Live stream replay: SG Ball Cup, Cronulla Sharks v Canberra Raiders
It was one-way traffic as the Sharks defied the conditions to put the Raiders SG Ball Cup finals hopes on life support. WATCH the full match replay here.
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It was a one-way procession as the Sharks ran over the top of the Raiders on Saturday to boost their hopes of playing in the SG Ball Cup final series.
Chaz Jarvis and Ben Lavender scored the Sharks opening two tries, before the halfback and centre linked off for an incredible third as Cronulla broke down the right through Lavender who offloaded to Jarvis who scrambled around the fullback before sliding under the upright.
Five-eighth Jake Hay kicked three from three to see the home side leave 18 to nil at halftime as the rain belted down onto Cronulla’s PointsBet Stadium.
The Sharks kicked on in the second half with Siteni Taukamo scoring a double including a Benji Marshall-esque effort which bamboozled a couple of defenders close to the line.
The Green Machine, despite being outclassed, didn’t give up and they were rewarded with a consolation try in the 15 minutes from time with Regan Carr squeezing over in the right corner before a cracking conversion from fullback Corey Lewis.
Cronulla hit back with two tries in the final phases of the match with Talanoa Penitani and Kristian Dixon scoring to see the hosts run out 40 to 6 winners.
Sharks coach David Howlett said it was his side’s best showing of the season with the two points leaving them outside the top six on for and against alone.
Cronulla have put on a clinic in the SG Ball beating Canberra 40 to 6 in at times torrential conditions. Little no.14 Chaz Jarvis was awesome for the Sharkies, as was fullback Siteni Taukamo. pic.twitter.com/07P0jMtE8I
— Dylan Arvela (@dylanarvela) March 26, 2022
“We’ve had some good efforts the last couple of weeks, but as far as combining the effort with the execution I think it was our best performance,” he said.
“I thought we got the balance right (while playing in the wet). We moved the ball when we needed to and we were controlled with possession when we needed to too.
“I was really happy with how the boys executed in attack despite the conditions.”
The Sharks have another crucial clash in the race for the top six against Balmain in round 8, while Canberra will have to beat the Bears in North Sydney to keep their finals chances alive.
MATCH PREVIEW: Sharks forward’s sacrifice driving team’s resolve
Salesi Ataata has been making waves from South Auckland to the Sutherland Shire with his powerful performances in the Sharks SG Ball Cup front row.
But it is a family sacrifice, which is driving the hungry Shark toward the top grade.
The Papatoetoe Panthers junior was rising through the Warriors junior system, but opted to pack his bags and cross the Tasman to chase his goal of becoming a professional footballer.
Ataata will be looking to inspire the Sharks to another two points against the Canberra Raiders on Saturday in a match being exclusively live streamed on The Daily Telegraph website.
The contest between Cronulla and the Green Machine kicks off at PointsBet Stadium at 1.45pm.
“I made the move here alone,” Ataata said.
“I left my family and everyone I know back home. The main reason I am here is to pursue my dream of hopefully playing in the NRL.
“The hardest part is leaving my family back home and learning to adapt to life here and being independent. My family is my main drive, they help motivate me to work hard and pursue my dreams.
“I am currently staying in a homestay, the club helped organise it all and organise the job as well as helping me settle in.”
The 19-year-old is following a similar route to fellow Shark Franklin Pele who was born in South Auckland before moving to Australia as a youngster.
Ataata said he looks up to Pele, who despite only playing one game in the NRL, is tipped to one day become one of the game’s powerhouse front rowers.
He also takes inspiration from the late Sonny Fai went missing after getting caught in a rip in 2009.
“I was a Warriors fan growing up, especially since they were my home team,” he said.
“I was really young at the time, but Sonny Fai was one of the players I liked to watch and the way he played and the way he portrayed himself.
“At the Sharks I look up to big Frank Pele. I like his hard running and the way he plays on the field, it’s with a lot of integrity and aggression.”
Ataata, who has Tongan blood in his veins, told The Daily Telegraph how he started out as an outside back before gradually moving into the rough and tumble in the middle of the park.
“I actually started as a centre,” he said.
“This is my first year in the front row. I’m more involved in games and getting more of the footy and more action which I am really enjoying at the moment.”
The Sharks are a win outside the top six with three rounds to play and Ataata said there’s still plenty of good footy to come from his side.
“The start of the season was really tough and disrupted because of Covid,” he said.
“It disrupted a lot of our training, but we’ve learnt to adapt. Now we are gelling as a team and the team culture is good.
“We were coming together well so things are looking good with only a few rounds left before the finals.”
Originally published as Live stream replay: SG Ball Cup, Cronulla Sharks v Canberra Raiders
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