If history is anything to go by, Friday night’s semi-final clash between the Sharks and Cowboys will be must-watch television.

The two sides have combined for some cracking finals matches in recent years, with some controversy sprinkled in.

Since 2012, the Sharks and Cowboys have met in the finals on five occasions, with North Queensland winning three times to Cronulla’s two.

Remarkably, three of those finals occurred in three consecutive seasons (2015-2017), with either the Sharks or Cowboys appearing in the grand final in each of those three years and both teams winning maiden NRL premierships during that span.

Golden point has been needed to decide two of those, while one of the biggest referee blunders NRL history overshadowed a Sharks win back in 2013.

Ahead of their match up at Allianz Stadium this weekend, foxsports.com.au delves deep into the crazy finals history between the two sides.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Cronulla and North Queensland enter this game in differing form.

The Sharks have lost two of their past three, including a heavy loss to the Storm in a qualifying final last week when they were blown off the park in the second half.

The Cowboys on the other hand are one of the hottest teams in the NRL, having won four straight games.

They booked their ticket to the second week of the finals with a gutsy 28-16 win over the Knights last Saturday.

While the Cowboys have had the better of the Sharks in finals games, Cronulla have proven to be somewhat of a bogey team for North Queensland.

In the last 13 meetings between the two sides (including finals), the Sharks have won 11 of those, including eight straight between 2018-2022, which was broken in spectacular fashion.

It’s worth noting that besides the Broncos, the Cowboys have faced the Sharks more than any other team in its history 20-year history.

The second-placed Sharks hosted the third-placed Cowboys in a qualifying final in front of a sold out Shark Park.

Barring just a handful of the Cowboys faithful, that packed out crowd would leave disappointed after Valentine Holmes nailed a massive 45-metre two point field goal after 93 minutes of champagne football to defeat his former side.

It was an even contest throughout, with the teams locked at 18 heading into the sheds at halftime.

The Sharks forged ahead to lead 30-22 when Will Kennedy crossed in the 66th minute.

Up 30-22 with nine minutes remaining and a partisan crowd behind them, Cronulla were basically Black Caviar odds to win.

However, a sin bin to Connor Tracey in the 72nd minute turned the game on its head.

Holmes would nail the ensuing penalty goal to trim the margin to six before Jason Taumalolo scored a stunning try with 22 seconds left to send the game into extra time.