Patience and pressure are the two valuable lessons the Sharks learnt from last week\u2019s loss to Penrith when the attacking plays they perfected against the Titans in the opening round were shut down by the Panthers\u2019 suffocating defence.<\/p>\n
Cronulla\u2019s attack was humming in their first game of the season when they scored 50 points at home against Gold Coast, but they ran into a brick wall in Bathurst against a Penrith side that has conceded just one try in 160 minutes to start 2026.<\/p>\n
Having made eight line breaks against the Titans, the Sharks managed just two on the weekend and coughed up the ball 13 times, which is always a bad combination against a team that has won four of the past five grand finals.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, I don\u2019t think we built enough pressure on Penrith,\u201d five-eighth Braydon Trindall said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you try to get your plays on without actually working the defence over (you\u2019ll struggle), so I think that played a massive part in our game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis week, that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to look to get better at to break their defence down a bit more before we try to attack them.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou try to attack a defensive line that hasn\u2019t done any work and they\u2019re just going to defend it, so it\u2019s a massive thing for us. We\u2019ve got to earn it first and try to work them over, but we\u2019ll just look to get better during the week first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trindall had four try assists and scored a double against the Titans, but he and halves partner Nicho Hynes were unable to build enough pressure to break down the stingiest defence in the NRL. <\/p>\n
Co-captain Blayke Brailey says it was frustrating given how well they attacked a week earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we knew that was going to happen, it wasn\u2019t a surprise to us,\u201d he said <\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew they\u2019re going to be obviously a really strong defence, and that\u2019s exactly what they did. They\u2019re a hard team to play and to beat, and they showed their class again on the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sharks now face a Dolphins side that famously loves to throw the footy around, but Brailey says his side can\u2019t fall into the trap of playing all-out attacking rugby league. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith the way we didn\u2019t perform the way we wanted to, it\u2019ll be more about leaning into how we can get better (this week),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t control if they\u2019re going to throw the ball around and if they\u2019re going to throw offloads. It\u2019s more about how we can refine our systems and how we personally as a team can get better. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey are unpredictable at times and they have strike everywhere, so we definitely have to stay on red alert and on our toes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That attacking threat is led by fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, who scored one of the tries of 2024 at Shark Park when the Dolphins star punished one overeager defender off a kick and raced 90m to score. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you try to solve things individually, it\u2019s obviously going to make you pay,\u201d Brailey said. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s all about staying in our systems, working together, (having) communication. He\u2019s electric with the ball and it looks like he\u2019s jogging and he\u2019s so fast, so hopefully he doesn\u2019t get into too much open space this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n