Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon expressed visible frustration following his team’s 38-18 loss to Parramatta at CommBank Stadium on Sunday, a result that severely diminished the Sharks’ chances of securing a top-four finish in the NRL standings.

The defeat left Cronulla on 34 competition points, four behind fourth-placed Sydney Roosters with just one round remaining, effectively eliminating the Sharks from contention for a home finals advantage. Even a win against Melbourne this week would leave them likely facing the eighth-placed North Queensland Cowboys in an elimination final, requiring four consecutive victories to claim the Provan-Summons Trophy.

The match saw an uncharacteristically slow start from Cronulla, who fell behind early as the 13th-placed Eels raced to a 26-8 halftime lead. Parramatta opened the scoring with two tries in the opening six minutes, including a 90-metre effort by Will Penisini, set up by a Brian Kelly interception of a Sharks pass. Despite the sin-binning of Parramatta prop Junior Paulo early in the first half, the Eels maintained their momentum, not conceding any points during Paulo’s 10-minute absence.

Cronulla began to mount a response in the second half, with tries from Sione Katoa and Blayke Brailey narrowing the gap. However, the Sharks’ momentum was halted late in the game when forward Tom Hazelton was sin-binned for a dangerous hip-drop tackle on Parramatta’s Ronald Volkman. This incident proved pivotal, as Eels youngster Talyn Da Silva crossed twice during Hazelton’s absence, sealing the victory.

Fitzgibbon, typically composed, was caught on camera punching a monitor in the coaches' box following Hazelton’s sin-binning. “You’d hit the screen if you were down 7-1 on penalties as well,” Fitzgibbon said post-match. “When everyone’s livelihoods are on the line and you’re down 7-1… yeah, you’d get frustrated. I shouldn’t have done it, to be fair.”

The Sharks also face ongoing challenges with disciplinary issues, as three players were put on report for incidents during the match. Centre Kayal Iro was cited for a high shot; winger Ronaldo Mulitalo for a late tackle on a downed Mitchell Moses; and Hazelton for the hip-drop tackle.

Parramatta’s five-eighth Ronald Volkman had a standout performance, continuing his breakout season with a 50-metre solo try and solid overall play. Off-contract at season’s end, Volkman’s form has drawn attention for his potential impact regardless of where he plays next year.

Junior Paulo, also off contract, impressed despite his sin-binning early in the match. The veteran prop ran for 166 metres and delivered two try assists, including a deft flick pass for Da Silva’s opening score.

Fitzgibbon reflected on his team’s mindset, highlighting a tendency to become “uptight” in high-pressure situations: “We’re playing teams who have got nothing and we’ve got everything on the line. We don’t want to get it wrong and it just creates an energy that we’ve got to address.” He added that the Sharks need to focus on the matches immediately in front of them rather than looking ahead to the semifinals.

The loss effectively ends Cronulla’s bid for a top-four placing, leaving them with a challenging path through the finals if they are to progress further.