As it happened: Sharks blitz Cowboys

Full-time: With Addin Fonua-Blake, Siosifa Talakai and Ronaldo Mulitalo all running for big metres the Sharks come away with a 20-point win. The Sharks completed 33 of 41 sets at 80 per cent and had seven line breaks to one as they racked up a 12th win of the season. The Cowboys made 15 errors and conceded seven penalties in a sloppy performance that leaves them in 13th position and just three points clear of the last-placed Rabbitohs.

78 min: A late consolation try for the Cowboys with Scott Drinkwater chipping over the top for Braidon Burns to take the ball on the full and bust through a Will Kennedy tackle to score. Sharks 32-12.

74 min: Reece Robson delivers a poor pass to Kaiden Lahrs who puts it down and the Cowboys are up to 15 errors for the match.

71 min: Jesse Ramien goes close but a solid cover tackle from Harrison Edwards shuts it down.

69 min: The Cowboys lose their captain's challenge after a Scott Drinkwater knock-on in a contest for a high ball.

61 min: Blayke Brailey scheming out of dummy half and passes to Cameron McInnes who crashes over for a try. Nicho Hynes converts. Sharks 32-6.

60 min: Tom Dearden is sent to the sin for a professional foul.

59 min: A terrible end to a set for the Cowboys when Scott Drinkwater barely gets a boot on a grubber and Braydon Trindall scoops it up and runs 50 metres.

57 min: Side to side attack by the Cowboys but the Sharks scramble well and a kick by Scott Drinkwater on the last play ends up in a turnover.

53 min: The Cowboys get a couple of sets in a row on the line but John Bateman's offload is put down by Jaxon Purdue and the Sharks come away.

49 min: Sharks bench forward Jesse Colquhoun is placed on report for a hip drop tackle on Robert Derby, who leaves the field with a knee injury.

47 min: A crafty kick out of dummy half by Reece Robson produces the opening try for the Cowboys as wholehearted prop Griffin Neame follows through to score. Zac Laybutt converts. Sharks 26-6.

46 min: The Cowboys receive their first penalty of the afternoon when Nicho Hynes is caught offside.

44 min: The Sharks are able to regather the ball from a line dropout and then march up field on the back of another penalty as the Cowboys continue to be their own worst enemy.

AFB is AOK: The Sharks' forward leader Addin Fonua-Blake was all power in the opening half with 127 metres from 13 runs and a try. The only player from either side to top the ton, Fonua-Blake was a menace to the Cowboys every time he got the ball.

Half-time: A forward pass from Tom Dearden puts the exclamation mark on a miserable first half for the Cowboys who had only 14 sets compared to Cronulla's 23, and completed just eight of those sets. The Sharks had five line breaks to one and 23 tackle breaks to five.

35 min: Ronaldo Mulitalo makes it a double after Nicho Hynes, Braydon Trindall and Siosifa Talakai handle in the build-up after the Cowboys had conceded yet another penalty. Mulitalo now has 21 doubles for his career. Hynes knocks over his fifth goal of the day. Sharks 26-0.

34 min: Cult hero Tom Hazelton takes the field for his first taste of NRL action since Round 10 in his return from a collarbone injury.

30 min: A slick left edge move by the Sharks is finished off by Ronaldo Mulitalo courtesy of a clever tap-on by Will Kennedy. The conversion from Nicho Hynes is successful. Sharks 20-0.

29 min: A penalty against John Bateman for a strip continues an ill-disciplined opening half for the Cowboys who now have committed six errors and conceded four penalties.

27 min: Tom Dearden comes up with a crucial tackle close to the line to stop Teig Wilton as the Sharks back-rower looked set to grab his side's third try. 

24 min: Brilliant lead-up work by Tom Dearden and Scott Drinkwater creates space on the right edge for the Cowboys but Zac Laybutt puts the ball down and the chance is lost.

22 min: A great moment for young Cowboy Emarly Bitungane as he takes the field on NRL debut. The Tanzanian-born teenager only took up rugby league as a 15-year-old and has made a huge impression in his time in Townsville.

17 min: Nicho Hynes goes to the line and puts the ball on the chest of Addin Fonua-Blake who leaves John Bateman and Tom Dearden clutching at thin air as he crosses for Cronulla's second try. Hynes converts. Sharks 14-0.

14 min: On the back of three early errors the Cowboys concede a leg pull penalty against Jeremiah Nanai to hand Nicho Hynes an easy shot at goal which he nails. Sharks 8-0.

4 min: Blayke Brailey sneaks out of dummy half and grubbers expertly for Braydon Trindall to follow through and grab the opening try. Nicho Hynes converts. Sharks 6-0.

Late Mail

Sharks: A boost for the Sharks with big man Tom Hazelton coming into the 17 an hour before kick-off as he returns from a collarbone injury for his first game since Round 10. Billy Burns drops to 18th man. Centre Siosifa Talakai (illness) and back-rower Briton Nikora (concussion) are back on deck after missing the Souths game. The Sharks have won 13 of their past 15 games against the Cowboys.

Cowboys: After being named at centre on Saturday, Jaxson Paulo shifts to 18th man and Jeremiah Nanai will start at centre. Coen Hess will start in the second row for the first time since 2023, with Jamal Shibasaki a late inclusion onto the bench. Earlier, Jake Clifford was ruled out after failing to overcome a quad injury. After 44 games across three seasons in Qld Cup, Tanzanian-born Emarly Bitungane will make his NRL debut off the bench.

Numbers Game

• Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater has scored five tries in his past five games.
• Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo has scored 12 tries in 13 games against the Cowboys.
• Halfback Tom Dearden will make his 100th appearance for the Cowboys.
• The Sharks have won five from seven at Sharks Stadium this season.
   

 

Wests Tigers v Bulldogs at CommBank Stadium

Doueihi dazzles: All class from the Tigers halfback as he ran for 161 metres, broke six tackles and contributed 12 points to the total as Benji Marshall's men reigned in the rain. Up front, Terrell May and Alex Twal combined for 35 runs and 234 metres.

Full-time: Hot on the heels of the Dragons upsetting the Raiders, another top-four side bites the dust with the Bulldogs rolled by a committed Wests Tigers outfit in front of 17,423 brave souls at CommBank Stadium. The Tigers completed at 80 per cent and defended as well as they have all season to restrict the potent Bulldogs outfit to just 14 points. Terrell May and Api Koroisau came up with 78 tackles between them.

79 min: A consolation try for Josh Curran who charges down an Api Koroisau kick and toes it ahead twice before sliding in and grounding it. Wests Tigers 28-14.

76 min: The Bulldogs come up with a 13th error as Enari Tuala puts down a Stephen Crichton tap-on and the Tigers go on the attack but Adam Doueihi's grubber is too strong and hands the Bulldogs a seven-tackle set.

71 min: Jarome Luai goes to the line from 10 metres out and produces a deft short ball to Samuela Fainu who slides over for the try that looks to have sealed a monumental upset for the Tigers. Adam Doueihi converts. Wests Tigers 28-8.

70 min: Alex Seyfarth returns and we are back to 13 on 13.

69 min: Stephen Crichton catches a Jahream Bula kick on the full and takes off but Api Koroisau gets back in cover and forces Crichton to look for a pass to Lachlan Galvin and the ball is dropped.

66 min: Taylan May is deemed a Category One head knock after the Crichton hit and won't return.

65 min: Stephen Crichton makes high contact with Taylan May and is placed on report but not sent to the sin bin. May is sent for a HIA. Adam Doueihi takes a shot at penalty goal from 20 metres out and just off centre and bangs it over. Wests Tigers 22-8.

64 min: Adam Doueihi goes to the air and Jacob Kiraz puts the ball down.

63 min: A penalty against the Bulldogs for inside the 10m allows the Tigers to come out of danger as the tension rises in the pouring rain.

61 min: The Bulldogs throw the ball around side to side before Lachlan Galvin kicks into the in goal and Brent Naden is forced to clean it up and a dropout follows.

60 min: Tigers forward Alex Seyfarth is sent to the bin and placed on report for making head high contact on Harry Hayes, who is sent for a HIA.

57 min: Jarome Luai grubbers expertly into the in goal and earns a repeat set after Viliame Kikau is forced to knock it dead.

53 min: Tigers fullback Jahream Bula leaves the field for a HIA after a head clash as he came across in cover to try and stop Jacob Kiraz from scoring.

52 min: A solid hit by Kurt Mann forces an error from Fonua Pole and Jacob Kiraz shows his power to burst through the defence from close range to grab the Bulldogs' second try. Stephen Crichton can't add the extras. Wests Tigers 20-8.

50 min: Josh Curran loses the ball as he tries to play it in the treacherous conditions and the Tigers come out of trouble.

48 min: A penalty against Terrell May for a slow peel invites the Bulldogs into Tigers territory and they get a piggyback penalty for not clearing the ruck.

46 min: The Bulldogs lose their captain's challenge after Stephen Crichton knocks on and they unsuccessfully challenge the call.

44 min: A huge run by Matt Burton gets deep into Tigers territory but Brent Naden comes from behind to wrap him up and the ball pops out.

Half-time: A stunning first half from the 14th-placed Tigers who had just 46 per cent of the ball but completed 16 of 22 sets and ran in four tries to one. Moved to halfback for this game Adam Doueihi came up with 149 run metres, five tackle breaks and a try assist in a sensational opening 40. The last time the Tigers led at half-time was Round 18 against the Roosters when they converted a 20-10 lead into a 30-28 victory. Wests Tigers 20-4.

39 min: Tigers forward Samuela Fainu is placed on report.

37 min: Fonua Pole's error coming out of his own end hands the Bulldogs another shot at points and they get their reward when Stephen Crichton goes to the line and puts Jacob Preston into a hole for the Dogs' opening try. Crichton hits the upright with his conversion attempt. Wests Tigers 20-4.

33 min: The Bulldogs come up with a cold drop by Matt Burton inside the Red Zone and Adam Doueihi swoops on the loose ball and races 85 metres to score. The halfback converts his own try. Wests Tigers 20-0.

30 min: Great skill out of dummy half by Api Koroisau as he dabs a perfect grubber behind the defensive line for Jeral Skelton to follow through and score the Tigers' third of the day. Adam Doueihi hits the upright with the conversion. Wests Tigers 14-0.

28 min: Sione Fainu comes up with an error with the Tigers in good field position as the wet conditions make handling tough for both sides.

25 min: The Tigers earn a line dropout from a grubber but Sunia Turuva is clean bowled by Matt Burton's low, spinning dropout.

23 min: Max King makes a meal of the play the ball and the Bulldogs turn it over on the Tigers' 40-metre line and then give away an offside penalty from the scrum.

19 min: A double strike for the Tigers after Adam Doueihi gets into dummy half 10 metres out from his own line and gaps the Bulldogs before finding Jahream Bula who races 50 metres to score. Wests Tigers 10-0.

14 min: On the back of the penalty the Tigers strike first when Adam Doueihi holds off a couple of defenders and delivers an offload to Jahream Bula who puts Jeral Skelton over in the corner. Doueihi converts from touch. Wests Tigers 6-0.

13 min: A penalty against the Bulldogs while in possession for Viliame Kikau getting involved after he was in front of the play the ball and never got back onside.

9 min: Matt Burton goes high but Jeral Skelton redeems himself with a great take and the Tigers come away through Jarome Luai, who earns a penalty against Lachlan Galvin for a high tackle.

7 min: Jeral Skelton comes up with a sloppy play the ball to hand Bulldogs more possession and field position.

4 min: Enari Tuala gets over in the corner but the last pass from Jacob Kiraz is ruled forward and the Tigers survive.

2 min: On the back of a mistake by Terrell May on the game's opening try the Bulldogs go to the right to Stephen Crichton who slides into the in goal but replays are inconclusive and the bunker supports the decision of held up.

 

Late Mail

Wests Tigers: Brent Naden comes into the centres an hour before kick-off with Starford To'a dropping out. A switch in the key playmaking role with Adam Doueihi to line up at halfback and Latu Fainu going to the bench. Sione Fainu is elevated to the starting side at lock. 

Bulldogs: The Bulldogs are 1-17 with no late changes. Connor Tracey facing 3-4 weeks out with an abdominal injury, Jacob Kiraz slides to fullback and Jethro Rinakama comes in on the wing. 

Numbers Game

• Wests Tigers have conceded 92 points in their last three games at CommBank Stadium.
• The Bulldogs have won four of their past five games against Wests Tigers.
• Wests Tigers winger Sunia Turuva has scored six tries in six games at CommBank Stadium.
• Bulldogs prop Josh Curran will play his 100th NRL game.
• Wests Tigers have lost all four games against top-four opposition in 2025.