Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon admits his facet will wish to enhance to ascertain it with the NRL’s simplest teams, despite rising from an error-riddled take in opposition to closing-placed Gold Soar with a space within the discontinuance four.
The Sharks grabbed consecutive wins for the first time since rounds four and 5 with Saturday’s 18-10 victory but had been the relaxation but convincing in front of a sellout crowd in Coffs Harbour.
They led 10-0 early and appeared heading within the right path for a blowout take but had to scrap for the 2 opponents points that allowed them to leapfrog Brisbane into fourth place.
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Fitzgibbon admitted he sighed with relief when his team of workers acquired in opposition to a troublesome Titans outfit that defied their ranking to bring a screech.
“Finally we right wanted to take and we got there within the discontinue,” Fitzgibbon instructed journalists.
“It wasn’t wonderful, there could be heaps for us to gape at, but we can spend our two points.
“You gape on the table and spend or now not it is a given you are right going to take … footy’s too laborious.
“That (Titans facet) is a right footy team of workers and or now not it is so laborious to procure the total lot factual.”
The Titans levelled the match at 10-10 earlier than the smash however the Sharks scored essentially the most efficient points of the 2nd half in a lacklustre repeat.
Fitzgibbon modified into unimpressed with the 15 errors that time and again invited the Titans abet into the competition.
“We have had intervals where we now have shown our capabilities after which intervals of inconsistency, but we now have plenty extra left,” he acknowledged.
“We maintain we’re laborious to defend at instances and we let teams off the hook with strain. And then we defend properly at instances and we allow them to off with discipline.
“So we are going to retain engaged on placing these two parts collectively and mounting extra strain and we now have extra gears.”
In-possess winger Sione Katoa opened the scoring earlier than 5-eighth Matt Moylan made it two Sharks’ tries in four minutes for 10-0, but a prolonged line smash from Beau Fermor to rating and a crashing effort from Greg Marzhew had the sport tied after 25 minutes.
Moylan produced some magic to procure a immediate attempt for Blayke Brailey to reclaim the lead after halftime, whereas a Nicho Hynes penalty extended the margin to eight points on 58 minutes.
In his closing audition earlier than Convey of Origin sport two, NSW aspirant Hynes had a hand in two tries, forced two aim-line dropouts with plug-ideal kicks and modified into a constant inventive element within the take.
Cronulla stumbled on some gigantic metre-ingesting performances from their backs, led by Katoa (154m), Siosifa Talakai (148m) and Jesse Ramien (136m), whereas captain Dale Finucane had 85m off the bench in his return from damage.
The Titans facet showed a variety of heart but again did now not fire, particularly within opposition territory, in slumping to three-12 for the season.
“I’m if truth be told feeling for everybody in our membership, but I maintain we now have shown how laborious we’re attempting,” Titans coach Justin Holbrook instructed journalists.
“We’re right missing that bit of class or these couple of moments – we right do now not procure out of our in-aim after which they right procure out of their in-aim.
“They’re right gigantic, gigantic altering points. There is some laborious classes for us on the minute.”
Again at fullback after spending quite a lot of the season within the halves, AJ Brimson had some nice touches for the Titans, including his attempt-support for Fermor.