THE nature of sport is such that you appreciate the best times through the worst. And it seems when you experience the best of times early on, before the worst, you appreciate them even more.

Paul Gallen made two finals series in his first two seasons as a player, and thought they would come every year. And so over the past few weeks, in various team meetings, the Cronulla captain has been ensuring that his Sharks teammates make their opportunity count.

"It's something that I've been trying to drum into the boys: you can't take opportunities like this for granted," Gallen said. "In 2002, I was 20, and I thought semi-finals were going to come every year after being involved in 2001 as well. Since then, I've played one [in 2005]. You realise how important semi-finals are. You realise when you're not playing how big they are. Guys like Luke Douglas, Isaac De Gois - you just can't take it for granted. You've got to make the most if it while you're here. That's certainly the way 'Noddy' [Brett Kimmorley] and Danny Nutley are playing at the moment - they know it's their last chance."

Roosters captain Braith Anasta has been preaching the same sermon. Between 2001 and 2004, while at the Bulldogs, he made four finals series (missing out in 2002 due to club salary cap breaches), but since then he has missed out completely.

"For the first five or six years at the Dogs, it was almost easy," Anasta said. "We were making it easy, coming top two-three, just with ease. When you start not making the semis, you realise it's really not that easy. You've got to work hard and appreciate the good times. A few weeks ago, we sat down and talked about the fact that we've got a great opportunity, and they're few and far between."

Anasta was pulled out of a training session yesterday to attend his first traditional captain's call at the SFS - remarkably making him one of the latest arriving skippers from the team which trains in the Moore Park precinct. The five-eighth has only just taken on the captaincy, after coach Brad Fittler surprisingly replaced Craig Fitzgibbon.