We can win it from anywhere.
That's the message from Cronulla following a heartbreaking 16-14 loss to the Sydney Roosters on Saturday that has their NRL title defence on a knife's edge.
If Penrith beat St George Illawarra at home on Sunday, the Sharks will sink to sixth on the ladder with one round remaining.
Heading into their round 26 clash with last-placed Newcastle, it would leave the Sharks at longs odd to make the all-important top four.
No side in the NRL era (since 1998) has come from the bottom half of the eight to win the premiership.
However coach Shane Flanagan is adamant their hopes of becoming the first side to go back-to-back in a united competition since Brisbane in 1992-93 are still burning.
He reiterated his earlier comments that the competition was capable of being won from outside the top four and insisted his side could achieve such a feat.
"If we don't make the top four it doesn't matter - I'll just move on, we've just got to deal with the cards we're dealt with," Flanagan said.
"We went close tonight and it could have gone the opposite way. It didn't.
"We just have to move on. We're in the finals, wherever we come, we'll turn up and we'll play and we'll give it a real crack."
The Sharks are sweating on the fitness of back-rower Wade Graham after he limped out of Southern Cross Group Stadium in a moon boot.
Graham left the field in the 20th minute with what appeared to be a lower-leg injury and seemed to be having trouble placing weight on it.
Initial reports were that he had a badly corked calf however Flanagan was unsure.
"We're not quite sure if it's just a deep cork or worse than that," the coach said.
"We won't speculate. We'll just wait until he gets the scans."
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