The Cronulla Sharks broke their infamous finals hoodoo on Friday night.
Having lost their previous seven finals matches dating back to 2018, the pressure was on as they hosted the Cowboys in semi-final action, but they defied the critics in a big way.
The final score may have been 26-18, but they raced out to a 24-0 lead at the break thanks to the performance of Braydon Trindall.
Whilst they will be up against it in a preliminary final against the Panthers, coach Craig Fitzgibbon believes their previous struggles have helped them in the long run, and that they are building towards something big.
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Why Fitzgibbon believes the Sharks are building towards success
Speaking to media after the semi-final success, Fitzgibbon believes there is evidence to suggest his team have learnt from the previous finals set backs, and are ready for the challenges that face them now.
"I don't think [the finals record] was as big a deal as you think," Fitzgibbon said.
"Developmentally we have just chipped away at it, we've had a similar squad the whole time, it's not like you just turn around and nail it all and get it right.
"We painfully lost that semi [final] last year, we could have won that game, so that hurt, we shot ourselves in the foot.
"The year before the Cowboys beat us by a field goal, then we got blown away here by Souths.
"Each year has been different, but I felt like this year we're actually getting closer to what it might take to win a semi, and that's how it's panned out."
Fitzgibbon insists his side are still aiming much higher.
"There's still more to go," he said, "I think we're still going through the levels we have to get to, and we'll find out the levels we're at.
"We didn't get there last week, but we got there tonight, and we have another challenge coming."
