At the conclusion of Round 11 in the NRL, the Cronulla Sharks lead the competition on 18 points; 2 points clear of last year's grand finalist the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys.
They have been in red hot form in year including a winning streak stretching 8 games.
Success has been hard to come by for the Sharkies faithful; having not won a competition since their inception in 1967.
The last time they led the competition was back on 14th February 2000 - let's take a look at what was happening back in the world back then...
1. John Howard & no GST
John Howard was the Prime Minister of this great country and the GST had not yet been introduced.
2. Macy Gray topped the charts
Macy Gray's I Try was #1 on the Aria charts. One of the great break up songs of all time...
3. Double Jeopardy the box office hit
The box office thriller featuring Tommy Lee Jones & Ashley Judd topped the box office charts. Rated 6.4/10 on IMBD - would struggle to get a start on Netflix these days!
4. Best mobile seller
The humble Nokia 3310 was a best seller. Reliable, effective, unbreakable - a bit like the Sharkies' defence at the minute. How good was Snake!
5. Jack Bird was 4
Sharks young gun, Jack Bird was 8 week off his 5th birthday. Now look at him go.
As we approach the State of Origin period, the Sharks are sitting pretty on top of the ladder and are currently $5.50 third picks with BlueBet to take out the comp. Their squad has a great balance of old heads who know how to get the job done including Gallen, Ennis, Lewis, and Maloney mixed in with some genuine match winners out wide with the likes of Bird, Holmes and Barba. Could this be their year? Up, up Cronulla...
