Cronulla’s supporters had a message for the rugby league world after they advanced to the NRL Grand Final – the Sharks are circling.

Their 32-20 demolition of a listless North Queensland at Allianz Stadium sent the 36,717-strong crowd into raptures on Friday night. The result means Sharks moved a step closer to claiming their first title in their 50-year history and ended the Cowboys’ hopes of winning back-to-back premierships.

They will meet the winner of Saturday’s clash between Canberra and Melbourne in Sunday week’s grand final at ANZ Stadium.

It was league great Jack Gibson who famously said waiting for Cronulla to win a premiership was like putting on a porch light for Harold Holt, the former Australian Prime Minister who went for a swim in the surf and never came back.

In the preliminary final, Sharks fans  lapped up the analogy, dressing up in wetsuits and holding up large Holt face masks.

Saturday's @couriermail back page: Harold, you're on. @Cronulla_Sharks down @nthqldcowboys to make grand final @NRL pic.twitter.com/9r9NZuSKZX

— Courier Mail Sport (@cmail_sport) September 23, 2016

I’m coming home: Sharks fans in wetsuits hold up Harold Holt masks

The Cowboys gave themselves a sniff of hope when fullback Lachlan Coote, who otherwise had a forgettable night and was again troubled under the high ball, crossed for a soft try four minutes after halftime to make it 14-6.

However, the Sharks picked themselves up off the canvas to advance to their fourth grand final – following their appearances in 1973, 1978 and the Super League decider in 1997.

The Cowboys were blown off the park by a Sharks first-half blitz. Looking fatigued after their 90-minute epic against Brisbane last week, they crumbled under a mountain of unforced errors.

When Chad Townsend crossed to make it 14-0 at the break, the Sharks had completed twice as many sets as the Cowboys (16/20 to 8/12), run for twice as many metres (791 to 390), and been tackled in their opposition’s red zone 23 times compared to North Queensland’s eight.

Chad Townsend responded to the pre-match pressure and was delighted to score a try

Townsend bounced back from his shocker against Canberra a fortnight ago when he was hooked by coach Shane Flanagan, scoring one try, going close on another occasion and setting up another.

The Sharks twice managed to get over the line, through Andrew Fifita and Townsend, but were denied by the video referees before they finally converted their weight of possession into points via a James Maloney penalty goal in the 17th minute.

And when they found space on the left side, Sosaia Feki crossed in the corner before a botched Kyle Feldt dropout gifted Maloney another two points.

Cronulla-Sutherland’s Andrew Fifita takes it up to the Cowboys.

Townsend’s 35th-minute four-pointer had big question marks on it, with the last pass from Maloney appearing to be forward, however referee Gerard Sutton was in line with the play.

The 25-year-old has been a key part of Cronulla’s success this year.
However, he had been anything but in the final against Canberra, struggling in defence and failing to provide direction in attack.

“There has been no second guessing for Chad Townsend tonight. His passing has been crisp and decisive,” Peter Sterling said on the Nine Network.

“He has been wonderful and that carried on the season he had put togethe
Coote’s try shortly after halftime seemingly sparked the Sharks back to life as they piled on three tries in 14 minutes via Luke Lewis and a Maloney double.

Next weekend’s grand final will be just the Sharks’ fourth decider after 1973, 1978 and the 1997 Super League grand final.

We were kidding ourselves: Thurston

The Cowboys ran in three consolation tries in the final 10 minutes to save some face.

After surviving an extra-time thriller against Brisbane last week, many questioned if they would have enough in the tank to beat Cronulla if it went to the dying stages.

But the Allianz Stadium contest barely lasted that long.

The Cowboys looked like a heavyweight boxer trying to hang in for the final bell at the end of the 12th round.

North Queensland star Johnathan Thurston later conceded on the Channel Nine coverage: “We were kidding ourselves”.

WATCH: JT makes young Sharks fan's night:https://t.co/NmHkX4T7KF#NRL #NRLSharksCowboys pic.twitter.com/cvYvPpIqGs

— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 Australia (@sportingnewsau) September 23, 2016

“Completing at 60 per cent in a game let alone the final, you’re going to be behind the eight ball,” Thurston said.

“They got the jump on us and we couldn’t claw our way back.

“We had a great opportunity in front of us and we blew it.”

-AAP