Justin Horo’s one concern with Cronulla’s attack ahead of finals

The Cronulla Sharks have taken a massive step forward in securing a top four finish in 2024 with an emphatic 44-0 win over the Gold Coast Titans on Friday evening.

Despite a rough month of form and coming into the games as heavy underdogs, Craig Fitzgibbon’s men put on a trademark display and dominated the Titans in all facets of the game.

Although the win was an incredibly impressive one, the Sharks still have plenty of ground to cover to be seen alongside the likes of Melbourne and Penrith as genuine Premiership threats.

Reflecting on the massive victory, SEN’s Justin Horo admitted that whilst the Sharks' go-to strategy worked a treat against the Titans, their lack of a backup plan could haunt them.

“This is my thing with Cronulla, despite it being a good win I don’t think they have a plan b,” Horo said.

“They rely heavily on their power game, on this occasion, it’s worked well.

“But I do still think there’s a clear gap and I’m putting in this bracket of teams that are fighting for the top four in the Bulldogs, Cowboys and Sharks, they’re all in the same tier for me.

“They all have their strengths and weaknesses, they’re not the exact same teams.

“But what a performance from the Sharks, as we know, history says you have to be in the top four, you have to give yourself an opportunity to get yourself a week off.

“Currently, after that emphatic win, the Sharkies have done that, a few of these other teams who are still yet to play and would’ve loved to look at the Sharks and gone, ‘Alright, destiny is in our own hands with this game’.

“Now they’re just adding a little bit more anxiety to those teams by kicking away and beating a team in the Gold Coast Titans that were lower on the ladder but favourites going into the game.”

Cronulla can all but lock down a top four finish if they can get past the travelling Newcastle Knights next Sunday afternoon.