Storm not fooled by Cronulla’s siege mentality

While the Sharks are convinced that no one is giving them the credit in Sydney that they deserve, the Storm has nothing but respect for Craig Fitzgibbon’s side who have already won in Melbourne this year without Nicho Hynes.

Fitzgibbon said his side were “massive underdogs” following their thumping win over Manly on Sunday, and while they’ve won just one finals game since their 2016 premiership, they have beaten fellow top-four sides Melbourne and the Roosters this season and have won eight of their 12 games away from home.

They still need to prove they have an extra gear in the finals, but their road record and fearless style of play suggests they’re ready to make a statement after they handed Manly their second loss at 4 Pines Park this season with a thumping 40-20 win that robbed the Sea Eagles of a home final this weekend.

“An opponent with a siege mentality can be a dangerous opponent if you’re unprepared and you underestimate them,” Storm general manager of football Frank Ponissi said.

“We won’t be underestimating the Sharks for a number of reasons.

“They’re incredibly well coached and they’ve already beaten us this year which we still remember.

“We’ve only lost two games here at AAMI Park out of our last 20 – the Sharks and the Dragons – and before we lost to them, we’d won a record 14 consecutive games here.

“We know they can win here and they know they can win here.”

The Sharks boast one of the most balanced sides in the competition and are capable of blasting teams off the park with their formidable forward pack, while they have the speed, size and skill out wide to pile up the points if the game opens up.

“They can play a really expansive game which they showed against Manly on Sunday, but they can also play through the front door which they did here when they played us,” Ponissi said.

“You’ve got to be ready for two Sharks teams, and that’s a sign of a good team because in finals you can’t just play one way.

“They’ve been a top-four side under Fitzy for two of the three years, and they only missed out last year when they got beaten by the Knights in the second last round and we took their spot.

“If they are getting underestimated in Sydney, I don’t understand why because they’re a very good team. We are expecting a fired-up Sharks team with that siege mentality on Saturday afternoon.

“No team coached by Craig Bellamy – regardless of where they are on the ladder – will underestimate the opponent, nor will we not be prepared.”

The other not-so-secret weapon in the Shire is former Storm star Nicho Hynes, with the Dally M Medal winner starting to hit top form after missing two months of the season with a serious leg injury.

The fact the Sharks were able to beat the Storm without him earlier in the year points to how dangerous they are all over the park, with Hynes to add another attacking threat in Saturday’s qualifying final.

“He didn’t play in that game when they beat us, but we know exactly what he can do – he’s a class act,” Ponissi said.

“They’ve been easing him back over the past few weeks to take the pressure off him, but we’re ready for him to turn one on.”