Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon is refusing to get carried away with the Sharks’ rise up the NRL ladder, admitting his side need to show they can match it with the game’s heavyweights.
Thursday’s 36-12 win over the Wests Tigers took the Sharks level with Penrith on points at the top of the ladder with Cronulla’s inferior points for-and-against ensuring they are in second.
The next month shapes as pivotal for the Sharks’ hopes of locking in a top-four spot, with fixtures against the Warriors, Manly, Penrith and South Sydney on the horizon.
Cronulla have developed a reputation for cruising past lower level opposition but failing to beat the premiership contenders when it matters.
“That's part of being consistent,” Fitzgibbon said.
“If we don't beat the teams that we should, we're not in the eight.
“We are where we're at and we need to improve, not shooting ourselves in the foot when we play the ones you would perceive as top-eight games.
“We’re not going to work every day thinking where we need to be.
“We're just trying to get better and we're ready for those challenges and looking forward to it.”
There were times against the Tigers where the Sharks relented in their defensive intensity and they let in two soft tries which Fitzgibbon described as “frustrating”.
The Sharks coach said his side, who have racked up three big wins following a heavy loss to Melbourne last month, were far from the finished product.
“I know everyone is trying to shape and add up the draw and (decipher) who will win, but there's heaps to go,” he said.
“We're just where we're at and we need to be better.
“We are working on some parts of our games and we’ve not shot ourselves in the foot the last couple of weeks.
“Trying to see into the future and add it all, I get everyone wants to do that, but we're improving in the parts that have let us down previously and we need to keep improving.”
