"We haven’t spoken about it," Nicho Hynes insisted as Cronulla prepares to head down to Melbourne to take on the Storm in a qualifying final this weekend.
The Sharks have had a bitter experience in September for the past two years, losing to North Queensland via a two-point field goal from former hero Val Holmes, before suffering a similar fate last season when Sam Walker slotted a winning field goal over for the Sydney Roosters.
The back-to-back disappointments has seen them labelled as pretenders on the big stage, yet the Cronulla halfback claimed the club was ready to prove the doubts wrong.
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‘Haven’t spoken about it’: Sharks dismiss horror finals record ahead of Storm clash
"It’s all just outside noise and you guys [the media] are the ones putting the pressure on us," Hynes said.
"This is our third year now under Fitzy [Craig Fitzgibbon] and we’ve worked really hard this year to put ourselves in this position to make sure it doesn’t happen again."
Hynes noted how despite the obvious disappointment that came from such narrow losses in the finals, the group had drawn strength out of them.
And now they are better placed than ever to overcome the hurdle which has seen them fail to win a finals fixture under Fitzgibbon.
"We’ve learnt from the two finals series," Hynes stated.
"From 2022 to 2023, we were better. From 2023 to 2024, I think we’re better again."
The Sharks have finished inside the top-four for the second time in three seasons as they chart their journey to the decider in October.
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The first task is a daunting one though as they have to head down to Victoria to take on the reigning minor premiers in their own backyard.
However, the Sharks have already tasted success at AAMI Park this campaign after a patched-up team prevailed 25-18 back in Round 10.
"Not many teams can say they’ve gone down there and beat Melbourne in Melbourne," Hynes said as Cronulla stand as just one of two sides to achieve the feat in 2024.
Although, in order to do the double over Craig Bellamy’s outfit, the Sharks will have to snap a six-game losing streak overall in finals to advance through to a prelim.
