Toby Rudolf has arrived at the famed Wanda sand dunes for a dose of self-imposed punishment.
It's a cold and wet Saturday morning, the day after the forward conceded a crucial late penalty that contributed to Cronulla's Round 17 loss to the Bulldogs.
Rudolf doesn't need to be told, but the Shire locals tell him anyway.
"The Sharks were bad last night," one says, before later adding "It was your fault, but at least you're out here doing extras."
It was a moment Rudolf was prepared for but it's one he's determined to ensure doesn't happen again.
"I knew it was my fault," Rudolf told NRL.com. "If it caught me off guard, it would be a bigger thing but that game was entirely my fault. If I don't play, we don't lose.
"It was the worst performance I've had at NRL level but if you learn from it, it's only going to make you stronger."
Burton seals the win!
Rudolf was dropped to reserve grade for a week before returning for Cronulla's dominant victory over the Wests Tigers in Round 19.
The forward produced a solid stint in 39 minutes off the bench, running for 77 metres and making 28 tackles.
Rudolf and his Sharks teammates have had the chance to freshen up with the bye on the weekend but they have now returned to training with their sights set on defeating the Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday night.
Cronulla will be without fullback Will Kennedy who is serving a two-match suspension for running into the referee in the win over the Wests Tigers. With Kade Dykes out for the season and a number of other options unavailable, highly-touted youngster Liam Ison is in the mix to make his NRL debut.
The Sharks will travel to North Queensland on high alert after watching five-eighth Tom Dearden lead the Cowboys to a two-point victory over Canterbury on Sunday.
Edge forward Briton Nikora will line up opposite the Maroons star and said they will be focused on making sure Dearden is quickly contained when he gets his hands on the ball.
"He's a world-class player," Nikora told NRL.com. "He's strong so we've got to make sure we're not clocking off around him because he's a threat in their team.
"He's strong around his hips. He doesn't look like he's too strong but you've got to make sure you make good contact on him, especially around the waist because he's strong there."
Match: Cowboys v Sharks
Round 21 -
home Team
Cowboys
8th Position
away Team
Sharks
3rd Position
Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
The Sharks made a flying start to the NRL season but have battled for consistency in recent weeks. After winning nine of their first ten matches, they have won just two of their last seven in a tough middle third of the year.
Despite the tough run, Cronulla remain third on the ladder and have their sights on a top-four finish.
While slow starts have crippled the Sharks' chances in a number of losses, the impact of the bench has also played a key role in whether the side comes out on top or not.
Rudolf, Braden Hamlin-Uele and Royce Hunt have each displayed an ability to swing matches with a powerful burst off the pine however they have struggled to produce those performances on a regular basis.
Hamlin-Uele said coach Craig Fitzgibbon's decision to drop Rudolf for the Titans game put the entire forward pack on notice and made clear what's expected of them.
"Fitzy doesn't care about how popular a guy is," Hamlin-Uele said. "You've got to earn the right to wear the black, white and blue under Fitzy.
"That's held us in good stead. It's made us train harder, it's made us play harder and play for each other and made us more selfless. Forwards are turning up retrieving bombs like [Tom Hazleton] did against the Tigers, when does that ever happen? So we're in good nick and looking forward to Saturday night."
Try by Braden Hamlin-Uele
Rudolf recognises he has struggled to build his way into the season after battling a number of injuries throughout the first half of the campaign.
The loss to the Bulldogs, and subsequent dropping to reserve grade, was the trigger he needed to address the minor details he feels were holding him back on the field.
Rudolf is now spending more time keeping active on his days off and ensuring he arrives to training in good shape.
The performance in the Wests Tigers victory was a good start, now his focus is on taking his game to the next level in the run to the finals.
"It was back to where I've been playing in the past," Rudolf said. "It's only one game so I can't rest on my laurels. I can't think it's all going to happen, I've still got to go after it. I've still got to work hard to make sure this is only the beginning.
"Fitz wants to see more of that. He wants to see high energy, my work off the ball and inside pressure. It's the stuff I usually do but I haven't done this year, he wants more of that."
