The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks have returned from their bye in style, defeating the Sydney Roosters 22-12 in a tough contest at PointsBet Stadium.
Result
Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 22
Tries: Matt Moylan (20), Ronaldo Mulitalo (46), Blayke Brailey (70), Briton Nikora (77)
Goals: Nicho Hynes (16, 21, 78)
Sydney Roosters 12
Tries: Egan Butcher (24), Brandon Smith (32)
Goals: Sam Walker (25, 33)
Field Goal:
Report
The anticipation in the lead-up was palpable as the Sharks looked to bounce back from a shock defeat at the hands of the Warriors two weeks prior. The first major event of the game happened 15 minutes in, when Nat Butcher was sin-binned for a hip drop tackle. The Sharks took the penalty goal and with Butcher in the bin, they found their first try. Nicho Hynes offloaded for Matt Moylan who sliced through the unsuspecting Roosters defence to score.
Once Butcher returned, the Roosters found an answer. Egan Butcher ran a strong line off Luke Keary and crashed over for a try. A few minutes later, Brandon Smith darted from dummy half and reached out to score. In the shadows of halftime, the Sharks had multiple repeat sets on the Roosters line but the defence held firm, helping the Roosters to the break with a slim 12-8 lead.
A torrential downpour at halftime slowed the pace to start the second half. The Sharks adjusted to the conditions, when Ronaldo Mulitalo finished off a spread of passes with an acrobatic try. With the scores level at 12, both sides had their opportunities to grab the lead, but the execution was lacking in the wet. With ten minutes to go, Nicho Hynes made his mark. He made a break down the right edge and passed inside for Blayke Brailey, who sprinted away to score a crucial try.
After Lindsey Collins went close to scoring, the Roosters turned the ball over with a loose pass. The error was compounded by Brandon Smith being sin-binned for a high shot with a few minutes remaining. With the man advantage, the Sharks added a try through Briton Nikora, securing a gritty 22-12 win. Victor Radley was sin-binned in the closing moments for repeated indiscretions.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR POINTS
Embed from Getty Images3 – Nicho Hynes (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
2 – Briton Nikora (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
1 – Ronaldo Mulitalo (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
