His contract status is an ongoing source of debate but Matt Moylan's main concern right now is ensuring he remains on the field to continue his recent purple patch of form.
Moylan has been one of Cronulla's best in recent weeks at five-eighth, which resulted in coach Josh Hannay keeping him in the halves last week alongside Shaun Johnson when the team's three playmakers were all finally available.
Chad Townsend was the odd man out but he has his future secured at the Cowboys next year whereas Moylan and Johnson are effectively playing for a new deal in 2022 at the Sharks or elsewhere.
Moylan has had a well-documented history of hamstring woes, but the way he stepped out and up in Coffs Harbour on Sunday reminded fans of the young Panthers cub who made his Telstra Premiership debut in 2013.
The 29-year-old motored for 167 metres in nine runs, made two line breaks, a try assist and busted out of six tackles to play a key role in the 38-10 win over the Titans.
The season so far: Round 7-12
He had no thought for how his legs might handle that kind of stress.
"Everything has been good ... I’ve put a lot of time into getting my body right," Moylan told NRL.com.
"It’s been a lot of hard work and a long road so hopefully I can keep that going and build off this game."
Maintaining his combination with Johnson, who has only just returned from hamstring problems himself, will certainly help in laying the foundations for more victories.
Match Highlights: Sharks v Titans
"It's great to see Shaun back on the field and in such a big milestone game for him. He freed us up a bit to play some good footy there," Moylan said of Johnson’s 200th NRL game.
It was the first time the two had played together in the halves for 2021 on the back of only three games together at the scrum base in 2020 for two wins and a loss.
"Chad has been doing a really good job with us. There are a few of us trying to play the same positions there so unfortunately he missed out this time," Moylan said.
"He’s been really good around the side – you’d expect nothing less of Chad as he’s a really good bloke.
"I’m sure with the way footy works out, he’ll be back in the side in the future. I know he’s a hard worker so he’ll keep doing that, working on the things he wants to improve."
Now it’s time for the Sharks to keep moving forward – they've recorded back-to-back wins for the first time this year.
Although they're 12th on the ladder with a 4-8 record, they're just one win out of the top eight and starting to get a healthy roster for the first time in a long time with prop Braden Hamlin-Uele the only regular first-grader unavailable for next Friday's home game against Penrith.
Get Caught Up: Round 12 must-see moments
"Being able to finally score a few tries helps," Moylan said.
"The big one is getting some personnel back. We’ve now got a platform to build off."
Winger Ronaldo Mulitalo scored two tries in his return from a knee injury and Jesse Ramien broke 13 tackles and had two line breaks in his comeback from suspension as the Sharks took momentum into their clash with the first-placed Panthers after the bye.
"That will be a hard one but we want to get ourselves into a position where we can kick on with some wins," Moylan said. "This week off will be good to rest our bodies and fine tune a few things for Penrith."
