Sharks down Bulldogs 22-16 to claim fifth win in a row
THE 2016 NRL premiers made it five in a row with a gritty 22-16 win over a brave Canterbury to cement their place in the top eight and sound a warning to the rest of the competition.
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THEY might have started the season off the pace. But look out, because here comes Cronulla.
In what has developed into one of the most open competitions in years, the 2016 premiers have sounded their warning, making it five in a row with a gritty 22-16 win over a brave Canterbury.
While Dean Pay conceded the Bulldogs keep “shooting ourselves in the foot” with poor discipline, Shane Flanagan spoke with renewed hope about the future for the Sharks.
After starting the season with two losses followed by two wins and two more defeats, the Sharks have found rhythm, jumping to fifth on the NRL ladder on 14 competition points after 11 rounds.
This is despite a run of injuries to key senior players throughout their recent winning run.
With Wade Graham and Luke Lewis still missing, Josh Dugan and Paul Gallen returned to face a Bulldogs side that was pretty much playing for its finals hopes.
And while it wasn’t pretty for the most part, they did what they had to do, finishing deserved four tries to three winners.
“It gives me real confidence where we are at as a club,” Flanagan said.
“Blokes like Gal and them know that these younger blokes are coming to get them and they have to play good as well.
“So that is a good place.
“We had a discussion probably five or six weeks ago that coincides with the form, that we need to enjoy our football, probably more offensively.
“I have said it plenty of times.
“While we had some real experienced quality players that were out, we celebrated the players that were in, and really enjoyed that period of time and I think that has helped us.”
In the much hyped battle of the big men with NSW jerseys up for grabs, there was no clear winner.
David Klemmer ran for 233m to finish with the most metres, while Andrew Fifita (171m) and Aaron Woods (132m) certainly didn’t shirk their loads.
But it was the unfashionable Matt Prior who came up with the most important play, reaching out for a crucial 68th minute try that ultimately proved the difference.
Josh Jackson also tried his heart out as did Kieran Foran who played his best game for Canterbury.
The Bulldogs suffered a crucial blow losing Josh Morris to a knee injury after young powerhouse Jesse Ramien landed awkwardly on him midway through the first half.
After scoring the opening try, Josh bravely played on to the break but could not return.
In his absence, Ramien ripped through five defenders to score a tremendous solo try that Morris probably would have stopped.
Brother Brett also bagged the Bulldogs’ other two tries.
Pay said Josh, who is off contract at the end of the season, would have scans on Monday to determine the extent of the injury.
The flow of penalties was certainly an issue for both teams and again determined the momentum swings.
The Sharks jumped to a 10-4 lead on the back of a run of five penalties to start the game, before it evened up at 5-all by the break with the scores locked at 10-all.
It continued after the break with the Sharks again getting another five straight penalties as the went 22-14 up heading into the final 10 minutes.
Coincidently, perhaps, the penalty count finished 11-all with the Sharks also losing Josh Dugan to a late sin bin.
In Channel 9 commentary, Andrew Johns said at one point during the second half: “This game is foreign to the game I grew up watching”.
Most fans could probably relate to what Johns, although Pay wasn’t about to go again after copping a big fine recently for bagging the refs.
“We have just got to be better,” Pay said.
“We have to take some ownership on how the games are going.
“The bottom line is we have to be better.”
CRONULLA 22 (V Holmes E Lee M Prior J Ramien tries C Townsend 3 goals) bt CANTERBURY 16 (B Morris 2 J Morris tries M Mbye 2 goals) at Southern Cross Group Stadium. Referee: Matt Cecchin, Phil Henderson. Crowd: 14,004
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