Defying a wretched run of injuries, the Sharks fought their way to a resilient 20-16 home victory over Wests Tigers on Sunday night.
Coming into the game already missing several key players, Cronulla lost lock Brooke Anderson to a head knock in the opening seconds. Young prop Stephanie Faulkner suffered the same fate, while NRLW debutante Anne-Marie Kiria-Ratu was also helped from the field by two trainers in the second half.
The Sharks also had to overcome the sin-binning of Faulkner late in the first term, with winger Cassie Staples scoring her team's first and last tries to seal the win.
Match: Sharks v Wests Tigers
Round 4 -
home Team
Sharks
5th Position
away Team
Wests Tigers
11th Position
Venue: Sharks Stadium, Sydney
Staples crossed out wide in the second minute thanks to a classy flick pass from captain Tiana Penitani Gray. Halfback Chantay Kiria-Ratu nailed the conversion.
But the Tigers showed they were up for the fight with a quickfire response, levelling up with a try to flyer Caitlan Turnbull in the seventh minute. After beating fullback Emma Verran, Turnbull dashed infield to set up an easy goal.
In a blow to Cronulla's depleted forward stocks, Faulkner – who started in place of Jacinta Carter (concussion) – left the field for the first time with a bloodied face.
Despite the adversity, the Sharks continued to punch holes in attack. Verran strode clear and looked destined to score, only to be brought down by her opposite number with a textbook legs tackle. On the next play, centre Annessa Biddle was somehow held up by the scrambling defence as Cronulla spread the ball right.
Still, the hosts didn't need to wait long to tick over the scoreboard. Front-rower Manilita Takapautolo found herself in the right place after the Tigers allowed a dangerous bomb to bounce, gleefully clinching her first NRLW four-pointer.
Again, the Tigers fired back by targeting Cronulla's left edge. This time, it was second-rower Kezie Apps who burst into the backfield before offloading to Turnbull, but the play ended with the winger's pass inside called forward.
A missed kick for touch then proved costly for the Tigers, with the Sharks making them pay the ultimate price in the 22nd minute through a Georgia Ravics try. The flanker touched down after slick work from her inside players to exploit an overlap.
Faulkner returned when prop Ellie Johnston hobbled off for a breather, but the rookie's stay was short as she was sin-binned for a professional foul. Down to 12, the Sharks held firm to go into the sheds with a 10-point lead.
The Tigers ate into the margin to start the second half, though, when Salma Nour powered across the line in disappointingly simple fashion for Cronulla.
Faulkner's unlucky night continued when she was forced off after another head knock in the 50th minute, bringing Nakia Davis-Welsh into the action. Anne-Marie Kiria-Ratu soon followed Faulkner in being ruled out for the match.
Following several near misses, the Sharks reasserted their dominance in the 52nd minute with an inch-perfect finish from Staples after playmaker Tyla King and captain Penitani Gray combined to fire the ball to the lethal left edge.
Continuing the theme of the evening, the Tigers rallied once more, reducing the margin to four as Turnbull tiptoed down the right touchline to snare her double.
The visitors weren't immune to the injury chaos, losing front-rower Christian Pio to a knee issue in the 60th minute.
In similar scenes to last Sunday when the Sharks lost to the Cowboys, the match went down to the wire. But the hosts came out on top on this occasion, securing a much-deserved two points leading into a huge Magic Round clash with Brisbane.
The Sharks now sit in fifth position with a 2-2 record.
