Siosifa Talakai has revealed Cronulla players were "at each other's throats" during a mid-year collapse to Brisbane, before an honesty session helped turn around the Sharks' season.

Now the dark horse of the NRL title race, Cronulla will fittingly return to the place where their mid-year recovery began for Friday night's preliminary final against Melbourne at AAMI Park.

Beaten 30-6 by the Storm in late June, coaching staff regularly point to seeing signs that afternoon that the team was back on track after three losses in four games.

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But it was a meeting ahead of that match that is considered equally defining by players, after Cronulla capitulated to give up a 16-point lead against Brisbane the previous Sunday.

[Sharks players

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