Cronulla's 24-point victory over the Knights was soured by five-eighth Braydon Trindall leaving the field with an ankle injury.
The 26-year-old was instrumental in the Sharks' 40-16 win, laying on two tries before his afternoon ended prematurely when he limped from the field in the 51st minute.
Trindall watched the remainder of the game from the bench with his ankle iced and elevated, leaving coach Craig Fitzgibbon with a nervous wait ahead of the final regular season round.
MORE: Sea Eagles flyer Tolutau Koula sidelined with knee injury
Braydon Trindall suffers ankle injury
Post-match, Fitzgibbon confirmed that the club will send Trindall for scans, with the early expectation being a quick recovery.
"We'll obviously clear up what it is, but I don't think it's too bad," he said.
"It looks like an ankle sprain, but which ankle sprain is it? It's the lateral ligaments by the looks of it, but we won't know until we get an MRI."
The timing is cruel for Trindall who has been one of the Sharks' most influential performers in 2025.
Across 22 appearances, he's tallied 15 try assists, 12 line-break assists, seven tries, and averages nearly 370 kicking metres per game.
Cronulla's victory over the Knights lifted them to fifth on the premiership ladder, tied for points with Brisbane and New Zealand.
Should the Broncos stumble against the Storm on Thursday, the Sharks could snatch a top-four finish with a win over Canterbury at Accor Stadium. But with Trindall in doubt, their path has become far more challenging.