Craig Fitzgibbon has pushed back against what he calls a false narrative about his Cronulla side following their heavy defeat to the Penrith Panthers last weekend.
The storyline that the Sharks can't match it with the competition's best has dogged the club for some time, and a 26-6 thrashing by the Panthers in Bathurst did little to hush the critics.
Fitzgibbon hasn't missed the finals once since taking charge, and the club has gone deep in two of the last three seasons, reaching the preliminary final stage in 2023 and 2025.
Despite the consistency, questions linger over whether Cronulla can take the next step and actually eliminate a powerhouse when it counts.
Penrith remains the one team Fitzgibbon simply cannot crack.
Still, he won't back down when the subject was brought up at Friday's press conference.
"Well, there's a long way to go (this season)… in the last few years, Penrith's the only team we haven't beaten, so to say that we can't beat other teams, well that's incorrect,” Fitzgibbon said to the media.
"So I don't know how that's a narrative, but it's understandable based on Penrith doing that to most teams.
"And if you want to play like that against Penrith, you get exactly what you deserve.
"So that was a good lesson for where we're at."
He may have a point.
Strip out the Penrith results, and Cronulla's record against elite opposition tells another story.
Against Melbourne Storm, they've won three and lost five since 2022, including two defeats in three meetings last year, who went on to reach the grand final.
They split with Canberra Raiders and the Canterbury Bulldogs last season, knocking out the Raiders in the semi-finals in their own backyard, and had a 34-28 loss to the Broncos in Round 16.
The Dolphins visit Shark Park on Saturday evening, still searching for their first win of 2026, before Cronulla head to GIO Stadium to play the reigning minor premiers.
