Returns of star players Todd Carney and Paul Gallen inspire Cronulla Sharks to big round 22 win over New Zealand Warriors

INSPIRED by the returns of Todd Carney and Paul Gallen, Cronulla got their season back on track with a big win over the Warriors.

WARRIORS coach Brian McClennan has labelled yesterday's thrashing by Cronulla at Mount Smart Stadium as the "darkest day" for the club this year.

The Warriors are still a mathematical chance to reach the finals, but the nature of their fourth straight defeat and a growing injury toll suggest they can start planning for next year.

"This would be our darkest day this year," said McClennan, who is in his first season as a coach in the NRL.

In contrast, Todd Carney inspired the Sharks to one of their most emphatic and ruthless performances of the year just when their faltering premiership campaign needed it most.

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The seven-try romp has re-ignited the Sharks' season after three successive losses and just one competition point from their past four games.

Carney scored 25 points from two tries, eight goals and a field goal in his first game back from injury.

Gallery: Best action snaps from the game

"They were just way too good for us today," McClennan said. "Todd Carney was very, very good.

"They ended up with a lot of possession and most of it was our fault. You're going to get beat up a lot when the other team has 14 more sets."

Sharks coach Shane Flanagan also praised Carney for his inspirational performance and skipper Paul Gallen for his gutsy return.

"It's not just what Gall does on the field, it's the presence and confidence he gives to the players around him," Flanagan said.

"For someone who hasn't run for six weeks since Origin, to do that was a pretty special effort."

Winger John Williams and barnstorming forward Andrew Fifita also grabbed two tries each for a Sharks team that was sharp and precise in attack, and which scrambled beautifully in defence to concede just one try.

Cronulla halfback Jeff Robson said the win was his side's most complete performance of the season.

"Yeah, definitely," Robson said. "Our defence has been lacking in the last couple of weeks and that's something we wanted to fix.

"We really scrambled well for each other and that showed in the scoreline.

"Hopefully this (win) is a stepping stone moving forward. We knew we needed a big win today and we turned up. The Warriors were good but we were better."

Based on yesterday's win, the Sharks are as good a chance as any to win the premiership.

They led 21-4 at half-time and kept the Warriors pointless in the second half.

Fifita was powerful coming off the bench, while Anthony Tupou was another strong performer.

Gallen said he felt "pretty busted" at half-time but was relieved to come through unscathed and for the Sharks to end their slump. "Every team hits a flat spot and we happened to get four or five injuries when we did hit it," he said. "We're getting some troops back now and it's good to get back on the winners' list."

CRONULLA 45 (T Carney 2 A Fifita 2 J Williams 2 J Robson tries T Carney 8 goals T Carney field goal) bt WARRIORS 4 (B Tupou try) at Mt Smart Stadium. Referee: Tony Archer, Alan Shortall. Crowd: 13,812.