In a tough battle between fifth and sixth on the ladder the Flegg Sharks were unable to overcome a late surging West Tigers outfit in a 26-18 defeat.
In a neck and neck battle, Cronulla could not contain the powerhouse Tigers late in the second half, with the victors promoted to third place after their gritty win in enemy territory. Despite the Sharks determination until the final whistle, their lack of discipline and errors proved costly.
With constant pressure mounting, and little action to open the game, it was Cronulla who hit first after 12 minutes, winger Pharrell Gray burrowing his way over the line. Centre Callum Grantham couldn't convert, with the score remaining at 4-0.
Disciplined defence and strong attack forced the home side upfield once again, and it was fullback Adrian Sandy who saw open space and sliced through the for the second of the afternoon. Grantham was unable to add the extras.
A penalty to the Tigers came at allowed them to gain the momentum they needed after being on the backfoot for the majority of the first half.
Powering through lazy defence and hitting back for the away side after 25 minutes was prop Jack Biles a of play, fullback Ryder Huth converting, bringing the score back within a two-point margin.
The middle of the half was an arm wrestle with neither side giving the other even an inch of space, though this didn't phase the Sharks when five-eighth Ashton Simmonds snatched their third, the try coming with just over ten minutes remaining. Grantham landed the kick, extending the score to 14-6.
In taking the away side into the sheds with confidence Tigers centre Glassie beat five defenders to cross the line, which proved vital in what was the kick start to their ruthless second-half performance.
Coming out firing after half-time, it only took Glassie five minutes to get his double for the afternoon. With Huth unable to convert, the scores remained levelled at 14-14.
Regaining Cronulla's lead was Gray once again, crossing in the corner after 60 minutes. Grantham could not convert, and the Sharks remained up by four.
Just when the Sharks thought they had the game under control, the Tigers showed they weren’t going away and it was Huth putting his team back in front, converting his own try.
The Tigers kept coming and proved too strong for Cronulla, halfback Bailey Smith solidified their win with a four-pointer in the final five minutes, Huth kicking the conversion to put his side ahead by eight.
The Sharks showed a glimpse of a last-minute comeback, but it wasn’t enough to break through and although the effort was evident, it was the Tigers who prevailed.
