As Cronulla went Up! Up! on Sunday night to win their first premiership, so went with them what might be the last great team story in rugby league. Forget the porch lamps, time to blow out the candles. Romance died under the tattooed arm of Andrew Fifita. Helluva way to go out.
Parched fans, without a drink from the cup of victory since 1967, quenched their thirst in fine style with a win over the Melbourne Storm. Whether you like their players or not, this was a great sports story. The problem is, rugby league doesn't have any left.
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Turn the porch lamp off, Cronulla won
Paul Gallen tells the Shire to turn the porch lights off, the Sharks are bringing the premiership to the Shire.
The Sharks were the last historic club to etch their name on the title. Only the New Zealand Warriors and the Gold Coast Titans remain to celebrate on grand final day. Both would be a good story but neither have the decades of hurt and history to make it truly special.
Rugby league now charges into the 2017 bereft of a 'curse'. Sure, there are the occasional 'hoodoos', whatever that means, or quirky records like teams failing to have won at a ground for extended periods. But a curse? The Sharks took care of that.
Sport's most famous curse belonged to baseball's Boston Red Sox. 'The curse of the Bambino' was said to have started when the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth in 1920. Before that, the club had enjoyed rampant success, winning the World Series five times up until 1918.
But after they moved on The Babe to east coast rivals the New York Yankees, the Sox would have to wait until 2004 for the exorcists to rid them of the apparent bad luck. They bounded back from 3-0 against the Yankees to 'Reverse the Curse' and break through at long last.
So what became of the Red Sox after that? Well, they became just another team. The Curse had become such a part of Boston folklore that people almost felt lost once it had finally been slain. When they won it again in 2007 and 2013, it was joy, not complete cultural meltdown.
This is the new reality for the Sharks faithful. No more gags about Harold Holt. No more yearning, no more wearing the lack of success as a warped badge of honour, like many of us have done over the years. Lap it up folks because as of this point, the Sharks are just a very good football team trying to remain at or near the top of the table.
![Romance is dead: Wade Graham, Paul Gallen and Luke Lewis show off the NRL trophy to fans on Monday.](/web/20161008050756im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/t/x/f/m/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gru8xp.png/1475548621006.jpg)
You would never swap ultimate success for a miserable past but it's a strange feeling when the breakthrough finally arrives, like swapping out of the comfy tracky-dacks you've had forever and awkwardly cramming yourself into a crisp suit.
South Sydney have been my rugby league obsession since I first watched a game. Prior to 2014, my entire existence was based on the fact that Souths were usually complete rubbish, to the point that they were punted from the sport completely.
Then, after a few years of posturing, 2014 arrived. The Rabbitohs went all the way to the grand final, then won it easily over the Bulldogs. We were a glamour team owned by a movie star. The moment was wonderful but completely at odds with the soul of the Souths sides I'd watched collect spoon after spoon.
Now, the best stories in the NRL belong to a team across the Tasman and another attempt at a viable side on the Gold Coast. A win for the Warriors would be long overdue for a nation that has produced some top-shelf rugby league talent, while the Titans would break through for an area that has historically been able to take rugby league or leave it on a whim.
When Harold Holt surfaced on Sunday, under went rugby league's last piece of historic voodoo. It's unlikely the Titans or the Warriors will wait another 50 years to put themselves in the same company.
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