With their eyes set on the future, Cronulla has put their past two-game losing streak behind them, securing a crucial 30-22 victory against the struggling Gold Coast.
The win came after the Sharks clawed back from an eight-point deficit in the second half at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday.
This victory has quieted some skeptics, allowing Cronulla to collect valuable points while keeping their chances for a double chance in the upcoming finals alive.
Historically, no team in the league has won the premiership while positioned outside the top four.
"The most pleasing thing is, if you have a look into it enough, not many teams come from that far beyond and then sort themselves out and I thought we did that pretty well," noted Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon.
To secure a top-four finish, the Sharks will likely need to defeat Parramatta next week and Melbourne in their last match, hoping also for the fourth-placed Dolphins to falter against the third-placed Sydney Roosters or Titans.
Despite suffering back-to-back defeats against their lowly rivals in St George Illawarra and Canberra, Cronulla is still in contention.
"The hardest thing is that you're playing teams with nothing to lose," Fitzgibbon remarked.
"It's definitely not at the level the last couple of weeks that we have been. But the second half was close to what we were, so we'll just take the second half and move on with that."
Once again, the Sharks triumphed without injured playmaker Braydon Trindall, who sat on the sidelines with a dislocated shoulder from last week's match against the Raiders.
His replacement, Niwhai Puru, had a mixed performance, maintaining an impressive record but struggling with discipline at times.
Similar to their losses, Cronulla started strong with the first try of the game, scored by Ronaldo Mulitalo, who passed David Peachey to become the Sharks' second all-time leading try-scorer.
However, Jojo Fifita quickly equalized for Gold Coast, following which Sione Katoa gave the Sharks a brief lead. The Titans responded, regaining control with AJ Brimson's try, benefitting from a penalty called on Puru.
Phillip Sami then made history for the Titans with his 78th try, as they led 16-8 at halftime.
Yet, after a motivating halftime speech from Fitzgibbon, Cameron McInnes, Addin Fonua-Blake, Katoa, and Mulitalo scored, keeping alive the Sharks' hopes for the 2026 title.