Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon praised his side's resilience after their 32-12 win over Canberra, booking their ticket to Melbourne for a preliminary final next Friday.
The minor premiers were rocked before kick-off by the withdrawal of young star Ethan Strange, who was ruled out due to illness. Fitzgibbon admitted that he feared the galvanising impact that the change could have on the rest of the Raiders' squad.
"When they lost Ethan Strange, we were like, ‘oh no, that boy is one of the best players in our competition at the moment," said Fitzgibbon in his post-match press conference.
"When you lose a player like that, what happens to the rest of the team? They elevate, and I was not sure we needed that."
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For the first half hour, it seemed as though Canberra might rally behind that adversity. They dominated possession but struggled to turn it into points.
"What I loved about it [the performance] is that nothing went our way for so long," said Fitzgibbon.
"I watch the reaction of the players when things go against them, and I just haven’t seen a worry or a flinch at the moment."
Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall sparked the Sharks into life before the break, while Cronulla's middle-forwards began to reverse the Raiders' momentum.
Fitzgibbon said that the maturity of his squad shone through, highlighting their growing belief in this latest stretch of form.
"We’re pretty pleased with the result, but we’re not done yet either," he said.
"We haven’t achieved anything yet.
"The boys are hungry; they’re making the right choices and decisions. We’ve been together for that period of time now that it’s time for us to stand up."
Cronulla now face the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park, a clash Fitzgibbon framed as the ultimate test.
"We’re playing Melbourne in Melbourne in six-days - that’s a challenge," he said.
"But we’re ready for that. That’s all I can say: we are ready."
After all the talk during the build-up this week about the Sharks' underdog mentality, they've opened as $2.78 outsiders against the Storm, giving them another chance to prove the doubters wrong.