New Zealand Warriors defeat Cronulla Sharks 40-10
Cronulla’s premiership credentials continue to plummet after back-to-back poor performances, while the Warriors have cemented themselves as a genuine title threat off the back of former Shark Luke Metcalf.
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Cronulla’s premiership credentials continue to crumble after back to back poor performances.
As Cronulla slide, the stocks of Warriors no.7 Luke Metcalf continues to rise.
But for the Sharks their latest home drubbing against the high flying Warriors comes after their last start thumping 42-16 thumping against the Roosters. If you thought that was bad their outing against the Warriors wasn’t much better.
They had a bye wedged in between which makes their 40-10 loss to the Warriors even more concerning.
They are now losing touch with the top four and will sit two wins outside the crucial spot on the ladder by the end of this round. Their loss was soured by a pectoral injury to centre KL Iro.
The Sharks lacked any energy to start the game and quickly fell behind 10-0 after 17 minutes. They did well to somehow crawl their way back to trail 12-10 at the halftime break.
But just like the first half they failed to fire to start the second stanza. So much so that the Warriors raced in three tries in 19 minutes to lead 30-10 which all but ended Cronulla’s hopes to securing the win.
This against a Warriors side who not only lost their only Origin player Mitch Barnett to a season-ending knee injury last week but had their key hooker Wayde Egan ruled out just before lunchtime on the day of the game.
But nothing perturbed this Warriors side who have now cemented themselves as a genuine premiership threats off the back of former Shark Metcalf.
Metcalf was again the star for the Warriors, laying on two tries with his kicking and running game on point. The Warriors will move to lock down the 26-year-old before he can hit the market on November 1.
His form would make him an irresistible target for a return to Sydney or a perfect candidate to help lead the Perth Bears in 2027.
Metcalf 🤠Vaimauga
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AFB, HALASIMA STAND TALL
All the talk leading into Saturday’s showdown was about Addin Fonua-Blake coming up against his former side, but in the end it was the Warriors’ key recruit up front and a young machine in the middle who stole the show to continue their incredible recent record in Australia.
The 40-10 demolition of the Sharks was their fifth win in a row in Australia and moves them level with the Bulldogs at the top of the table just a few months after there were fears they’d get the spoon following a heavy loss in Las Vegas.
That feels like a lifetime ago with James Fisher-Harris now playing like the man who won four premierships with Penrith, with the Kiwis skipper leading from the front a week after co-captain Mitch Barnett (knee) was ruled out for the rest of 2025.
Fisher-Harris strolled through untouched just minutes into the second half courtesy of a lovely short ball from Demitric Vaimauga who scored shortly after to blow the game wide open.
The procession continued later in the half when the freakish Leka Halasima flew high to make it 30-10, with the Warriors perfectly placed for a top-four finish given they still have two byes and have no qualms playing in Australia.
“Since ‘Fish’ walked in the doors, his actions and what he says to the group, they listen,” Andrew Webster said.
“This place has changed, and then you see young kids who feel comfortable in their own skin and feel safe to be themselves.
“I’m rapt in Fish and what he’s brought to the club.”
Fisher-Harris strolled through untouched just minutes into the second half courtesy of a lovely short ball from Demitric Vaimauga who scored shortly after to blow the game wide open.
The procession continued later in the half when the freakish Leka Halasima flew high to make it 30-10, with the Warriors perfectly placed for a top-four finish given they still have two byes and have no qualms playing in Australia.
HIGHS AND LOWS
KL Iro’s remarkable start to the year has seen him enter the record books as the first man to score in his opening nine matches of a season in the NRL era after he extended his streak on Saturday night.
The Sharks centre scored six tries last season but has already smashed that figure after he finished off a nice team effort late in the first half to cross for the tenth time in nine matches.
But it’s unclear when he’ll play again after an irate Iro was forced from the field midway through the second half with a pec issue.
This was supposed to be a statement game for the Sharks in front of a sold-out crowd, but the home fans started filing out with 13 minutes to go when Chanel Harris-Tavita strolled through for the first of his two tries.
Craig Fitzgibbon won’t be happy with his side’s defensive resolve, with the Sharks conceding 108 points in their past three games to lose touch with the top four.
“It’s a simple game sometimes. If you don’t get the simple and the hardest parts right then that’s what happens to you,” he said.
“The second half, we can defend better than that and we will defend better than that and we need to defend better than that and we’ll work on defending better than that.”
SON OF A GUN
Iro wasn’t the only famous surname doing the family proud, with Sam Healey impressing at dummy-half after he was a late inclusion for Wayde Egan who was ruled out with a hip complaint.
Sam’s father, Mitch Healey, is a Sharks legend and an assistant coach of the Jersey Flegg side that defeated the Warriors before the main game on Saturday.
His loyalties would have been tested when he saw his son run out on a chilly evening in the shire where Sam caused plenty of dramas in the ruck with his running game tiring out Cronulla’s big forwards.
Originally published as New Zealand Warriors defeat Cronulla Sharks 40-10
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