Would would have thought that after three rounds of the 2018 season, either Cronulla or Parramatta would be zero and three?
The Sharks head to ANZ Stadium on Saturday night to face a desperate Eels side humiliated 54-0 by traditional rivals Manly on Sunday.
While Cronulla are in the same boat having lost their opening two games, the manner of their defeats will give them less cause for concern. The Sharks’ six-point loss to heavyweights North Queensland and four-point defeat in their derby clash with St George Illawarra could have easily gone the other way.
But the only thing that matters is Cronulla’s donut in their win column. The Sharks are 0 and 2, with the potential to become 0 and 3. It is not a good situation for a team stacked with representative talent and tipped by many to be pushing for another premiership.
Some will remember Cronulla’s slow start to their 2016 premiership winning season where they lost two of their opening three matches. But Sharks coach Shane Flanagan won’t be banking on another club record 15-game winning streak to get them out of trouble and will demand a response from his side against Parramatta so Cronulla are not left chasing their tail for the rest of the season.
“People talk about poor starts. In [2016] we had a poor start but we know things aren’t going to pan out like that. We just need to concentrate on now. We can’t keep referring back to those other things. And we need to start winning football games now and put them in big blocks,” Flanagan said.
“And I’m sure we can if we just concentrate on those things… fundamentals of football. Holding the ball, kicking into corners. And we showed we could do it in the first half [against the Dragons] but we just refused to do it in the second half.”
Sharks captain Paul Gallen echoed the thoughts of his coach, saying the Dragons loss last Thursday night was mostly self-inflicted thanks to a dismal second half performance.
“We were our own worst enemy in the second half. No one to blame but ourselves as Flanno said,” Gallen said.
“And that’s everyone, as we’ve spoken about [in the sheds after the game]. It’s everyone right across the board. Penalties, errors, it’s just beating ourselves.”
Cronulla’s clash with Parramatta is the second game of a double header at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night, with South Sydney hosting Manly in the early kick-off.
