Cameron Ciraldo insists Canterbury's late-season slump will mean nothing come finals, after the Bulldogs suffered a double injury blow in a 24-6 loss to Cronulla.
With little to play for other than a finals warm-up, Canterbury endured a nightmare evening at Sydney's Olympic Stadium on Saturday, with Bronson Xerri and Marcelo Montoya both hurt.
Both will miss Friday night's qualifying final against Melbourne at AAMI Park, with Xerri concussed and Montoya leaving the stadium on crutches with an ankle injury.
Reed Mahoney was also placed on report for a lifting tackle on Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes, who was also cited late for a hip drop that forced Montoya from the field.
Viliame Kikau (HIA) and Matt Burton (shoulder) also had injury scares, but both finished the game.
Jacob Kiraz remains an outside chance of returning from a foot sprain against Melbourne, which will also be missing star duo Ryan Papenhuyzen and Jahrome Hughes.
Cronulla was good in what was a near-perfect hit-out before finals, but the Bulldogs need to lift after sitting first for half of the competition.
Canterbury's only win in their past four games was against a reserve-grade Penrith last week, while Ciraldo admitted the Bulldogs attack was "impatient".
But he insisted it would be a different story come finals, with the performance demonstrating the team had little to play for.
"It's a totally different game once you get to finals," Ciraldo said.
"There is a lot more ball in play, there are a lot less stoppages. Our game will be much more suited to it than the games in the past two weeks."
Ciraldo pointed to the Bulldogs' early defence as a positive, but in attack their only points came via a 98-metre effort when Enari Tuala picked off a Nicho Hynes kick.
"I'm glad tonight's over. I am glad we can get onto the next stage of the competition," Ciraldo said.
"We weren't anywhere near our best. That stuff happens when your mindset is slightly off."
Cronulla, meanwhile, got through the night unscathed, ahead of what looms as a blockbuster home elimination final against the Sydney Roosters next week.
With fifth spot already locked in, they are playing their best football at the right time after completing at 95 per cent on Saturday.
Braydon Trindall is also set to return from an ankle injury next week, while the Sharks back five all played together for the first time this season.
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And the Sharks looked slick with them together, while still controlling the ball and halfback Nicho Hynes on song.
Hynes laid on the first try of an 18-0 first half with a short ball for Billy Burns, before going short-side and hitting Sione Katoa on the chest in the lead-up to another.
The Sharks regularly went down Canterbury's left side in the first half, with Burton filling in at centre for Xerri, before the number six moved back to five-eighth in the second.
Fill-in five-eighth Daniel Atkinson and hooker Blayke Brailey also both scored tries, with Cronulla having now won seven of their last eight.
"It was a good hit-out, that's for sure," Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon said.
"To be able to block out what's ahead and go out there and perform. They didn't go away, we had our hands full. But I thought we were pretty complete."
Earlier, Penrith beat the Dragons 40-20 to secure seventh place and lock in the order of the top eight and book in a trip to New Zealand to face the sixth-place Warriors in an elimination final next week.
Minor premiers the Raiders will face fourth-placed Brisbane in Canberra next Sunday at 4pm, while the Bulldogs will travel to Melbourne to face the Storm in the other qualifying final.
The Sharks will host the Roosters in their elimination final.
I'll be back tomorrow for the final games of the regular season.
Dolphins vs Canberra from 2pm AEST
Eels vs Knights from 4pm AEST
By that point, I assume we'll have a full finals schedule to show you.
Until then, have a wonderful night.
Key Event
FULL-TIME: Sharks thump Bulldogs 24-6 on finals eve
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By Jon Healy
(Getty)
That is a real statement win for Cronulla, putting 24 points on the defensive juggernaut that is Canterbury.
The Sharks were under the pump early and struggled to get out of their half but, on the back of some dominance through the middle by Addin Fonua-Blake and Toby Rudolf, the worm turned.
Once they got anywhere near good ball, the Sharks' attack was just beautiful, shredding the Dogs' defence like overcooked chicken breast.
After Brisbane beat Melbourne, there was no hope of a top-four finish, which Nicho Hynes said made it a bit of a weird week that they weren't necessarily expecting.
"We just treated it like an audition in finals atmosphere. This is probably out best performance over the last eight weeks," he tells Fox.
79' Nicho Hynes is on report
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By Jon Healy
The tackle that forced Marcelo Montoya off with a nasty ankle injury could also be bad news for Nicho Hynes, with the Cronulla halfback put on report for a hip drop.
77' Now Marcelo Montoya is down
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By Jon Healy
The Bulldogs winger is coming straight off the field in the care of trainers with what looks like a serious leg injury.
He can barely put weight on it.
73' More pain for the Dogs
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By Jon Healy
Matt Burton is down and holding a shoulder after trying to bring down a rampaging Sifa Talakai.
He's back up and is going to play on, but he's really carrying that right shoulder.
Hopefully it's just a burner and he can run it out.
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It's another for the Sharks
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By Jon Healy
Nicho Hynes leads another short-side raid, this time sending the ball out to Daniel Atkinson, who finds Ronaldo Mulitalo on the wing.
He skips past Enari Tuala and pops the ball back to Atkinson, who's enjoying his time in the starting line-up in place of Braydon Trindall.
Atkinson touches down in one of his final games for the Sharks before heading to the Dragons next year.
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Key Event
Enari Tuala goes the length of the field for the Bulldogs
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By Jon Healy
Nicho Hynes tries to improvise a little dink in behind the Dogs' defence but it catches his outside men by surprise and the ball is batted straight to Enari Tuala.
The Dogs winger explodes through the gap and never looks like being caught on his 95-metre journey to the tryline.
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43' Kikau doesn't look 100 per cent
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By Jon Healy
Being bumped by Sifa Talakai is nothing to be embarrassed by, but it usually doesn't happen to Kikau.
Meantime, Matt Burton has shifted back to five-eighth, with Jacob Preston shifting out to right centre.
41' We're off and running for the second half
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By Jon Healy
Can the Dogs muster a comeback, or at least try to get out of this game with any more injuries?
Viliame Kikau has somehow passed his HIA and is allowed to play on.
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HALF-TIME: Sharks' late show gives them 18-0 lead over Bulldogs
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By Jon Healy
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Nothing's working for the Dogs and the Sharks are dining out
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By Jon Healy
Connor Tracey has dropped two bombs in a row now, and this one ends up in the hands of Sifa Talakai, who wastes no time getting the ball to Blayke Brailey, who just pins the ears back and sets sail for the tryline.
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After the early arm-wrestle, the Sharks have suddenly burst out to an 18-0 lead with a minute left before half-time.
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It's another for the Sharks and the damage is telling for the Dogs
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By Jon Healy
The Bulldogs' left side has been obliterated by the concussions for Bronson Xerri and Viliame Kikau, and that's where the points are coming for the Sharks.
This time Nicho Hynes hits Sione Katoa on the wing and he pops the ball back in to Jess Ramien to dive in for the Sharks' second.
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28' Kikau again bounces off and finally is subbed off
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By Jon Healy
Toby Rudolf takes another charge and again Viliame Kikau comes in and is bumped off awkwardly.
Fox Sports commentator Mick Ennis said before that it was "stunning" he was staying on the field, but at last the Dogs trainers step in and sub him out for a head injury assessment.
Key Event
The Sharks finally draw first blood
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By Jon Healy
It's taken 25 minutes, but the scorers finally have something to do as Nicho Hynes hits back rower Billy Burns with a short ball and he bursts through a gap to score.
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No coincidence that that came down the flank usually patrolled by the dazed Viliame Kikau.
25' Viliame Kikau is wobbly out there
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By Jon Healy
The big Bulldog tries to pull off a massive shot on Toby Rudolf and comes out of it reeling. He looks shaken and there are definitely some symptoms there. His night might be over too.
22' Reed Mahoney on report for nasty lifting tackle
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By Jon Healy
The Canterbury hooker will have a nervous wait for the match review charges after an ugly lifting tackle on Nicho Hynes.
He didn't drive him into the turf, but her went well above the horizontal and Mahoney is on report.
11' Dogs go close but Sharks turn up in numbers
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By Jon Healy
Both teams are going full speed ahead on every play right now and the Bulldogs go within a metre through Marcelo Montoya.
He's hit high in the corner by Nicho Hynes. So the Dogs will reload from 10 metres out.
7' Bulldogs ace their first defensive test
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By Jon Healy
The line speed from the Dogs is phenomenal and the Sharks can't handle it, unable to capitalise on some excellent field position.
5' Bronson Xerri is down and dazed
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By Jon Healy
The Bulldogs centre slips as he goes in to tackle Sione Katoa and hits his head on the Sharks winger's hip.
It looks to me like category 1 symptoms for Xerri, so he'll leave the game for good and enter concussion protocols and miss next week's first final against Melbourne.
Reed Mahoney comes onto the field, so Matt Burton moves to left centre and Bailey Hayward goes from hooker to five-eighth.
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