Before every NRL titan that dominates the competition is a struggling side trying to rebuild.
Whether a club is struggling to retain talent, has failed to manage its cap properly, or simply isn't winning footy games, a rebuild is necessary for a franchise to reclaim its competitive edge in the NRL.
While there are a few squads every year in need of a roster overhaul, few have managed to construct a premiership-contending roster as well as these clubs.
3. Cronulla Sharks (2014-2016)
In 2014, the Cronulla Sharks were bottom feeders.
They had just secured the wooden spoon and were coming off the ASADA supplements scandal. Sharks coach Shane Flanagan was suspended, with multiple players stood down.
After only winning five games that year, it was clear the club was under major scrutiny, a situation that would take a miracle to turn around.
After serving his suspension, Flanagan returned to the Sharks the following season, with a fire in his belly only a premiership could sate.
Straying away from the controversies of the past, the Sharks began to adopt an attitude focused on discipline and grit.
The club would go on to finish 6th after winning the spoon the year prior, making it all the way to the semi-finals.
The club would soon bring in the likes of Michael Ennis and James Maloney, proven winners who brought class and leadership to this scrappy Sharks side.
In 2016, the club was dominant, winning 15 games in a row in the regular season. The Cronulla Sharks would go on to win the premiership, defeating the Melbourne Storm 14-12 in a historic match that broke the Sharks' 49-year premiership drought.
Before the rebuild, Flanagan had already laid the foundations with stars like Paul Gallen, Luke Lewis, and Wade Graham.
He simply needed to add some class to his roster and shift their mentality. His vision earned them a premiership, concluding an incredible rebuild.
