The North Queensland Cowboys 2024 season came to an end on Friday night with something of a thud.
Coming up against a Sharks side they beat in the finals two years ago, and who also hadn't won a finals game since 2018, they would have fancied themselves to pull of an upset.
Instead the game was over at half time as the Sharks led 24-0, and despite three tries in the second half, the margin was too much to overcome for Todd Payten's side.
The coach later lamented his sides first half performances, and the mistakes that allowed Cronulla to get a foothold on the game.
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Todd Payten reacts to Cowboys elimination
"In four sets in that first half we came up with errors - a couple forced, a couple unforced - and [we weren't] calm enough in those moments," Payten said to media post match.
"There were two moments that really hurt us and [means you] don't deserve to win these tight matches is the try off the kick off set.
"The kick chase there, we don't get down far enough and they put a contested kick in. And then the try just before half time that blows it out to 24-0.
"We showed a bit of fight and spirit in the second half, [if] a couple options fell a little different, [it] might have been a different story, but in the end the way we started the first half is too costly."
Payten believes the Jekyll and Hyde performance from the Cowboys was emblematic of their season, where they could either be brilliant or the polar opposite.
He says if they want to be a top team, they must strive for greater consistency.
"We've got to evolve, otherwise we're a middle of the road team," he said.
"[We] show some flashiness, but we've got to bite down on the mouthguard a little harder [in] tough parts of the game for longer periods.
"We've got some ability, but we can't pick and choose when you're doing the hard stuff in the game."