"The issue's been brought up several times about the lack of discipline and the penalties," interchange hooker James Segeyaro said.
"It's the same people and we've addressed it and we know now as the senior players it needs to stop.
"If we want to be successful in this competition we can't be giving away cheap ball and giving the opposition time in our own end. Teams like the Melbourne Storm and the Roosters, teams that have always been thereabouts are good at making teams pay for their mistakes and they'll smack us off the park.
"They're the teams we want to compete with at the end of the year."
NRL referees are targeting poor on-field discipline this season particularly around incorrect play the balls and offsides, and 63 more penalties have already been blown compared with the opening two rounds of last year.
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Cronulla are still adjusting to the tighter rule interpretations, and Flanagan contacted the NRL for clarification around several of the decisions against his side in round one.
"They've gone over the off season and talked about it especially with the play the balls, and they're a bit more aware of the offsides as well," Segeyaro said.
"That's what we get a lot, not the play the balls but the offsides. I've seen they've cracked down on it a lot, they're only doing their jobs.
"Our dialect in between the referees has got to be better for us. Just building the relationship towards the year would be good for us, instead of ongoing penalties after penalties.
"Once you've offended, the referee tends to point you out a lot, and sees more of your number through the game. They're only doing their job and we've got to be more diligent in that area."
Compounding the Sharks' challenge this weekend is their opposition – a desperate Parramatta side still licking the open wounds left from a 54-0 mauling by Manly last Sunday.
They've endured their own brutally honest week at training ahead of what already shapes as a must-win clash for both clubs who were top-four fancies when the season kicked off two weeks ago.
"They're going to be fired, [we are] expecting a massive game," Segeyaro said.
"We're both teams that were expected big things this year and we haven't really delivered. There's a lot of pressure on both teams to perform.
"It's good to be in a position like that because it brings out the best in you, the cream rises to the top so we're going to see who's going to be the best team, who can hold the ball the longest.
"I'm expecting the first 10, 15 minutes to be very physical. They've always prided themselves on their line speed, I daresay they'll be shooting out of their line trying to prove a point.
"I didn't watch too much of the game on Sunday but it just looked like Manly suffocated Parra with the possession and the heat and I think by the time Parra tried to put points on or whatever they just couldn't hold the ball."
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James Buckley writes on AFL for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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