The Sharks have been put to the test through the opening seven rounds of the season, clocking up the air miles on trips to Las Vegas, Townsville, Canberra and Perth.
They could have been a bit weary rolling into Newcastle on Sunday, but Craig Fitzgibbon's men didn't need to hit top gear to defeat the Knights at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The Sharks moved into the NRL's top eight and boast a 4-3 start to 2025 ahead of trips to face Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval and a Magic Round showdown with Parramatta in the next fortnight.
"We've been in every game physically and you can find reasons - and there are plenty if we search for them - but we've got more to come, so we don't want to talk (about our schedule) too much," Fitzgibbon said.
"A fair bit went our way early, which set the game up nicely for us."
It helped the Sharks that the Knights threw little at them with the ball in hand.
Adam O'Brien's side are missing five regular starters and have lost four games on the spin, scoring an NRL-low 56 points through their opening six games of the season.
"I feel disappointed, we always want to win and we hate losing, especially here," said O'Brien, whose side added two tries in the final 10 minutes through Fletcher Sharpe and James Schiller.
"I don't think we've let anyone down with how hard we're trying.
"Long term we will be a better footy team and club for these young guys getting experience.
"It doesn't feel great now, but I know our educated fans will stick by us, and we'll come out the other side."
The Knights' defensive output could also be called into question after Cronulla raced to a 12-0 lead after 20 minutes, with Nicho Hynes converting from barge-over tries by front-row duo Oregon Kaufusi and Addin Fonua-Blake.
Hynes set up Kaufusi, before the big prop turned provider, offloading in the tackle to set the wheels in motion for Fonua-Blake's second try of the season.
"We haven't see the best of him yet, he's developing," Fitzgibbon said of Kaufusi.
"He's starting to get back to the physicality we need from him."
The Knights finally stiffened up in the middle, and it was only through a lovely sweeping left-to-right play that Cronulla crossed in the corner through Sam Stonestreet.
Greg Marzhew hit back for the Knights to cut the Sharks' halftime lead to 16-4, but things quickly got out of reach for the home side.
Hooker Phoenix Crossland was sidelined with an ankle injury and winger Schiller spent time in the sin bin for a high shot on Sharks centre Mawene Hiroti.
With Newcastle down to 12, Cronulla made their advantage count, with Stonestreet - profiting from Jesse Ramien intercepting a Kalyn Ponga pass - and Will Kennedy crossing.
Sharks prop Toby Rudolf dropped one cold over the line, before Newcastle five-eighth Sharpe backed up a cavalier Marzhew run for the Knights' second of the afternoon.
Ponga's conversion of Sharpe's try meant the Knights avoided being held to single-digit scores in four consecutive matches for the first time since 1990, as Hiroti and Schiller traded tries in the game's final stages.
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