It wasn't just the number of errors Cronulla made last season but also where they occured that cruelled the Sharks' chances of repeating their 2016 heroics.
The enigmatic Sharks could - and probably should - have finished higher than seventh but time and again they proved their own worst enemy.
Cronulla's 287 errors - an average of 12 per match - was the most in the regular season. The NRL average was 10.4 per match.
It's not pretty reading but a high error rate doesn't always spell disaster, as back-to-back premiers the Roosters showed.
Trent Robinson's men followed the Sharks with 11.7 errors per match across the 25 regular season rounds. However, they made up for it with resolute defence, conceding only six tries in the set after an error.
Meanwhile, Cronulla leaked 14 tries in the set after an error, ranking as the fifth-worst team in that department.
Tries on the back of errors amounted for 19 percent of the 73 four-pointers the Sharks conceded all up; the equal third-highest rate.
But the most worrying aspect of Cronulla's mistakes was the field position in which they came.
John Morris's team made the most blunders coming out of danger, with 29 errors recorded 0-10 metres from their own line (NRL average: 21) and 36 in the 10-20 metre zone (NRL average: 23).
