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Cronulla - Sutherland Sharks

The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier Rugby league competition.

The Sharks, as they are commonly known, were admitted to the New South Wales Rugby League premiership, predecessor of the Australian Rugby League and the current National Rugby League competition, in January, 1967.

The club competed in every premiership season since then and during the Super League war joined the rebel competition before continuing on in the re-united NRL Premiership. Despite more than 40 years of competition and three Grand Finals, the Sharks have yet to win a premiership. They won the minor premiership in 1988 and 1999.

For Cronulla's maiden season in first grade a sky blue jersey with a white V was adopted from the Cronulla Surf Club despite Cronulla's chocolate and gold design in the Sydney 2nd Division competition. The team colours of black, white and sky blue haven't changed, with the exception of grey being incorporated during super league, and shortly after on the team's away strip.

The club wasn't known as the 'Cronulla Sharks' until after its admission into the competition. During Cronulla's first season the crest featured a drawing of Captain Cook's ship the Endeavour. It is alleged that during the first season the club President suggested the 'Lions' while the captain Ken Kearney recommended the 'Sharks'. The mascot may have been named after the Cronulla Surf Club's rugby league teams of the 1970s.

From the late 1970s through to the late 1990s, the Sharks used a predominately black circular crest with a blue shark. This was changed after Super League in 1997 to a blue and white star-shaped design. Between 1999-2002, the name was shortened to simply the "Sharks". Since 2003, the name has since been changed back to the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and changed their logo again in 2004, which is currently in use.

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