John Morris hopes more wins like Saturday's record thumping of North Queensland will mean he doesn't have to plead as one of just two unsigned coaches in the NRL seeks a new deal with Cronulla.
The Sharks beat the Cowboys 48-10, scoring six tries in a ruthless first half despite missing six frontline players through injury and suspension and then dealing with the early losses of Josh Dugan (HIA) and Ronaldo Mulitalo (knee).
Morris and Melbourne's Craig Bellamy are the only coaches without a 2022 deal, the Sharks in no rush to lock in the former half as they improved to 2-2 this season.
Morris rated their dismantling of the Cowboys among the best 40 minutes of football he'd seen since taking over in 2019 season, but didn't want to toot his own horn post-game when asked if helped his case for a contract extension.
"I'll let you guys talk about that; it's the same message for me every week, all noise and it's about doing my job, doing the best thing for the club," he said.
"Our defence has really improved; hopefully we get more performances like today and that answers that sort of stuff.
"They're (the players) in a good space, a happy group and they're very connected, very clear with what they know works and they executed that game plan perfectly."
Mulitano had his knee strapped and was encouragingly contemplating a return if needed, while Morris said Dugan seemed in good spirits but would need to complete the return-to-play protocols after failing his head injury assessment.
