Live stream: Cronulla Sharks entertain Fremantle in vital Australian Water Polo League clash

While the AWL finals are looking likely for the Sharks men’s side after a seventh win in eight games, it’s a different story for the women after yet another loss to a top six side. Relive the action.

Cronulla moved closer to securing a spot in the men’s Australian Water Polo League finals with a 14-8 success over a travel-weary Fremantle Marlins.

Koby Gilchrist scored four goals as the Sharks won for the seventh time in their last eight games to maintain their push for a top three finish. Their next four games are against fellow finals aspirants Balmain, Sydney Uni and Drummoyne before finishing off against Hunter.

For the Marlins, the result continues their slide down the table. They have now lost eight in a row and have failed to reach double figures in any of those games.

Seven of the eight defeats have come on their current road trip, which concludes on Sunday against Drummoyne.

Cronulla Sharks v Fremantle Mariners (Women)

Meanwhile, the Sharks women’s finals hopes are fading quickly after another defeat to a top six side, this time a 15-9 loss to the Fremantle Mariners.

PREVIEW

Cronulla Sharks’ finals chances are fast running out.

A frustrating inability to consistently match the top women’s sides in the Australian Water Polo League has left them on the outside looking in for much of the season.

They currently sit seventh on the ladder, meaning with only the top six progressing to April’s finals, the Friday-Saturday double header against second-placed Fremantle looms as season defining.

And KTV will be on hand to cover the second game LIVE and EXCLUSIVE from Sutherland Leisure Centre as part of 10 matches across five days from Thursday.

Check out the full LIVE STREAM schedule below.

It’s been a topsy-turvy ride for the Sharks this season. Inflicting the only defeat thus far on high-flying Queensland Thunder must surely be the highlight, but that result serves as an outlier against sides currently in the top six.

They have also lost all five games to fellow Sydney clubs, and with matches still to come against Balmain, Sydney Uni and Drummoyne, it puts even more pressure on getting something out of this Fremantle series.

As they showed against the Thunder earlier in March, they are certainly capable of pulling out some magic. After getting the jump early on their undefeated rivals, the Sharks held their own under immense pressure to win 11-9.

A week later though against defending champions Sydney Uni Lions, who are also struggling to make the top six, they returned to their perplexing ways, losing every quarter on the way to an 18-8 defeat.

Cronulla Sharks star Hikaru Shitara.

Scoring goals certainly hasn’t been a problem - up until their Friday game against Fremantle, the Sharks had scored 158 times, that was more than the Killerwhales, Devils and Lionesses.

Hikaru Shitara and Madissyn Powells have both scored 22 goals while Keira Rippon has grabbed 20.

No, the problem has been at the other end of the pool.

They have let in 171 goals, which is clearly the worst among the top eight teams. Only once in their past 10 games have they conceded less than 10 goals.

Meanwhile, the finals will be within sight for the Sharks men if they can grab a double victory over Fremantle on Friday and Saturday.

With just six games remaining until the finals, fifth-placed Cronulla are currently one game in front of sixth-placed UWA Torpedoes and two clear of the seventh-placed Mariners currently lie in seventh.

The Sharks had their impressive seven-match winning streak ended last Sunday by hard-charging UNSW Magpies in a 12-10 thriller.