Down 26-12 midway through the second half, the Sharks enhanced their reputation as the Jersey Flegg Cup's comeback kings by rising from the canvas to claim a 30-26 victory on Saturday.
In the following game at Henson Park, the Newtown Jets – Cronulla's feeder club – also rallied after trailing 28-6 but unfortunately left their run too late in a 28-18 loss.
The Sharks scored three unanswered tries in the final 20 minutes of the third-versus-fourth Flegg clash, with halfback Riley Pollard grabbing the match-sealing try. Crucially, Pollard also landed five goals in a perfect afternoon with the boot.
Cronulla have made a habit of fighting back from dire situations this season, overturning an 18-point half-time deficit against the Warriors in Round 6 and scoring twice in the final three minutes to pip the Knights in Round 7.
The Andrew Dallalana-coached team have now jumped Parramatta into third position on the ladder, sitting level with the second-placed Panthers on 14 points but holding an inferior differential. They will aim to extend their winning run to six games when they face the seventh-ranked Dragons in Wollongong on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Newtown suffered their second loss of the year after starting sluggishly against the Eels, trailing 16-6 at the break.
Tries to Eli Clark and Niwhai Puru in the final 10 minutes reduced the margin but the Jets had ultimately left themselves too much to do. The defeat resulted in Parramatta leapfrogging the George Ndaira-coached Newtown into second place.
The Jets will next tackle the Dragons during Regional Magic Round in Tamworth.
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