Cronulla have secured back-to-back wins with a 31-18 triumph over the Roosters on a night of milestones at Sharks Stadium.
Front-rower Addin Fonua-Blake laid the platform with 164 metres in his 200th NRL appearance, while debutant centre Chris Vea'ila scored the match-sealing try.
The Sharks surged to an early 8-0 lead and were never surpassed in front of their home faithful, kicking on after taking a 20-12 advantage into half-time.
Crucially, Cronulla have leapfrogged the Roosters and now sit snugly inside the top eight with seven rounds remaining in the regular season.
The Sharks had their fans in full voice after five minutes with fullback Will Kennedy crossing just right of the posts after an offload from hooker Blayke Brailey.
Nicho Hynes converted for a 6-0 buffer, the halfback quickly extending the margin when he drilled a penalty goal moments later.
In the 12th minute, a misplaced tackle resulted in a huge blow for the Sharks when second-rower Briton Nikora left the field following a head knock. He did not return.
Compounding Cronulla's loss, Roosters winger Daniel Tupou flew high and came down over the line to put his side on the board. Playmaker Sam Walker made no mistake with the sideline conversion and tightened the score to 8-6.
Barging over for Cronulla’s second of the evening was edge forward Teig Wilton, running a hard line from a sweet Braydon Trindall short ball. Hynes converted once more, with the home side holding the upper hand at 14-6.
The Roosters threatened to continue the tit-for-tat scoring pattern but gritty Sharks defence kept them at bay.
Just over ten minutes before the break, a clean bust out of dummy-half from Brailey, followed by a smooth pass, allowed Hynes to stride across the white line. The try-scorer added the extras from right in front to put the Sharks firmly on top.
However, a determined Roosters side kept fighting and galloped 50 metres downfield in the 32nd minute, with fullback James Tedesco receiving the final pass for a vital four-pointer. Walker slotted the goal, making it a 20-12 scoreline.
The first points of the second half went to Angus Crichton in the 48th minute, the star Roosters back-rower collecting the scraps from a bomb. Walker converted and the score was only two points the difference.
Firing across in the 57th minute was Sharks forward Billy Burns, who made the most of his minutes after replacing Nikora on the right edge. Hynes kicked the goal to push Cronulla's lead beyond a converted try.
Then came the moment of the match. Rookie outside back Vea'ila, who was called into the side as a replacement for the injured Jesse Ramien, showed slick footwork and power to slide over for a decisive try.
While Hynes had a rare miss from the tee, five-eighth Trindall soon stepped up to boot a one-point field goal and effectively ice the victory for the Sharks.
Cronulla will face the Rabbitohs in Gosford next Saturday, shooting for three wins on the trot as they look to solidify themselves in the top eight.
