The Sharks have fallen to the Tigers 32-20 at Magic Round in Wagga Wagga, in a game called 'the most chaotic of the season' with ill-discipline and errors costing Cronulla.
A tough pill to swallow for the side with captain Tiana Penitani Gray and vice-captain Quincy Dodd playing their 50th NRLW games.
That result leaves the Sharks one win from five games and needing to string plenty of wins together to make finals now.
Sharks v Wests Tigers - Round 5, 2026
Cronulla were first on the board from a sweeping play to the right side. Sharks' halfback Chantay Kiria-Ratu held the ball up beautifully before linking with her centre Madison Ashby, who produced a nice little in and away to draw in her opposition and then find the club’s all-time top NRLW try-scorer Georgia Ravics, who planted it down in the corner.
The score was 4-all quickly after, when the Tigers chipped over the line for winger Emily Bass to score. The Sharks could have been in big trouble shortly after if not for try-savers from Quincy Dodd and then Ravics.
A dangerous tackle on Kiria-Ratu when she was kicking resulted in former Cronulla forward, now Tiger, Holly Wheeler being sin-binned. The Sharks eventually scored thanks to some clever dummy half deception from NRLW 50-gamer Quincy Dodd, who found a rampaging Caitlan Johnston-Green, who crashed over for her first try for the Sharks. Kiria Ratu this time added the extras to make 10-4 after 22 minutes.
It was the Raecene McGregor show after that; the Tigers halfback scored a try before half-time and then one after the break, converting both to give Wests a 16-10 lead. Bass followed it up with a double of her own to take the Tigers 10 points in front.
That fired the Sharks into action; another right-side play had them back in the game. This time it was Kiria-Ratu out the back to Jada Taylor, who put Ravics down the sideline, and the right winger powerfully barged past the Tigers defence to score her second.
McGregor hit back though with her second try assist; she chipped for Namoe Gesa to score and then extended Wests' lead to 12 again. Some more Dodd magic from dummy half had Cronulla back in it minutes later; the number 9 scooted through the Tigers line and slickly passed to Jada Taylor, who sprinted away to make it a 6-point ball game with 8 minutes left on the clock.
Wests would hang on in the end, though, and score another try in the final minute to seal a 32-20 victory.
The Sharks now turn their attention to the Titans when they return home in round 6 at Ocean Protect Stadium next Saturday.
