I went up to Pizza League for dinner with some old workmates the other night. I was glad to see all the BELIEVE posters I gave them last year are still up and looking great.
Whilst we were having dinner, they were showing a Sharks Vs. Dragons game from a few years ago at Shark Park, must have been mid 2000's? The coach was Stuart Raper and Darren Albert was playing on the wing with a serious mohawk haircut - looked the goods and he even scored a try!
Anyway, the Sharks completely destroyed the 'Goons 30-12 in what was an awesome game to watch. The Sharkies attack was fantastic. Bird and Gallen (both with skinhead haircuts, Birdy had a shocking rat-tail) were tearing them up, a young Luke Douglas was belting them up the middle and Kimmorley was guiding them round the park like a war-hardened general.
Whilst it was great to watch the game and relive old memories, it made me kind of sad to think, "Where has that Sharks team gone?"
Not so much the players but the attitude. These guys were never going to be beaten, you could see it in their eyes and the way they carried themselves. Even when the Dragons levelled the score at 12 all halftime, you could see the boys weren't even contemplating losing.
They came out in the second half and just went up a gear, wiped the Dragons off the park. Funny thing was, this was a Dragons team that featured many of the big names playing today - Morris, Hornby, Creagh, Young, Gasnier, plus Justin Poore - but they never looked like winning.
The biggest difference, for mine, was Lance Thompson. He had a blinder and you could just see it in the way he played; he hated that Red V and anyone wearing it.
After leaving the Broncos game on Friday night, I was left to wonder, "Where is that Sharks team now?". It certaintly wasn't the team I had just watched surrender a game that was there to be won at halftime. When the game was on the line at halftime against the Dragons, the "old" Sharkies came out and blew their opposition away.
The new team came out and looked terrified of losing, which is of course, exactly what happened.
Maybe Flanno needs to show the boys the video of that game to remind them what pride and passion look like.
Maybe they need to BELIEVE.