Heartbreak level: Being outside in mild weather without a jumper. Familiar feeling: Paul Gallen, left, has been on the wrong end of some of Cronulla's most crushing losses. Credit:Getty Images Another loss to the eventual premiers after scraping into the finals. Cronulla weren't given much of a chance against the star-studded Brisbane Broncos, and with good reason; Wayne Bennett's men beat them 34-20 en route to another title win. Sharks centre Russell Richardson infamously bombed a try in a crucial moment, dropping the ball over the line. Missed chance: Former Shark Russell Richardson. Credit:Scott Barbour

Heartbreak level: Having to tell Netflix you are indeed still watching after three episodes. After once again finishing seventh, Cronulla had to play their arch-rivals, the St George Illawarra Dragons, who finished second, in the first week of the finals - because this was back in the golden era of the worst finals system ever conceived. As for the game, the Sharkies got close but were just edged out, 28-22. Job done: Colin Best and Mark Gasnier celebrate after the 2005 finals win over the Sharks. Credit:Getty Images Heartbreak level: Accidentally buying a return train ticket when you only needed a single.

If you're noticing a pattern developing, well done. The Sharks finished seventh and limped into the finals in awful form, winning just two of their last nine regular season games. They travelled to Canberra in week one and were brushed aside by the Raiders, 36-22. This was the game where Josh Papalii famously roughed up Paul Gallen. Heartbreak level: When you got up too early for Cheez TV and had to sit through the end of Aerobics Oz Style.

Another one and done for the Sharks here - once again in the top five system, Cronulla had to play fifth-placed Manly in a sudden death eliminator and were beaten 14-11 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Heartbreak level: Trying to buy a shot at a Sydney bar at 12:01am. The first entry on this list where the Sharks won a game in the finals! They hosted the eighth-placed Cowboys in week one and controversially scraped past them, 20-18, following a seventh-tackle try (before seven-tackle sets were part of the rules) before losing to future grand finalists Manly in week two - they had a potentially match-levelling try to skipper Paul Gallen with seven minutes remaining disallowed for an obstruction.

Heartbreak level: Looking at your uni timetable to see you have a compulsory lecture at 9am on Friday morning. The Sharks also played two finals games in 1995, but suffered defeat in both. Finishing an impressive fourth in the 20-team competition, Cronulla went out in straight sets after first losing to minor premiers Manly, before a Matty Johns field goal in week two saw them go down 19-18. Cronulla led late in the game before letting the lead slip. Dagger: Matty Johns ended Cronulla's season in 1995. Credit:Getty Images Heartbreak level: Having your footy confiscated at school for playing tackle instead of touch at lunchtime.

Cronulla fans were starting to believe after they easily dispatched of the defending champion South Sydney in week one of the finals, but it all came crashing down a week later when they faced the Cowboys, who blew them out, 39-0. Heartbreak level: Being told there's a $10 minimum on EFTPOS.

Buoyed by a league-best defence, the Sharks finished third but were once again bounced out in straight sets. The unit that had only let in 12 points a game during the regular season leaked 24 and 30 in two losses to Parramatta and Canterbury respectively. That loss to the Bulldogs was the last game of the legendary Norm Provan's coaching career. Heartbreak level: Listening to any Elliott Smith song. Cronulla went on a fine run in the finals, beating Wests and then upsetting one of the competition heavyweights in Brisbane before coming up against Manly in the grand final qualifier. The Sea Eagles were minor premiers and would go on to win the competition after clobbering the Sharks 24-0 and beating St George the following week. Many Sharks fans will remember John Hopoate sarcastically patting David Peachey on the head after a mistake that led to a try.

Club legend: Few players deserved a title more than David Peachey. Credit:Simon Alekna Heartbreak level: When a plot point in Game of Thrones is spoiled for you. John Lang's last year in charge of the club resulted in a solid top four finish. Cronulla easily beat the Broncos and then utterly destroyed the Bulldogs, 52-10, before facing the Andrew Johns-led Knights in the grand final qualifier. It would be another preliminary final loss for the club, with the Novocastrians prevailing 18-10 and going on to win the title the following week. Lang would leave to coach Penrith and steered them to a title just two years' later. Sweet victory: John Lang, who left Cronulla after the 2001 season, coached Penrith to glory in 2003. Credit:Steve Christo

Heartbreak level: Someone buying you a V when you asked for Red Bull. New coach, same result a year later. Under Chris Anderson's tutelage the Sharks would once again reach the preliminary final, this time going down to the Warriors. It was 10-10 late in the game before a Stacey Jones' grubber kick was hauled in by John Carlaw for what would prove to be the decisive try. The Warriors won 16-10. Heartbreak level: When Shannon Noll lost to Guy Sebastian on Australian Idol in 2003.

It may be odd to see a minor premiership year so low on this list, but 1988 ended with a whimper for the Sharks. After averaging 23 points a game during the regular season, they went cold in the playoffs - they suffered a 26-8 loss to Canterbury, before facing Balmain in a must win game ... and losing by the (bizarre by modern standards) scoreline of 9-2. Ouch. Heartbreak level: Stepping on a piece of Lego. One of the great what-if rugby league questions is "would fans recognise the Sharks as title winners had they won Super League?". We'll never know, as the competition which was predestined to finish with a Broncos "premiership" ended with - shock - the Broncos standing tall. Someone needed to be cannon fodder in the final game and that team was the Sharks.

Heartbreak level: Having your rugby league team kicked out of the competition in the fallout of the Super League saga. The Sharks were the sweetheart team of the 2008 finals - they finished third, easily beat the Raiders and got a week off thanks to the Storm being the first minor premiers to lose to the eighth-placed team in round one of the finals (seriously, how stupid was the McIntyre system?) and confidence was high in the Shire. The Storm won a nail-biter against the Broncos in Queensland and many were picking the Sharks to take advantage of the burned-out defending champs, who were missing banned duo Cameron and Jeremy Smith. Confidence was sky high, 28,000 (mostly Cronulla) fans were at the SFS for the grand final qualifier and ... the Storm won 28-0. Fairytales aren't real. Flogging: Israel Folau scores in the heavy defeat. Credit:Steve Christo

Heartbreak level: The first five minutes of the movie Up. This is commonly known as the most violent grand final in history - and perhaps the most violent game ever. It was the first defeat in the big dance for the then-fledging Cronulla Sharks. In just their seventh season in the competition, they came up against a Manly side in the grand final who had beaten them in the 1st v 2nd semi-final just a couple of weeks earlier. After sweeping Newtown aside 20-11, it was a rematch in the decider which was decided by a pair of Bob Fulton tries. It ended 10-7 but at the time, many Sharkies fans must have felt the future was bright and a title was only a matter of time. Heartbreak level: Going to McDonald's for a sundae at 11pm only to be told that the ice cream machine is being cleaned.

This was supposed to be the year. After racking up 40 points in the regular season, the club was awarded its second and most recent minor premiership. They easily beat a depleted Broncos side in the first week of the finals to earn a week off, before they faced their old enemy, the recently merged St George Illawarra Dragons, for a spot in the grand final. In front of nearly 52,000 fans at Stadium Australia, Cronulla jumped out to an 8-0 lead at half time, but they wouldn't score again as the Dragons piled on 24 unanswered in the second half as Anthony Mundine put on a show in what was arguably the best performance of his career. The five-eighth nabbed a hat-trick, and fired off a huge somersault after scoring his third, which drove a dagger through the heart of John Lang's men. Heartbreak level: When Italy scored that penalty against Australia in the 2006 World Cup.

You cannot get any closer to glory than this. The Sharks once again finished second and once again went on to lose a grand final - but it took two 'deciders' to actually finish them off. After beating Manly and then Wests to secure a comfortable path into the grand final, they once again had to face the Sea Eagles, who had beaten them in the big one five years earlier. In front of a packed Sydney Cricket Ground, the two sides battled out an 11-11 draw. There was no extra time, and just three days later, the two met again to settle it. This proved to be an anti-climax as the Sea Eagles won, 16-0. Heartbreak level: Leaving the porch lamp on for Harold Holt ... and then realising hopes of him ever resurfacing are slowly fading.