Cronulla expect superstar halfback Nicho Hynes will be fit for Sunday's trip to St George Illawarra as the Sharks look to steady their NRL campaign.
They got another sharp performance from deputy half Braydon Trindall in a 24-20 loss to Canberra, but missed Hynes' leadership when the Raiders found two quick tries in the second half to breakaway with the points.
The loss left Cronulla 1-2 and their only win certainly didn't come easily, needing to come from behind on three separate occasions to beat Parramatta in round two.
Coach Craig Fitzgibbon said discipline had let his side down in the Canberra loss, highlighted by Royce Hunt's decision to throw a punch at Corey Horsburgh after the Raider prop held him following a scrum and pushed him over.
Hunt was sin-binned for the punch, but Fitzgibbon said it wasn't the only was his side hadn't stuck to the script.
"There's some discipline in knowing our roles, simply executing your role. That was not disciplined enough there, and when we got it wrong they caught us," he said.
"We're getting ourselves into some good games, probably another good game to watch for neutrals.
"I'm disappointed we didn't go on with it or make the most of our opportunities there, our discipline was obviously crucial in the end.
"I liked the way we responded, we were a bit behind the eight ball and we definitely went down swinging ... we're fighting hard, we're swinging, but we've got to tune our footy up a little bit."
Trindall, 23, has come up with a try and four assists in his fill-in role, leaving Fitzgibbon considering giving him a bench utility role upon Hynes' imminent return.
But that would be dependent on his fitness, hurting his ankle in the loss.
"Braydon's done exceptionally, that's why we re-signed him, we believe in him for the future," Fitzgibbon said.
"How long can a young half stay up at that level is another debate but he'll be part of our team whether it's as a utility or he might not, we'll get to the team selections later in the week but we have faith in him."
