The Southern Sharks don’t need to explain themselves.
They’ve already done the hardest part. Twice.
Back-to-back titles turned them from contenders into the benchmark, the team everyone measured themselves against. For two seasons, their blueprint worked better than anyone else’s. Calm starts. Smart rotations. Sunday composure. When the weekend tightened, the Sharks didn’t.
That history still matters. It’s why they remain dangerous.
But the competition has changed.
The gap that once existed between the Sharks and the field has narrowed, and 2025 was the first real sign of it. Injuries disrupted their rhythm on the Gold Coast. Momentum never quite settled. By Sunday, they were chasing instead of controlling, and for the first time, the tournament moved on without them.
That doesn’t mean the blueprint failed. It means it was tested.
There are signs it’s evolving. Jimmy Grehan’s involvement with the Southern Steelers in the Sydney Qualifier mattered. That side pushed to the semifinals, showing the same principles that built the Sharks. Structure. Toughness. Trust in systems. More importantly, it showed Grehan now has a feeder pipeline that can add depth and flexibility when needed.
That could be the difference.
The question hanging over the Sharks isn’t whether they know how to win this tournament. It’s whether they can adapt to one that no longer waits for them to settle in. Younger teams run longer. Margins disappear faster. Recovery matters more than reputation.
Can the Sharks get back to Sunday contention without relying on what used to work?
Can they evolve without losing what made them champions?
Those answers won’t take long.
The Premier League never does.
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