The moments that mattered in the Sharks epic 14-12 win over Melbourne

IT came down to the final seconds, but the Sharks held on for their first title. These are the 17 key moments that mattered in their 14-12 victory.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — OCTOBER 02: Sharks players celebrate winning the 2016 NRL Grand Final match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Melbourne Storm at ANZ Stadium on October 2, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

IT came down to the final seconds, but the Sharks held on for their first title. These are the moments that mattered in their 14-12 victory.

1st minute: Third tackle of the game Michael Ennis tries to decapitate Jordan McLean and puts Melbourne on the front foot straight away.

6th minute: Marika Koroibete gives Chad Townsend one right on the button with the Sharks on the attack, Ennis runs in and gets things heated again, but things don’t quite kick off and the Sharks opt to take the two. Cronulla lead 2-0.

13th minute: Maloney slices through from 40 metres out, draws Cameron Munster and finds Luke Lewis. The try is there but the old legs don’t quite have it and a wonderful effort from Blake Green brings him down millimetres short. Koroibete knocks on the Chad Townsend kick and the Sharks get it back.

Early on, the Storm defended as if their lives depended on it.

14th minute: A clever scrum play sees Ben Barba race over untouched after a lovely inside ball from Paul Gallen! Sharks lead 8-0.

18th minute: Jack Bird’s arm gets bent right back and he looks gone for a second but manages to stay out there, despite the obvious pain.

27th minute: Cooper Cronk cleans up a Sharks tap back on his own 20, but the ball spills out when he goes to ground and Cronulla are on the attack. Melbourne look weary at the scrum, but scramble well to bundle Ricky Leutele over the sideline and survive.

35th minute: The Sharks force a drop out but the Storm hold. One the last tackle Michael Ennis grubbers it to Smith, who puts it down to give Cronulla another set but the Storm hold. Then Barba pokes a kick in, Koroibete is taken in-goal and the Storm hold on again. They have been under siege for much of the first half but the Sharks lead by just 8-0 at the break despite their mountain of possession.

Ben Barba scored the first try of the match.

42nd minute: The Sharks earn another line drop out and look ominous but the Storm manage to hold on yet again. A penalty soon thereafter puts them out of trouble.

46th minute: At last the Storm get some good ball and look likely a couple of times but the passes don’t stick and Cooper Cronk, who has looked out of sorts for much of the game, can’t earn another set.

49th minute: The Storm strike back and the game is alive. After absorbing even more pressure, a penalty gets them up the right end and Jesse Bromwich charges over from a Cameron Smith short ball and Smith’s goal makes it 8-6.

AT LAST: Sharks win first title

HISTORY: Five moments that mattered in the grand final

56th minute: A James Maloney cross kick is knocked on by Cheyse Blair to give the Sharks a full set on the Melbourne line. They survive, but then the Sharks force another. Then, on their third set under siege, the Storm snag a loose ball and survive again.

63rd minute: A Chad Townsend kick rolls dead. From the seven-tackle set Christian Welch pops one offload to get the Storm in good field position and another to give them some room. Ben Hampton finds Chambers, who dummies and scores. Smith converts and the Storm have an improbable 12-8 lead.

Will Chambers scored a vital try, but did he bomb one later on?

65th minute: That man Welch gives away a backbreaking penalty on the last, 20 out, right in front of the posts. Cronulla have a full set to take back the lead and they do after Michael Ennis throws a short ball to Fifita, who twists through five defenders to put it down under the posts. Sharks lead 14-12.

How did he score this try?

75th minute. A Cronk kick bounces in the in-goal. The Sharks drop it out, but Bromwich drops it in the play the ball. Time is running short.

77th minute: Chambers puts in a suicidal grubber, but through some kind of witchcraft he gets it back! A scramble on the last, mad ball movement from side to side and Vunivalu goes for a kick but it rolls dead. The game is on the edge of a knife.

78th minute: The Sharks drill it into touch. The Storm have one set for the title.

80th minute: The passes fly everywhere, for a moment there’s a chance here, there and everywhere and the Storm fly but the Sharks scramble, they shut it down and that’s the end. Cronulla, at last, are champions.