On the back of their 15th win of the NRL season, Cronulla are well aware that a home final beckons with just three rounds left in 2022.
Coach Craig Fitzgibbon is both excited by the idea of playing week one of the NRL finals in Sydney, with the hope it can still be held at PointsBet Stadium depending on NRL determination.
But he is also hesitant to see the prize ahead without doing the hard work to get it.
"We haven't so much talked about who is in what position but what we have started talking about is the opportunity that's presenting itself in front of us," Fitzgibbon said after the Sharks demolished West Tigers 36-12 in Tamworth to reclaim third spot on the NRL ladder.
"Obviously it's hard to ignore there's the possibility of that (home final)."
The Sharks have been impressive as they battle injuries but still keep the wins ticking over on the scoreboard.
The victory over Wests Tigers was their eighth from their past nine games.
Cronulla had three changes to their first-choice back-five against the Tigers - Kade Dykes in for fullback Will Kennedy (ankle), Lachie Miller in for winger Connor Tracey (concussion) who replaced Sione Katoa and Matt Ikuvalu for centre Siosifa Talakai (shoulder).
Fitzgibbon confirmed he had another player to worry about after prop Toby Rudolf damaged medial ligaments in his right knee trying to bring fullback Dane Laurie to ground.
"We're not sure how bad at this stage. It will depend on how that scan goes," he said.
Miller will also need to pass concussion protocols after undergoing a head injury assessment in the final stages of the win over the Tigers.
Halfback Nicho Hynes is in tune with Fitzgibbon's concerns over complacency seeing as the Sharks meet three teams outside the top-eight in the run home - Manly (10th), Bulldogs (12th) and Knights (14th).
"Each day and each week you have to rock up with the right frame of mind," Hynes told FoxSports after kicking six goals from seven attempts against the Tigers.
"It's easy to look at teams at the bottom of the ladder and sort of go into the mentality that we're going to win.
"All 30 players in our squad have to come to training switched on with the mentality we're playing finals footy from now on."
Australian Associated Press
