Fitzgibbon desperate to end Sharks' poor finals run

Craig Fitzgibbon is one of the NRL's great thinkers, but the Cronulla coach struggles to articulate just how much a drought-breaking finals win would mean.

"It'd be hard to describe in a couple of sentences," he said ahead of Friday's semi-final against North Queensland at Allianz Stadium.

The Sharks are in the midst of a seven-game finals losing streak that predates not just Fitzgibbon's tenure, but also that of his predecessor John Morris.

Of the 27 players to have featured for the Sharks this season, only Jesse Ramien appeared in the side's last finals win - a one-point defeat of Penrith in the second week of the 2018 post-season.

Even then, the centre has had a stint at Newcastle since playing in that victory.

Out to avoid an eight-game finals losing streak, the outright longest of the NRL era, the Sharks have gone to ground.

When quizzed by media this week several players were unaware of criticism levelled at halfback Nicho Hynes over his form in last week's 37-10 qualifying-final loss to Melbourne.

But ignoring the finals record has been a bigger challenge.

"Obviously you're aware of it," Fitzgibbon said.

"We've all been through it together so there's lessons involved in that.

"The only way is through. Let's go. We want to be here. It's not get here and worry about what's happened in that past, it's get here and learn what we're going to do in the future."

The sporting cliché winning fixes everything would ring true for the Sharks with a victory on Friday night.

It would alleviate pressure on Hynes, who has an unconvincing record in big games since relocating from Melbourne in 2022.

It would show the side's core group of junior products have what it takes to make a deep run into the post-season.

Truth be told, it would mark the first time in three seasons under Fitzgibbon that the Sharks had met expectations in a finals series.

"It'd be confidence-building and just rewards for a hard season and a good season. But it'll be a challenge," Fitzgibbon said.

"The Cowboys are playing really well, their squad is choc with Origin players and final winners."

Todd Payten's Cowboys snuffed out one of the Sharks' best chances to break their losing streak with a 32-30 extra-time win in the first week of the 2022 finals series.

South Sydney bounced the Sharks out of finals a week later, and Payten expects the prospect of another early exit could be unsettling his rivals.

"They're a chance of going out in straight sets again so that will be playing on their minds," said the Cowboys coach.

"They're only human. The start is really important and then both teams are going to have to play on the back foot at different stages.

"That's what finals footy is about, hanging in there when it's not going great."