Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan is confident his team can make more NRL history by defending their NRL crown from outside the top four when the finals begin next week.
The Sharks will face North Queensland in an elimination final at Allianz Stadium next week after toppling Newcastle by eight points in a meaningless final-round clash on Sunday.
No side has claimed back-to-back titles in a unified competition since Brisbane in 1992-93, while no team has lifted the trophy from fifth or lower in the NRL's history.
But after watching his team famously break the club's premiership drought last year, Flanagan has reason to believe the Sharks can etch their name in the record books again.
"It was different last year. It was a different feel. We've known for a couple of weeks so you get used it (that) we're probably going to come fifth," Flanagan said.
"We've got our best footy in front of us as a team and a club. We're confident we can win three-four games, whatever it needs to be to get to a grand final.
"We've got to challenge ourselves to get that done now. Semi-finals is different. I feel I've got a semi-final team in there that'll step up next week."
Speaking before Canterbury denied St George Illawarra a finals spot that allowed the Cowboys to hold eighth position, Flanagan said he had no preference over his finals opponent.
A Dragons win would've meant the Sharks faced an out-of-sorts Penrith side instead of the Cowboys, who will be without Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott.
"I don't believe anything in that - Cowboys gutted, Cowboys have got injuries, or poor Penrith, poor Cowboys. It's a semi-final," he said.
"They'll come down ready to go. We don't take any notice of that, to be fair."
Flanagan also said he was unconcerned by poor patches in defence over the past ten weeks that resulted in their slide from second on the ladder to fifth.
The Knights game was the fifth straight week their tryline was breached three times.
"I know what sort of team I've got in that dressing room. We've got some senior players in there that know what's around the corner and they'll step up physically and mentally," he said.
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