Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan has hailed the fighting spirit of his team, labelling their effort "outstanding."
Speaking after the 18-15 victory against the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium, Flanagan was a relieved, and proud, man.
"I thought we gave them 12 points early, but after that we were outstanding for 70 minutes,'' he said.
"I knew it would be a tight game and I felt it would come down to the last 10 minutes.
"It was a cracking game of footy, thankfully we won it."
Flanagan was also happy with Test prop Aaron Woods who was making a club debut after joining the team earlier this week from the Bulldogs.
"Once he [Woods] understands his role for us, he will be a big plus for us,'' he said.
"He did well, he did his job."
After having a mixed night, Edrick Lee scored what proved to be the match-winning try in the 78th minute and Flanagan was delighted for his winger.
Match Highlights: Warriors v Sharks - Round 16, 2018
"Eddie was fantastic, he came up with an error on the try-line but he didn't drop his bundle,'' he said.
"The whole team just hung in there, it was a big win for us with the bye next weekend.
"Now the key for us is to be consistent and really knuckle down.
"We need to really concentrate on the last eight weeks leading into the semi-finals."
