NRL round four: Cronulla Sharks defeat Canberra Raiders 36-22

It looked as though the Green Machine of Canberra were cruising to victory, but Cronulla surged from 18-0 down to pick up an important victory on Easter Sunday.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 31: Ronaldo Mulitalo of the Sharks celebrates scoring a try with Nicho Hynes of the Sharks during the round four NRL match between Cronulla Sharks and Canberra Raiders at PointsBet Stadium, on March 31, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

It’s the Easter resurrection Sharks fans didn’t see coming, and it’s one that Ricky Stuart’s Canberra Raiders could take some time to digest as they head back to the nation’s capital with two consecutive defeats.

With their pride at stake, and leading 18-0, the Raiders were well on the way to turning Easter Sunday party-poopers in the Shire, before fading badly, watching on hopelessly as the Sharks coasted home 36-22.

All the talk heading into the sold out PointsBet Stadium clash focused on how Cronulla would combat the loss of injured trio Dale Finucane, Toby Rudolf and Royce Hunt.

Seemingly without a clue in the opening stages as Canberra destroyed his patched up middles, a jaded Craig Fitzgibbon appeared to still be wrestling the demons of a week earlier following the Sharks capitulation at Leichhardt.

“We’ve been guilty of being our own worst enemy and none more so than in the initial stages of today,” said Fitzgibbon.

“You can’t play an opponent like Canberra and not respect them.”

Blayke Brailey scores for the Sharks. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

STARS TO THE RESCUE FOR CRONULLA

Pressed on what triggered the turnaround from 18-0 down, the coach pointed the finger at skipper Cameron McInnes who stood tall in a typical workaholic performance.

“Everyone eventually started getting their jobs done, and none more so than Cameron

who played the full 80 minutes,” said Fitzgibbon of the reliable lock who churned out 150m and completed a game-high 47 tackles.

And with a semblance of normality in the midfield, playmakers Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall set about reeling in the deficit.

“I thought they really complimented each other,” said Fitzgibbon, of the pair who combined for two try assists and gave Canberra back three plenty to think about of their boots.

“They’ve only played around 10 games together so they are still developing understanding. It’s easy for them to train, but they are still getting used to working out who goes where when the pressure is on.

“Nico does what Nico does but Tricky is creative with the ball and I thought he kicked well too and he had a couple of really nice passes.”

Kayal Iro of the Sharks celebrates scoring a try. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

IRO’S BIG BURST

Back in the day Kevin Iro was New Zealand’s answer to Mal Meninga. Now after marking up against Matthew Timoko, son Kayal got a taste of what it must have been like to mark his powerhouse father.

The Raiders centre pinballed out of tackles at will during the opening exchanges, and then showed his class with a sublime tap-on to send James Schiller across for the opening try.

But the young Iro hit back in spectacular style, charging onto a Braydon Trindall short ball on the hour to put Cronulla in front for the first time.

The Sharks celebrate a Ronaldo Mulitalo try. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

RONALDO’S CORNER

After a rocky start, with tries on offer on his home turf, Cronulla winger Ronaldo Mulitalo was also going to get his name on the score sheet.

The flyer raced a nice Iro ball into the left corner and with his double after the break, the crowd favourite made it 16 from his past 12 outings in Sydney’s south.

Jack Williams was a standout for the Sharks. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

JACK OF ALL TRADES

With a host of missing teammates, unsung backrower Jack Williams was one of Cronulla’s best. Starting from the bench Williams packed plenty of punch into his 46 minutes, hammering out a game-high 176m from 18 runs.

BIG RED MISTAKE

It ended up a tough night for Corey Horsburgh in his first NRL appearance of the season. Called up during the week to play on the bench, the big Queenslander got through 48 minutes, and if he could, he’d take back one horrible handling blunder.

With the scores still locked at the half time score, Canberra were given a perfect chance to regain the lead after a William Kennedy fumble. Standing one pass off the ruck, Horsburgh grassed what could have been his side’s best chance of a recovery.

Originally published as NRL round four: Cronulla Sharks defeat Canberra Raiders 36-22