The Cronulla Sharks are looking to become the first team in 20 years to progress to a grand final without an Origin player as they chase an upset win over Storm on Friday night.
The 2005 Wests Tigers are the only team since the inception of State of Origin to play in the decider without having a player feature for NSW or Queensland in that year's series according to stats compiled by rugby league historian David Middleton.
The Sharks are one win away from joining Benji Marshall's side in that exclusive group and are chasing an upset over Melbourne at AAMI Park in Friday's preliminary final.
NRL Classic: Wests Tigers v Cowboys - Grand Final, 2005
In contrast, five Storm players featured in this year's series, while Jack Howarth was also part of the Maroons' extended squad.
While they don't boast the big names in the Storm side, Cronulla skipper Blayke Brailey said his team is filled with hard-working players who always put the team first.
"Hopefully we get to create some history and get into a grand final like the Tigers," Brailey told NRL.com. "It shows how well we work as a team and we do have a lot of representative players in our side.
"We've got players with international experience so it's not to say we don't have rep players in our side. It will be a cool stat if we can get there but we've got to beat Melbourne first and that will be a tough task."
Match: Storm v Sharks
Finals Week 3 -
home Team
Storm
2nd Position
away Team
Sharks
5th Position
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
The Sharks charge to the preliminary final has been built on standout performances from a host of unheralded players, with Billy Burns, Will Kennedy and Toby Rudolf among a group of quiet achievers.
While they didn't have any players involved in this year's Origin series, Cronulla do have a host of men with representative experience.
Halfback Nicho Hynes, bench forward Siosifa Talakai and injured lock Cam McInnes have all played for NSW in the past.
Star prop Addin Fonua-Blake is the Tongan captain, Ronaldo Mulitalo and Briton Nikora play for New Zealand and KL Iro is a Cook Islands leader.
Golden Boot Nominee: Addin Fonua-Blake
The centre said coach Craig Fitzgibbon has done an excellent job building depth throughout the squad while the playing group has embraced the opportunity to topple some of the game's biggest names.
"This is a team sport," Iro said. "You can have three or four Origin players but at the end of the day the best team is going to win the game.
"Some sides are impacted when a player's missing, but the good teams are able to overcome it.
"Every time we've missed a player with injury, someone fills in and the team keeps performing. Now that we're pretty fit coming into finals, it gives us lots of confidence. We're building our connection every week and we don't want it to end this week."
The Sharks lack of involvement in the State of Origin series is destined to change next year if a host of players begin 2026 the way they have finished 2025.
Brailey has been the form hooker in the NRL in the past couple of months and many experts have him ahead of incumbent Reece Robson for the Blues No.9 jumper next year. The dummy half has also rocketed into contention for the Kangaroos upcoming Ashes tour.
Brilliance from Brailey
Lock Jesse Colquhoun has overcome a wretched injury run and could one day wear the sky blue if he continues on his current trajectory, while Hynes has starred throughout the finals series to quieten criticism of his ability to handle the big moments.
The playmaker is set for a fascinating positional battle with Storm halves Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster.
Edge forward Teig Wilton was invited to train with the Blues before this year's decider and said it made him even more determined to one day represent his state.
"It was a great experience," Wilton said. "I had that week there and got to go in, train with the squad and get a taste of it. I loved my time in there with the Blues."
