finals or not this year, they will again be challenging the Sharks for big brother status over the next few years as they add high-profile recruits like Valentine Holmes to add a touch of class to their team of pugnacious over-achievers.
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