The Sharks were in the box seat to win the minor premiership after winning their first six games - in only their second season of the NRLW - until a shock 40-0 thumping by the Sydney Roosters stopped them in their tracks.
Looking for a comeback against Brisbane last week, the Sharks went down 20-16 but coach Tony Herman is confident his side can bounce back following two consecutive losses.
"We're not getting too carried away, we need to win tomorrow night to confirm our finals spot," he said.
"We just need to win."
Cronulla enter the final round of the competition with the same number of points as the Roosters and Broncos, but with the weakest points differential among the three.
A win against the Tigers on Thursday night will guarantee the Sharks a top-three finish and momentum heading into next week's sudden death semi-final.
Despite in the mix for the wooden spoon, the Tigers will be somewhat confident after breaking a 14-game losing streak against St George Illawarra last week.
Tigers prop Natasha Penitani (with ball) comes up against her sister Tiana for the first time. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
It will be a family affair at Shark Park on Thursday night with Cronulla captain Tiana Penitani up against her sister, Tigers prop Natasha Penitani.
It will be the first ever game when the Penitani sisters face each other, with the Tongan-international duo having played in the same team until this season.
Tiana Penitani told AAP there were no friends on the footy field.
"I've always played alongside her (Natasha) so it will be weird being on opposite sides of the field, but there are no friends on the footy field we say.
"It is game on and if anything she's got more of a target on her back being my sister, I will probably take a run at her a couple of times."
There is a chance for Cronulla to finish in top spot this season if ninth-placed St George beat Brisbane, while Parramatta enjoy home ground advantage against current minor premiers the Roosters.
Herman said while he will keep an eye on the Broncos and Roosters results, his main focus was making sure his squad was ready for their first finals appearance.
"I mean we will probably have a little look, but for us the top four teams have really good footy sides," he said.
"Where ever we land, we land, so we're not worried about other results, we're just worried about beating the Tigers."
It is the last round of the NRLW season with the final four to be decided with Newcastle and the Eels facing must-win clashes for different reasons.
On Saturday, the Dragons take on second-placed Broncos in Townsville followed by North Queensland up against the Knights as they look to cement their top-four spot.
Canberra come up against Gold Coast, who return after a 46-10 demolition of the Knights.
The bottom-placed Eels take on the in form Sydney Roosters in front of a home crowd on Sunday afternoon.
3°C