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Bitter rivalry in the nation's capital

resized crowd
Cronulla fans cheer as kicker, James Maloney, shoots for goal – Credit: Jaylee Ismay

One of the newest rivalries that been ignited in the rugby league world is between the Canberra Raiders and the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks.
In round 2 of the 2017 NRL season, the Canberra Raiders were out to even the score against the reigning Premiers, Cronulla Sharks.
Rugby league fans gathered at GIO Stadium, which hosted three entertaining matches on game day to attract spectators. The crowd peaked at 15,807 for the main game and was divided into a sea of blue and a mountain of green.
Die-hard Cronulla fans selected their tickets from the official away-area which sold out a week before the clash. Come game day, Bay-72 also sold out and was solely occupied by eager Sharks fans.
The Cronulla Sutherland Supporters Club (CSSC) is a major fan group that travels to every game and organises buses, trains – and sometimes even planes – all over the country. As well as transport, the association purchases mass group tickets so all members can go cheer on their devoted club every game in rain, hail, or shine.
Without missing a beat, one of the CSSC’s famous members, Peter the Bugler, was on hand at GIO to give a voice to all Sharks fans.
Peter, who has travelled around the world supporting the almighty blue, black and white, only arrived back in Australia three weeks ago after following the Sharks around in England for the World Club Challenge. On this game day, he made the 3.5 hour drive from Cronulla to be with his fellow enthusiasts for this colossal rematch.
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Peter the Bugler get the crowd going as the sharks take the lead. Credit: Jaylee Ismay

Peter’s main responsibility is to make sure that the players on the field hear their dedicated fans in the stands. Throughout the match Peter can be seen playing his bugle to start chants, sing-alongs and the team song after every victory.
“My job here is to make a lot of noise and it’s fun,” Peter admits.
Cronulla resident Corey Brandon was more than thrilled to witness the eagerly anticipated game after missing last year’s. Brandon drove for a hours with a few friends prior to kick-off.
“It was a great drive down from Cronulla, as many other fans did the same thing . More than half the cars that were in front of me on the highway all had either Sharks bumper stickers or licence plates. I missed last years semi final, but I was in no way going to miss this rematch and copy their Viking Clap after we win to rub it in their faces,” said Brandon.
After lots of cheering, yelling and clapping radiating from the stadium, the grounds fell silent late in the second half as Raiders fans hung their heads and began walking out in defeat.
As the full time siren blasted, the Sharks won 42-16 against the home side. As promised, the Viking Clap by Cronulla fans mocked the opposition, just to add the finishing touches to the defeat. Sharks fans held their derogatory posters and imitated the clap, leaving the rivalry ready for another day.
Written by Jaylee Ismay

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