Premiership remains ultimate goal for top-of-table Sharks

MOSSMAN-PORT Douglas will not be daunted by expectation as the club attempts to win back-to-back CDRL premierships.

The Sharks stitched up the minor flag with a 40-22 win over Ivanhoes on Friday night with Stanley Anau, Aggie Gibuma and Mareko Daniel running amok with two tries each.

It is the first time in the club’s history they have finished on top of the table.

Sharks coach Brian Murgha paid tribute to his side’s bullocking “engine room” this season, which had allowed his star speedsters to light up the competition.

“If your engine is not working then you’re not going anywhere, just like a car,” he said.

“The backs and the speedsters are just like a fresh coat of paint on your car. It will look good but if that engine is not working under the hood then that car is not going anywhere.

“So it’s important that the engine room does their job and allows the fresh coat of paint to shine.”

Star fullback Matthew Gibuma is a chance to return from an injured foot after this week’s bye for a bumper preliminary final against either Innisfail or Yarrabah next weekend. The two face off in a semi final clash at Barlow Park on Sunday.

Murgha said his men would dare to dream if they could qualify for a second-straight grand final.

“Finishing on top during the regular season does not determine if you’re the best team,” he said. “It’s the team that wins at the end of September that’s the champion. We are just about ticking the boxes one week at a time.

“We spoke about going back to back, but you don’t know what’s going to happen next week until you get there.

“We’ve built on what we achieved last year and we’ve got some new faces who have been able to jell and get to know each others’ games, and we did that quite comfortably and quite quickly.”

The Sharks reserves will also play finals and meet Atherton on Sunday. MOTORSPORT: Night racing will be introduced on the Gold Coast while Phillip Island has been controversially cut under a bold new 2020 Supercars program. The Gold Coast was one of the big winners for the 60th Supercars season after the Queensland Government confirmed new fiveyear deals for both the street circuit on the tourist strip and the Townsville 400 round. However, Phillip Island and Ipswich were glaring omissions when the 2020 format was confirmed, reducing the season from 15 to 14 rounds next year.