Coach Shane Flanagan insisted Cronulla didn't fall to a money or the match scenario after the Sharks lost their relocated home game against the Warriors 26-18 at Owen Delaney Park on Sunday.

The Warriors recorded their first win of the season, largely thanks to two tries from fullback Glen Fisiiahi, who was playing in just his second NRL game.

With strong wins over St George Illawarra and Penrith in the last two rounds the Sharks would have been highly confident about taking on the Warriors at Toyota Stadium but the club last year signed on for a three-game deal to play a match a season in the central north island town.

The deal is thought to be adding $200,000 per fixture into the cash-strapped club's coffers.

Flanagan refused to blame the loss on selling off their home ground advantage despite the closeness of the game.

"We've known about this for a while so we're not going to throw that out there as an excuse," Flanagan said.

"The field is the same size and it was the same conditions, so no excuse.

"I'm disappointed with the result, we were a bit off today and we invited them into the game.

"There were some errors in the second half and we weren't that good. If you're a little bit off you know the result.

"They (Warriors) had to win, they were desperate and they played that way."

The game was an arm wrestle for most of the first half, although the Warriors did get the scoring underway with the 20-year-old Fisiiahi notching his maiden try after three minutes.

Jeremy Smith and Wade Graham responded with tries and the Sharks took a 12-8 lead to the break.

Fisiiahi then bagged his second 12 minutes into the second half, sidestepping Broderick Wright on his way, while Shaun Berrigan put James Maloney through for the next score and Krisnan Inu put the icing on the cake with the Warriors' final four-pointer.

John Williams scored a try four minutes from time for the Sharks, but by then the game was already gone.

The win takes the heat off the Warriors, winless in three games before Sunday, with captain Simon Mannering still smiling 30 minutes after the final whistle.

Not surprisingly he was impressed with how Fisiiahi, the team's new star, was able to have such a big impact.

"It brings confidence to the team seeing a young guy come in and put his hand up when it counted, Mannering said.

When you give him a bit of space he can create things, he's definitely a good asset for the side."

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