Sharks eye top-four finish

The Sharks' habit of winning ugly, exemplified by their grittty 18-14 win over the Warriors in Auckland, means a top-four finish isn't out of reach.

The Sharks have made a habit of winning ugly, but captain Paul Gallen says it's a quality that will serve them well as they surge towards the playoffs with seven wins from their last eight games.

Beating the Warriors 18-14 in Auckland on Saturday, the Sharks climbed to fifth on the ladder with their fourth consecutive win - the last three by a margin of less than five points.

The Warriors led for the first 70 minutes of the game but Gallen says he never doubted his troops who have become masters of grinding out crucial wins, albeit in scrappy fashion.

"We're a tough side, we're a grinding side. We know that," Gallen said.

"We know we can really compete with every single side. If we can stick to our game plan and drag teams into an arm wrestle we can win every game we play."

Sharks coach Shane Flanagan dubbed the performance their best defensive effort of the season after they held the Warriors to a 10-0 halftime lead despite having just 36 per cent of the possession.

With just five regular season games remaining - against the Cowboys, Storm, Tigers, Eels and Sea Eagles - Flanagan says a top-four finish isn't out of reach.

"If we keep performing like that, I think we're a chance," he said.

"We've got two tough ones - Townsville and Storm - but we've got some at home and I'd like to think we can win all of them."

The Sharks begin their run home against the Cowboys next Saturday at Remondis Stadium.


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Source: AAP


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