It wasn't pretty, but it was pretty damn effective as Cronulla secured a home final and sent the Sydney Roosters' NRL season into freefall with a 20-0 shutout at Toyota Stadium.

As they have done all season, the Sharks muscled up in defence and did just enough in attack as they joined ladder leaders Melbourne on 34 competition points courtesy of the three tries to nil victory.

While the Sharks remain in the hunt for the top two and even the minor premiership, the slumping Roosters are now just one point ahead of fifth-placed Brisbane on the back of coach Brad Fittler's first-ever three-match losing streak.

Worse still, it's hard to see where the next win is coming from for the tri-colours, who looked so impotent in attack that they made Cronulla - who possess the second worst attack in the NRL - look like the Harlem Globetrotters.

Knowing a win would see them leapfrog the Sharks into third on the ladder, the Roosters certainly started with plenty of vigour with prop David Shillington letting fly with a couple of haymakers inside the opening minute.

Another stink before the third minute was complete and it looked like it was going to be on for young and old, but unfortunately there was little fight left in the Roosters over the remaining 77 minutes.

Fraser Anderson brushed off Sia Soliola for the opening try after seven minutes, Luke Covell making it 8-0 when he leapt high to drag in a Brett Seymour bomb ten minutes later.

The Roosters were taking care of the ball, completing 14 of 15 sets in the opening stanza, but the predictability of the high ball for the wings on the fifth tackle meant the Sharks were rarely threatened.

The visitors were certainly a little more desperate after the break, with Mitchell Pearce showing great courage to pounce on a loose ball inside his own half, but they couldn't put it together for any points.

A Paul Gallen try just before the hour and the kill was finally complete. Covell was the first to another high kick which he tapped off Amos Roberts' head and into the hands of Gallen who strode over near the posts.

The frustration was showing with the Roosters waging a war of words with referee Jason Robinson.

But like the NRL contest, it was a battle they were always going to lose with Covell slotting over three straight penalties before Mark O'Meley spent the final nine minutes in the sin-bin for back-chatting.

The Sharks had blatantly knocked on during the play the ball and were subsequently penalised but O'Meley couldn't help himself.

"Penalise us. Why don't you penalise us?" O'Meley said to referee Jason Robinson. Robinson obliged.

Sharks coach Ricky Stuart labelled the defensive display the best in his time at the club, but admitted they were still a notch below the likes of the Storm.

Asked how his side compared with Melbourne, Stuart said: "You realistically tell me, how many internationals have they got, how many rep players have they got, how many origin players, you tell me," he said.

"I'm just very excited about the fact we've got a team of players here.

"We can still improve, we have to improve. If we want to make a mark in the playoffs we have to improve still."

Stuart also fired a shot at critics bagging his side's attacking skill, claiming the three tries showed just how potent they were.

"It was 20 points, how much more attack you want ... you can't do much more than 20 points to nil," he said.

Fittler admitted his side's lack of points was cause for concern.

"Yeah it's poor, six points in two weeks," he said.

"At times there it looked like we were about to strike but then we just came up with nothing so yeah there are issues.

"But it was only a couple of weeks ago when we were looking fluid and flowing well."

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