Two disallowed tries, a sin binning of Nathan Gardner and a couple of unforced errors have contributed to a 21-15 loss by the Sharks in their second game at the Auckland Nines.
The Tigers jumped out to the lead, before Gardner was marched for five minutes for a professional foul and a second try saw the Sharks behind 10-0.
Almost as soon as the Sharks fullback re-entered the game they managed to bridge the gap, with Gardner throwing the final pass for Sosaia Feki to cross in the corner, with the Tigers going to the break up by 10-4.
The Tigers went further ahead with a third try, before a long run by Blake Ayshford, backed up by Sam Tagataese made the score 14-11 after the bonus point and subsequent conversion from under the uprights.
With time running out the Sharks certainly had their chances to fight back, with a Ricky Leutele touchdown giving them hope however a runaway try by Tiger James Tedesco for a bonus point put the result beyond doubt.
In an injury concern for the Sharks Todd Carney appeared to strain a hamstring, with the extent of the problem to be assessed prior to their final round robin game tomorrow.
The Sharks with a win and a loss can progress to the second round with a win against the Gold Coast Titans tomorrow morning. The game kicks off at 10.00am (Sydney time).
