Gea Local: Local schools join the Sharks on their 'Road to Glory'

Excitement is building as the NRL season moves towards a climax, with the Sharks one of just six teams remaining as the 2022 Finals Series heats up.

Allianz Stadium will be full of members and fans for the Sharks v Rabbitohs clash on Saturday night, likewise CommBank in Parramatta for when the Eels and Raiders also face off for a place in a Preliminary Final the following week.

In attempting to ramp up the hype around the NRL Finals, Roads to Glory, an NRL Game Development initiative has been engaging with Primary Schools in regions where teams are still alive in the premiership race.

Helping to deliver the Roads to Glory community messages through the League Stars Inspire presentation was Great White Shark #421 Bryan Norrie, the former NRL star an outstanding ambassador for the Sharks-themed visits to the Sutherland Shire schools.

A member of the Sharks squad for two seasons, Norrie was a hard-working front rower, playing an integral role in the team’s push towards a third-place finish on the NRL ladder in 2008. He played 25 top grade games for the Cronulla club over those two years.

In all Norrie’s career spanned 11 seasons and 180 NRL games, 120 for the Melbourne Storm where he was a part of the team which beat the Bulldogs in the 2012 Grand Final. He was forced into an early retirement in 2014 due to a neck injury.

Norrie was a popular visitor in representing the NRL and the Sharks at Road to Regions, attending St Patrick’s PS Sutherland and St Joseph’s PS Oyster Bay ahead of the game against the Cowboys, then St Francis De Sales Woolooware, Holy Family PS Menai and St John’s Bosco at Engadine earlier this week.

Norrie and the NRL Game Development staff also distributed NRL team posters and Zambrero Cheer Sticks to students on behalf of Sharks Have Heart to help celebrate what everyone hopes is continued success for the Sharks during the big games to come.