Cronulla have beaten Melbourne and North Queensland on their five-game run but the Sharks are shying away from suggestions they are the NRL's second-best team.
Cronulla's playing group have shied away from suggestions they are the second-best team in the NRL following recent defeats of fellow top-four sides Melbourne and North Queensland.
Craig Fitzgibbon has transformed the Sharks into premiership contenders during his first year at the helm and the side take a five-game winning streak into Saturday's litmus test against ladder-leading Penrith.
The Sharks' recent form has outshone the Storm's and they now sit on equal competition points with the Cowboys.
But Cronulla aren't reading much into their ladder position.
"I don't buy into it," forward Cameron McInnes told reporters.
"If you want to see who the best team is, watch the week before. That's all that matters.
"Anyone can beat anyone on their day. If you're going to get caught up in saying we're the second-best or we're the third-best or this and that, there's always a team who's coming for you.
"We've had some good form but we've got so much improvement in us."
McInnes said the Sharks would need to tighten their completion rate before they met the reigning premiers, after making 13 errors in last week's defeat of an undermanned North Queensland.
"I don't think we were that good on the weekend," McInnes said.
"Everything comes off the back of (completion rate). If you start giving ball away, your defence starts to struggle because you're a bit more fatigued, then you're not making as many good contacts in defence and you're putting your edges under pressure.
"It's something we need to sort out."
Winger Ronaldo Mulitalo said the Sharks were keeping their focus internal ahead of meeting Penrith, another team they could face in the finals.
"We talk about these games being auditions," he said.
"Those games (in finals) don't come easily so we want to make sure we're building nicely.
"A lot of noise has been made about where we are and who we are ... (but) we just want to be a tough team."
