Winning ugly will do as Cronulla strive to shed their tag as flat-track bullies and fodder for the NRL heavyweights.
Acutely aware of their dreadful record against top-eight rivals in two seasons under coach Craig Fitzgibbon, the Sharks hope their gritty 16-12 season-opening win over the Warriors in Auckland proves a line-in-the-sand moment.
"There's definitely satisfaction in it. That's how we wanted to start the year," impressive back-rower Teig Wilton said on Tuesday.
"We knew it would be tough over in New Zealand against the Warriors at a packed-out Mt Smart (Stadium).
"So we knew we would have to dig in and win through grit. It was a spirited effort.
"Now we want to deliver on the foundations that we've built over the last few years."
Co-captain and milestone man Dale Finucane, who will notch his 250th premiership game against his former club Canterbury on Friday night, believes the Sharks have the ability to challenge for title glory in 2024.
"That's what we want to achieve. It would be silly if that wasn't our goal," Finucane said.
"The thing that excites me the most is the fact that the nucleus of our team has been relatively similar in my time at the club.
"And since Nicho (Hynes) has arrived as well, the spine's been relatively unchanged.
"The guys when I first started here were younger. Now there's a handful of guys coming up to 100 career games this year.
"The bulk of the squad's experience is getting better."
Wilton, with 63 games, falls into that bracket, alongside others including classy wingers Ronaldo Mulitalo (88) and Sione Katoa (90) who have all become influential mainstays in Fitzgibbon's team.
"Now we want to deliver on the foundations we've built over the last few years," Wilton said.
"We've been together with this crew for a few years ... we're not not kids anymore.
"We're all growing up and we want to play our best footy. Now's the time to do that."
Turning 33 this year and playing his 13th season, injuries have limited Finucane to only 31 games since arriving at Cronulla at the start of 2022.
But the veteran former NSW State of Origin rep and dual Melbourne premiership winner insists his battered body will last at least another two seasons.
"I had that bicep rupture midway through last year, which held me back a little bit, but the body feels good," he said.
"I've got this year and next year out of my contract and I'm not looking too much further forward outside of that - next week and the upcoming games.
"But if I'm passionate about playing and the body's feeling good, then I'll play as long as I feel (that way)."
