Trindall supreme as Sharks trounce Titans

Trindall scored two tries, created four more and kicked a booming 40/20 for good measure in a dream Round 1 display from the talismanic five-eighth.

Halfback Nicho Hynes and centre Jesse Ramien also snagged doubles.

Cronulla took a 34-0 lead into half-time, and while Gold Coast showed heart with two tries in the second stanza, the damage was already well and truly done.

It took the Sharks less than two minutes to strike when soaring winger Sam Stonestreet tapped back a Trindall bomb into the path of fullback Will Kennedy.

Trindall's boot delivered more points for Cronulla in the 12th minute, this time producing a pinpoint grubber for second-rower Briton Nikora to pounce upon.

After repelling several Titans raids with desperate goal-line defence, the Sharks made it three tries on the trot with the powerful Ramien finding the stripe after a bouncing pass from Hynes was scooped up by Kennedy on the run.

Gold Coast did themselves no favours by kicking the ball out on the full from the restart. It was all the invitation needed for Trindall, whose marvellous first half continued as he sold the defence a dummy and slipped straight through.

The Sharks No.6 notched up his double in the 29th minute, trailing in support to receive a pass from Ramien after forcing an error with a towering bomb.

The home side put the exclamation mark on a stunning opening 40 minutes with Midas-touch Trindall laying on a try for halves partner Hynes with a slick short ball.

There was no relenting when play resumed as Ramien barrelled across the line to claim his second in the 42nd minute, stretching the lead to 40-0.

Dreams of a clean sheet to kick off the season were dashed when Sam Verrills snuck over from dummy-half in the 48th minute to open Gold Coast's account.

Winger Sialetili Faeamani marked his NRL debut with a 53rd-minute four-pointer as the Titans finally began to wrestle back some much-needed momentum.

But the match finished as it began – with a deluge of black, white and blue points. Flying winger Sione Katoa added his name to the scoresheet in the 70th minute before Hynes put the icing on the cake by securing his second try.

The subsequent goal pushed the margin to 40 – a handy boost to Cronulla's for-and-against leading into next week's clash with the Panthers in Bathurst.