Silver linings: Sharks taking positives from tough year

Despite a star-studded roster that includes the likes of Tiana Penatani Grey, Quincy Dodd and young gun Chantay Kiria Ratu, the team wasn't able to overcome their injury toll, which saw more than a dozen players go down throughout the season.

“It affects you, but it's been a good experience for the girls in the way of some younger girls who have had their debuts," Herman said.

“It'll be good for the program to move into the future."

While costing them an array of talent and structure throughout the season, the Sharks are hoping the injury toll will have a silver lining moving forward.

Despite the injury tally that saw numerous gaps needing to be filled, Herman was able to utilize more squad members and develop players in multiple positions.   

“Some girls have debuted; other girls have been moved in positions from game to game,” Herman said.

“Even though we didn't get the season we wanted, we’ve had some really good things to come out of it too."

In doing this, Herman has strengthened his depth for next season and may have given the right amount of experience to young players across his squad to not only boost their playing skills but also increase their confidence at the top grade.

Players like Madison Ashby were able to expand their positional options and get a larger chunk of minutes playing in multiple different spots on the field. Emerging 19-year-old talent Koffi Brookfield was also able to get a handful of games after Quincy Dodd broke her arm in their Round 8 defeat to the Parramatta Eels.

"It was a great experience for Madi," Herman said. "She's played numerous positions for us this year, she was in the No.6 today, and she's got some really good learnings out of it, and she's looking forward to next season. 

“It's a real plus to see the girls already talking about next year." 

Despite the challenging results, the team remained positive throughout the season as the players recognised how much the injuries impacted their campaign.

The attitude indicates it should only be up from here, as the team looks to combine the invaluable experience of leaders like Tiana Penitani Grey and Dodd with the spark and youth of up-and-coming stars like Kiria-Ratu and Jada Taylor.

These young stars will be hoping to help push their club into a finals spot next year, combining the kicking and game management prowess of Ratu with the electric, game-changing speed and athleticism of Taylor.    

“Moving forward, there are a lot of lessons for them to take out of this season, learning how to be resilient and learning how to overcome adversity," Penitani Grey said.

“They are very exciting players, and we are still yet to see the best of them."

With a lot to work on over the summer and coming into pre-season, the Sharks will be focusing all their effort on another finals berth. Herman will be relieved to start fresh with a stronger squad whose depth will hopefully be a factor in future success.

"We’ll be a strong footy club; the biggest thing for us is to present our footy and play our footy," Herman said.