‘He deserves that role’: Dale Finucane backs Blayke Brailey to make his State of Origin debut

Cronulla co-captain Dale Finucane says he’s noticed a significant change at training this year as the Sharks look to evolve from one of the best regular-season teams into a club that is ready to start challenging for titles, with the veteran forward also calling on the Blues to pick two of his uncapped teammates.

Only the Panthers have won more regular season games over the past two years than Cronulla, but while Penrith has won three-straight titles, the men from the Shire have just one finals victory since their 2016 premiership.

It’s a stat they desperately want to fix, with the Sharks proving they have the talent to get the job done during the season, with something missing once spring arrives.

But Finucane may have found the secret, with the veteran lock pointing to the experience of some of their key players, with guys like Nicho Hynes (82 NRL games), Briton Nikora (111), Blayke Brailey (110) and Ronaldo Mulitalo (87) entering that sweet spot.

“There is a sense of high expectation in our group for each other,” he said, with Hynes declaring a couple of weeks ago that the “penny had dropped” this year.

“The thing that’s really exciting for our squad this year is the fact that we’ve got a number of guys (with a lot more experience).

“We’ve got a number of guys who are coming up on 100 NRL games, which means they’ve been here for at least four years.

“The experience of our squad as a whole has improved. Yes, we had Wade Graham retire last year, Aiden Tolman and Andrew Fifita retired in recent years, so we lost a wealth of experience, but that sort of middle pack of guys is really strong.

“I’ve seen that in the talk and the way that people are training.”

While plenty of his teammates have impressed him, Finucane made special mention of Brailey, who won the Porter Gallen Medal last year as Cronulla’s best player.

The 25-year-old has barely missed a minute since he replaced his brother as the club’s first-choice hooker, with the tackling machine rewarded with a spot in an extended State of Origin squad last year.

Api Koroisau, Damien Cook and Reece Robson shared hooking duties during last year’s series, but Finucane says Brailey is ready to shine on the biggest stage.

“He’s someone who has always been the fittest, but he’s taken it to a new level this year,” the former Blues forward said.

“When I say he’s winning things, he’s now winning them by a country mile. It’s not like he was just existing before, but he’s really taken it to the next level.

“He’s been a lot more vocal in the group and holding people accountable for things.

“You’ve got the Blues incumbents who have been there before, but I can certainly see him being involved in some capacity.

“I could certainly see him coming in and playing a role, whether that’s 80 minutes or sharing it with someone like Damien Cook.

“I really think he deserves that role. He’s still young and will have plenty of opportunities ahead of him, so if it’s not now, it’ll be very soon.”

Brailey isn’t the only Shark in the mix with workhorse Cam McInnes earning a spot in Michael Maguire’s 36-man squad earlier in the year.

McInnes was recently named Cronulla’s co-captain and would be the perfect Origin forward just like Queensland’s Reuben Cotter.

“He’s a no-frills players but he’s obviously got the ability to move the ball around,” Finucane said.

“I’d love to see him get his opportunity, and it was good to see him involved in that squad that ‘Madge’ put together.

“He’s someone who’s been unheralded throughout the course of his career at hooker and now at lock. He can ball play, he’s a strong runner and he broke the record for most tackles in a game, so there’s nothing he can’t do.”