Cronulla's quest for a maiden premiership will begin with a difficult trip to Canberra this week after they botched a perfect opportunity to grab a home final, losing 36-22 to North Queensland yesterday.
The Raiders' 42-22 win against the Warriors earlier in the day meant the Sharks were aware at halftime they had to beat the Cowboys to ensure they play the Green Machine in Sydney on Sunday.
Neil Henry's Cowboys knew before the game they would finish fifth and host a home final in Townsville regardless of the result, but still proved to be too strong for a Sharks side who were strangely lacklustre in front of their home fans.
Despite speculation to the contrary, Henry opted against resting Johnathan Thurston and Matt Bowen, but he did give representative prop Matt Scott a spell ahead of Saturday's elimination final against Brisbane.
Thurston was hardly operating on full throttle, kicking the ball out on the full three times, but still had enough of an influence on the game, kicking six goals as his side chalked up a fourth successive win.
