It’s not the way he would have wanted to go.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Coonamble’s Jesse Ramien and the Cronulla Sharks wasted opportunities – they had 52 per cent of the ball but completed at just 68 per cent – in Friday’s 22-6 preliminary final loss to the Storm in Melbourne.
Legend of the game Luke Lewis scored Cronulla’s only try in his final NRL appearance.
Ramien himself had a try denied in what was his final appearance for the Sharks; he now heads to the Newcastle Knights, who he signed with in February.
Given his inexperience and the fact the youngster won't be at the Sharks next year, coach Shane Flanagan could have followed in the footsteps of other clubs in recent years and not played the 21-year-old.
But instead, Ramien had the chance to push for a grand final appearance against Melbourne on Friday night in his first full NRL season.
“When I signed I sat down with Flanno, before I signed (with Newcastle) I told him what I was thinking,” Ramien told AAP.
"He was very understanding of it. We just had a talk.
ALSO MAKING NEWS
"I just let him know that if my time comes I was ready to do a job and I was 100 per cent committed to this club this year.
"If he was to play me or not to play me, no matter what decision he makes, that it's the right decision for the team."
Playing Ramien has turned out to be the right decision for the Sharks.
The powerful centre had busted through 50 tackles and scored 10 tries in 19 games ahead of Friday’s final.
Recruited out of Manly's under-20s system in mid-2016, Ramien has since played for the Junior Kangaroos while being named in last year's under-20s team of the competition.
He had wanted to repay the Sharks with the ultimate reward.
"For Flanno to give me my crack at NRL this year and to have the belief to put me in the centres, it just shows massive confidence in me," Ramien said.
"They've been a massive part of my career.”
Speaking after Friday’s loss, Flanagan admitted 2018 would go down as a wasted opportunity.
A top-eight team since May, the Sharks dropped only four games in the last 19 rounds of the regular season to finish fourth before winning just one of three finals matches.
"It's an opportunity missed," Flanagan said when asked about his team's season.
"You get to these grand final qualifiers and you want to play your best football.
"And the disappointing thing is we didn't today."
Flanagan was also left to lament being forced to do it the hard way after their loss to the Roosters, where the Sharks were largely the better team.
Captain Paul Gallen was injured in last week's intense and nail-biting semi-final win over Penrith, while Flanagan also revealed five-eighth Matt Moylan sprained his ankle in the lead-up to the Melbourne loss.
Without co-captains Gallen and Wade Graham and with Josh Dugan injured, the Sharks lacked composure in both attack and defence in the first half and fell to an almost game-deciding 20-0 deficit at half-time.
"That week off at the end of a tough season, 24 or 25 rounds then a pretty tough semi-final – I know we would've appreciated it last week," Flanagan said.
"We'll never know if we would've come down here with all our troops whether we get the result or not."