Ronaldo Mulitalo praised Braydon Trindall's toughness after Cronulla's 26-16 elimination-final win over the Cowboys on Saturday night.
"Braydon will put his body on the line for the team and that's what we expect from him," Mulitalo said. "That's what a champion player does, he turns out for his team regardless of the injury."
Trindall completed 80 minutes in his first appearance since dislocating his shoulder during the Round 24 defeat by the Raiders.
Although he showed discomfort, the 27-year-old escaped further injury and helped Cronulla control the contest with his powerful right-foot kicking.
He admitted the Sharks' attack was untidy but expects improvement before next week's semi-final.
"It's good to get a bit of rust out there tonight," Trindall said post-game. "There were a few opportunities I could have iced so I'll go look at the video and we'll get ready for next week.
"We've got the team [that can go deep] and the boys are ready for it so we'll rest up and get ready for next week."
Cronulla will meet the loser of Sunday's Panthers-Roosters qualifying final.
Trindall returned to running within days of the injury, then progressed from non-contact work to tackling. He had faced a similar challenge in 2024, helping Cronulla reach a preliminary final before losing to Penrith.
His return also revived Nicho Hynes, while Mulitalo is managing a thumb injury sustained last week.