The Cronulla Sharks took the NRL Nines, grabbed it by the balls and stormed all the way in to the finals where they fell agonizingly short to the South Sydney Rabbitohs. It's been a pretty crazy few years in Cronulla thanks to a whole bunch of off field dramas and a lack of quality on the pitch but they have many NRL fans buzzing with the prospect of them returning to some form.

That's understandable, they've definitely added some important pieces to their squad but they've been able to do so thanks to an apparent battler policy. The problem with the Sharks of the previous years was that they lacked some punch, they had plenty of toughness and especially under Shane Flannagan, they were a tough defensive unit. But they lacked the range of weapons that many other NRL teams had, so what's really in store for them this season?

The core of the Sharks forward pack is skillful and freakishly tough. Paul Gallen and Wade Graham set the tone in all aspects of the Shark's play and they'll be focal points of the Shark's attack. Graham loves to sit out on his left edge and utilise the range of skills he's got thanks to growing up in the halves, he'll be keen to strike up a dynamic combination with his centre (more on that later) and offer some play making as well.

Gallen's an interesting case because while he's grown to near legend status as a prop, he's always enjoyed the freedom that playing either lock or on the edge offers. I've got vivid memories of Gallen popping an off load out nearly every hit up as well as offering some slick passing and I reckon that if the Sharks can release Gallen from playing prop, they'll reap the rewards.

But that can only happen thanks to some solid options in the Shark's propping stocks. They aren't exactly forwards who scare you, besides Andrew Fifita but the likes of Matt Prior, Chirs Heighington, Tinirau Arona, Anthony Tupou, Sam Tagatese, David Fifita and Junior Roqica are all very able NRL forwards. If a few of these guys can hold down the middle and allow Gallen to roam a bit without feeling like it's all on him to keep the middle tight, then it will allow Gallen to have some fun with the ball.

The Sharks have been active in the player market recruiting Gerrard Beale, Kyle Stanley and Ben Barba, but their most prized recruit will be Jack Bird. Bird is an absolute gun in the centres and should thrive in the NRL with the Sharks after being snapped up from the Dragons.

That's not to say that Barba won't be a key man, he will but we simply don't know what Barba will show up in the 6 jersey for the Sharks. Michael Ennis will be Ennis the menace at dummy half and along with Jeff Robson, the Sharks have solid key men that will do their core roles well but without some spice from Barba it's going to be tough for the Sharks.

We saw last season that the Sharks lacked some depth, but now they have a bit of a log jam in their back line. Nathan Gardner and Valentine Holmes showed in the Nines that they have the spark that is needed to trouble NRL defences, but the problem is that the Sharks are deep in nearly all the back line positions. Both Gardner and Holmes could be exciting options at fullback but Michael Gordon is holding that down at the moment, even though I'd rather see a one of the younger lads get a run.

Gardner's in the worst position because he can only really play fullback while Holmes can play on the wing as well as fullback. But even the wing stocks are healthy with Sosaia Feki a shining light last season with Jacob Gagan following Feki's lead and also impressing in 2014. Gagan might find himself behind Holmes or Beale for that wing spot, but the Sharks now have genuine competition for spots.

The centres will be very interesting as I've loved the work of Ricky Leutele and with Bird likely to push for a starting spot, that makes things very tricky for Beale and Blake Ayshford. The likes of Beale, Stanley and Ayshford are lucky though as they can do a job in a variety of positions in the back line. However, they don't have they attacking prowess of they younger players. They'll bolster the squad but it's pretty hard to predict where someone like Stanley will play as he's a jack of all trades, master of none.

A lot of this can be solved by coach Flannagan's mentality. Does he want to give the young guys a chance and turn the Sharks in to a dangerous attacking side that will grind away with the best of them in the forwards? Or does he want to go for a widespread battler team?

The Sharks have a team of players who are generally all in the 6-7/10 range, which isn't usually enough to dominate the NRL but it's enough to make the eight on most occasions. The upside is that their young talent could flourish and with most of their young guns found in the back line, their rough and rugged forward pack just has to hold their own. The worry for me is that Flannagan will repeat the dose of his previous campaigns and go for the all out battler team that will be tough to beat but won't really trouble their opponents.

The flipside of that is that the young talent in Cronulla is starting to beat the door down for selection. What's a realistic gauge of the Sharks for 2015? Well there's no reason with the forward pack they have that they can make the top eight, but whether they go beyond that or not will depend on how quickly their promising players can step it up a gear. Don't expect the Sharks to be sniffing around a wooden spoon though.