Cronulla's home ground is a hostile environment for away teams and not for the faint-hearted, but Dolphins centre Herbie Farnworth relishes the flak he cops from the fans.
"Last time I was there I got a bit of abuse from the crowd, but that's fine," Farnworth grinned.
"It gives me ammo when I am getting abused. I like it."
The Dolphins play the Sharks away on Saturday night at an arena that holds fond memories for the England international, who played his first NRL match with Brisbane at the venue for an understrength side that prevailed against the odds.
"We won with the 'Baby Broncos'. I made my debut in 2019 at Shark Park, so it is a special place for me," Farnworth said.
"I love going back to play there."
Last year's clash was a cracker. The Dolphins trailed 14-0 and got back to 14-12 behind and could have won the match had the bounce of the ball not eluded hooker Jeremy Marshall-King as he was about to score. The Sharks scored twice late to seal it.
Farnworth scored an incredible try where he beat five players. He was also seen chuckling at times after copping sprays from the Cronulla faithful.
"I was laughing, but we didn't win the game, so I wasn't laughing at the end," Farnworth said.
The 24-year-old loves the one-on-one battles and will have his work cut out marking opposite centre Jesse Ramien.
"He is a very good player ... very strong with the footy, elusive, good footwork and a powerful fend. It will be a good battle and I am keen to play against him," Farnworth said.
The Dolphins will need to be a lot better than they were in the 18-14 win over Gold Coast last week, where it took them 50 minutes to find their attacking groove after an error-ridden opening.
"We were pretty clunky, but if you can play poorly and still come away with the two points it is a sign of a good team," Farnworth said.
"We have a lot of confidence in this team, but we've got to know when to hold the footy and when not to play (expansively). There is a lot to work on and we've got to be a lot better.
"It's a big game against the Sharkies, who look in very good form."
Dolphins fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow was electric against the Titans last week, and famously scored a 100m try at Shark Park in 2024 to win the match 30-28.
"Hopefully he can do it again this week," Farnworth said.
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