Can Illawarra District Rugby Union reigning premiers Shoalhaven match the feat of English Premier League giants Arsenal and go through the season undefeated?
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Halfway through the 2023 season and Shoals are well on track to match that deed, having won all nine games they've played this year.
If you take into account last season, where Will Miller's men won six straight games on the way to winning the 2022 decider, Shoalhaven are on a 15-game winning streak.
The last time Shoalhaven tasted defeat was on July 30 last year, beaten 31-12 by Avondale.
Most good judges believe Shoalhaven are a great chance of winning their remaining seven regular-season fixtures.
Should this happen, and Shoalhaven also go on to win two finals to be crowned champions once again, they would have won 24 consecutive games.
Not many teams worldwide have achieved this feat.
The great Gunners side of 2003-04 were coined The Invincibles after winning 26 and drawing 12 of their 38 games that season.
In 2011, closer to home the Brisbane Roar side coach by now-Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou, were also nicknamed The Invincibles after their historic 36-game unbeaten streak.
The A-League side's run narrowly broke the record of 35 for the most consecutive games without a loss in Australian top-level sport, set by the Eastern Suburbs rugby league club in the 1930s.
It would be unwise to compare Shoalhaven's record with that of the EPL giants and former A-League champions Brisbane, but the rugby powerhouse do need to be congratulated for their tremendous run to date.
This season alone Shoalhaven have looked ominous, scoring 540 points and conceding only 114 in nine games.
Three times they've kept their opponents scoreless and on seven occasions have scored more than 50 points against the teams they've played.
On the attacking front, the Brandon brothers - Steven, Keiran and Mark - have been tremendous for Shoals.
The trio combined have scored 310 of Shoalhaven's 540 points.
Speedy winger Mark has been particularly impressive and is the clear competition leader in points scored, with 229 points.
These points have come from 23 tries, 54 goals and two penalty conversions.
Brandon, who is also the competition's leading tryscorer, scored more than 30 points in three games, including in a 83-0 demolition of University in round three, where the 30-year-old bagged 43-points from five tries and kicking nine conversions.
Meantime, as per the norm in previous seasons, Avondale is the only team within striking distance of catching Shoals.
The Joe Aiona-coached Wombats have won eight games this season, with their only loss coming at the hands of Shoalhaven in round two, the reigning premiers prevailing 51-24.
Avondale will get their chance for revenge when they host Shoalhaven on Saturday, July 8.
Kiama and Tech Waratahs round out the top four at the halfway mark, the third-placed Cows impressive this year on the back of the return of Paul Asquith.
The ladder heading to round 11:
- Shoalhaven (45 points)
- Avondale (41)
- Kiama (28)
- Tech Waratahs (23)
- Campbelltown (20)
- Bowral (17)
- Shamrocks (17)
- Camden (14)
- University (8)
Five things we've learned about the competition
1: After a promising off-season the Wollongong Vikings looked primed to have a big season.
Yet, after one game, it became apparent Illawarra rugby's oldest club was struggling to field a first-grade side.
The decision was made soon after to pull out of the first-grade competition and only field lower-grade sides.
Moves have since been made to try to return a Vikings' first-grade side into the competition ahead of the second part of the season but it seems next year is the earliest the club will be back playing first grade in the Illawarra competition.
A healthy Illawarra competition needs Vikings to be part of it - sooner rather than later.
2: The mooted introduction of a Illawarra women's rugby competition will not go ahead this season after all.
As reported in the Mercury, there were plenty of people disappointed with the decision by the Illawarra District Rugby Union board to pull the plug on the competition.
IDRU president Tom Ellicott rightly pointed out there weren't enough players to form the four teams required for the competition.
He said lack of players registered was also the reason why IDRU voted not to send a representative women's team to the recent NSW Country Championships.
Ellicott said the IDRU financially backed the players to attend the tournament in Tamworth but had to pull out due to a lack of numbers.
These reasons were disputed by some female players and other respected people in the game.
Regardless of who is right or wrong, not running a women's competition and not sending a women's representative team to the Country Championships was not a good look for Illawarra Rugby.
3: What did catch the eye was the performance of the Illawarriors at the Country Championships.
Sure, the men's rep side coached by Sean Barrett only placed third but, more important, unearthed a batch of players keen to do even better next year.
4: The Brandon brothers are something special.
As mentioned above, the trio have combined to score 310 of Shoalhaven's 540 points this season.
It's no shock that opposing coaches try desperately to curtail their attacking play. So far without luck.
5. Shoalhaven is on the brink of a dynasty.
Player-coach Will Miller and his brother, captain George Miller, are trying desperately to downplay their success. But the likelihood is the young Shoals side will be hard to beat over the next five years.
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
