Ronaldo's road trip rules: Buy coffees, build a bond

Victorious in Townsville and Perth, vanquished in Las Vegas and Canberra, the Sharks have experienced a range of emotions as their frequent flyer points have gone through the roof across the first six rounds.

Their effort to bounce back after the Allegiant Stadium loss to the Panthers and the heartbreaking defeat at GIO Stadium to win the following week is a testament to the Sharks' mental toughness and ability to move on quickly from disappointment.

Always looking to put a positive spin on any situation, winger Ronaldo Mulitalo reckons the demanding road trips have been "like a massive sleepover with your best mates doing the thing you love which is footy".

"You can't complain too much, we get to hang out with our best mates and enjoy each other’s company," Mulitalo told media ahead of Sunday's clash against Newcastle.

"I don't worry too much about looking at the draw to see what's coming up. I just take it week by week and jump on a bus or a flight or wherever it takes me.

"This is what we get paid to do, it's all part of the job and you just have to get on with it.

"I think it's harder on our families, it's not easy leaving our families for four days of the week. Some of the boys have kids as well so that can be pretty tough so we always keep them in mind and try not to waste those trips.

"You get a bit closer to your teammates and a couple of boys out there owe me coffee, so there's a couple of debts I’ll be collecting as we get along on the road."

After this weekend's bus ride to Newcastle and a flight to Brisbane for Magic Round in early May, the Sharks play eight of their remaining 15 games at Shark Park as well as three games in Sydney and two in Gosford.

It's a much friendlier schedule than the one Craig Fitzgibbon's men have endured to start the season and should hold them in good stead for a run at a fourth consecutive finals series.

"We just need to narrow our focus as a group and push towards the main goal together," Mulitalo said.

"Pretty happy with where we are at the moment but so much more work to do.

"As the year gets along and the games get bigger and bigger it's just a new audition for what's to come and you have to earn that.

"So for us it's about trying to build towards the end and really excited for the challenges to come.

"Every time we've come up against Newcastle it has always been a tough contest. They play that tough, gritty football so really looking forward to getting there and having a good contest against them."