Dream night for milestone man Lewis

Sharks, ex-Panthers, Kangaroos and NSW veteran Luke Lewis – one of rugby league's true survivors – got the perfect celebration of his magical 300-game milestone on Friday night with a win in front of home fans in a round that has plenty of personal significance.
                                               

The win returned Cronulla to the top four and helped their shaky 2017 home record; it came with a huge NRL Women In League round logo spray-painted onto the Southern Cross Group Stadium pitch, with the 30-metre markings repainted '300', and with the vast majority of the 12,123-strong crowd sporting cardboard Luke Lewis facemasks.

"Women in League round, it was just crazy it fell in that round to be honest," Lewis said after the win.

"Obviously a lot of women in my life mean the world to me. I'm stoked they were all here – it's awesome. It's been a really good week and a lot of good memories."

Lewis has endured more than most through his top grade career of 16 seasons and counting; his wife Sonia has helped him through not just highs and lows in terms of form and serious injuries but a two-year cancer battle to see the popular back-rower come out the other side and continue to put together some of the best form of his career.

Lewis was honoured to join the exclusive NRL 300 club which includes current teammate Chris Heighington and a raft of Lewis's former club-mates or representative teammates in including Petero Civoniceva, Luke Priddis, John Morris, Ryan Hoffman, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Nathan Hindmarsh.

"The players love playing with him. He's shown this year, he's continued his form, he's not tailing off, that's why we've re-signed him. He's continuing his form, he's just as good as he was 16 years ago. It's great to have him in our club."