Years of pain and frustration could come to a glorious end for the region’s many Cronulla Sharks fans on Sunday and if they win Steve Gauci’s yells of delight will be heard kilometres away.
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The well known Shoalhaven business man has supported the Sharks since they came into the competition in 1967 and hopes this year the drought will finally end.
The Sharks play the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL) grand final on Sunday and Mr Gauci can almost taste victory.
The many Cronulla fans just on their sheer dedication alone deserve this premiership.
“I feel every tackle, pass every ball and get frustrated when all the Sharks tries get sent to the bunker,” he said
“My porch light is still on for Harold Holt.”
Iconic coach Jack Gibson once said waiting for Cronulla to win a premiership is like leaving the porch light on for the believed to be drowned Prime Minister Harold Holt.
Over the seasons the Sharks have had some pretty lean years but the fans have stuck by them.
It has been tough being a Cronulla supporters for all these years and being the brunt of all the jokes.
“When people talk about premierships you are excluded from conversations because you don’t have any,” Mr Gauci said.
“I told people when James Maloney came over to us that this is the year but they laughed at me.
“We are so close and I honestly believe this is the year.”
He said the Sharks need to be a good as they were against the Cowboys last Friday, if not better, and does not think they have peaked a week too early.
If it means his team holding up the NRL trophy - this Sharks fanatic is happy to watch the match at home.
“I have gone to most of their home matches this year and I have not been to the finals series yet because I don’t want to jinx them,” he said.
“I would love to go on Sunday and I can get tickets but I am not sure if I do want to go.
“I want to be there to see them but I went to the grand finals in 1978 and we lost them both and so I purposely have stayed away from the finals series.
“However, if I don't go and they do happen to win I will be jumping straight in my car and going up to the leagues club and spending a couple of days up there to watch the players with the trophy and that sort of thing.”
Mr Gauci was born in 1961 and when the Sharks were formed in 1967 he had found a club to support.
“I never lived in the Shire - I lived in the Western Suburbs of Sydney but I just got attached to the Sharks,” he said.
“There was no particular reason I just got attached to them and it just struck with me.
“When I was a youngster I used to scrapbook and I used to get all the Rugby League Weeks glue all the articles (Sharks related of course) together and do a match report on each game.”
He was just a mad Sharks supporter from the word go.
“In my early teens I used to ring up the club’s officials Arthur Wynn and Bob Abbott and they allowed me into the dressing sheds before the game,” he said.
“I had sent all my scrapbooking into them and they realised I was a fanatic and allowed me to go into the sheds so I could see what took place.”
He has met Cronulla royalty and said the late Steve Rogers was Cronulla’s greatest ever player.
With Michael Innes playing his late game and club stalwart Paul Gallen in what could be in only chance to win a grand final Mr Gauci thinks the omens are good.
Mr Gauci is confident his team can beat the machine like Storm.
“If they turn into a football game and not a wrestling match then we will win,” he said.
“We need fast play the balls and need to catch them off guard.”
He was not super impressed with the way the Storm played against the Raiders
“I really think they (the Sharks) will come out firing and won’t let this slip away,” he said.
He hopes when his team wins on Sunday they handle things professionally and not let success go to their heads.