John Morris isn't sure which one will wear Paul Gallen's famous No.13 jersey in 2020 but young guns Jack Williams and Billy Magoulias are firmly in the Sharks coach's plans.
Morris said the duo will share time at lock following Gallen's retirement, with their pre-season efforts to determine who gets the nod for round one.
The robust Williams, 23, became an important impact bench player for Morris last year and featured in all but one match, while the skilful Magoulias, 22, made two NRL appearances late in the season.
Magoulias also spearheaded Newtown - Cronulla's feeder team - to the Canterbury Cup premiership and NRL State Championship title with last-gasp try assists.
"They're both great competitors and they really buy into the team, real good team-first players," Morris said.
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"Jack's got that experience over Bill at NRL level but he's only a year or two older than him. But we all saw what Billy could do coming through there with Newtown.
"I expect huge years from both of them, I'm really excited ... Jack's a very solid player, very physically strong, and Billy's an old school, ball-playing middle forward that we don't really see too much in our game, so that's going to really change the way we play."
Magoulias can fill multiple roles including hooker and five-eighth and Morris admitted he would make a great bench utility, though he said the Greece international "probably wants to be number 13".
Morris has an abundance of talent on offer across the park leading into round one.
Jesse Ramien's return has added to the club's stockpile of outside backs, with Bronson Xerri, Josh Dugan, Josh Morris, Matt Moylan, Ronaldo Mulitalo, Sione Katoa and Will Kennedy all vying for spots.
"It kind of suits what I'm trying to drive this year: those who work the hardest will get rewarded with those jumpers," Morris said.
"It's a competition and I can't be any more blunt than that. I've made it pretty clear that I don't really care too much about reputations. I respect all those guys as really quality players and it's going to be a good battle to get those jumpers."
Morris is big on celebrating the rich history and culture of the Sharks, something that was evident on Thursday afternoon when 200 players from the under 16s, 18s, 20s, NRL and women's teams trained together at Cronulla High School.
The players were broken up into groups named after past champions from different eras, including Gavin Miller, Greg Pierce, Cliff Watson, Steve Kneen, Luke Lewis and Gallen.
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"I specifically chose legends who left an imprint on the club ... Guys who led the way for the Sharks and left a legacy for playing tough and competing hard and always turning up on every play," Morris said.
"That's what I want to try and teach all these young kids: that if you want to be a Shark, this has got to be your DNA."
Morris also revealed plans for Cronulla to help rebuild a sporting club or school that has been devastated by the ongoing bushfires, while Sharks players have generously donated personal memorabilia to raise funds through an online auction to be announced soon.
