Cronulla Sharks

Across an 80 minutes in which they had to overcome the second-half sin-binning of captain James Tedesco and the loss of backline stars Joseph Manu and Joseph-Aukuso Suaali'i to injuries, the Roosters charged down two field goals in the dying minutes which would likely have sent the game to golden point, after Walker had put them in front with a clutch drop goal. 

Making it all the more impressive, Walker was playing through an ankle injury which earlier in the game had him in visible discomfort. 

After the Broncos' win over the Roosters on Thursday night they went to the top for 48 hours but the defending champs flexed their muscle at BlueBet Stadium to put themselves in poll position for a third minor premiership in four years.

Five minutes into the game the Panthers took the lead when a Nathan Cleary grubber rebounded to Scott Sorensen who found Jarome Luai and the five-eighth plunged over to score.

Penrith celebrated the return of Nathan Cleary with a comfortable 44-18 victory over the Bulldogs in Round 21 but across town in the Sutherland Shire was where the Sharks' season was put on the ropes by the Sea Eagles.

After winning three-straight and being well-placed for a top four finish last month, back-to-back losses has suddenly put Craig Fitzgibbon's side in a delicate spot on the ladder with rival clubs looking to leapfrog them. 

As stated by Sharks CEO Dino Mezzatesta, this association with Lae Biscuits is a ground breaking partnership and is set to be of great benefit to both organisations.

“The Lae Biscuit Company have been long time supporters of rugby league in PNG and we thank Ian Chow and Lae Biscuits for considering the Sharks as a viable partner as they look to spread their wings into the Australian market,” Mezzatesta began.

The mini-revival that produced three wins in four games against the Panthers, Dragons and Cowboys now seems a distant memory for the Tigers, who have lost four on the trot and conceded 150 points in the process.

The Sharks, meanwhile, have put a Round 15 horror show against the Storm behind them to run up big scores over the Bulldogs and Dragons to sit third on the ladder with nine games to play.

Six of those matches are against teams currently outside the top eight so the Sharks have every opportunity to secure a top-four finish and a double chance in the finals.

Cronulla have now won their past seven clashes with the Dragons but they found themselves behind early after a mistake by Briton Nikora invited the Red V into the red zone and Mikaele Ravalawa scored. Zac Lomax converted from the sideline for a 6-0 lead.

The Sharks steadied the ship and hit back in the eighth minute when Nicho Hynes ran a great angle off a Matt Moylan pass and the scores were locked 6-6.

Four minutes later the Sharks got across the line again through Ronaldo Mulitalo but desperation defence from Tyrell Sloan and Lomax denied the winger.

The Dragons find themselves in danger of collecting the first wooden spoon in the history of the joint venture and need a huge lift in defensive intensity if they hope to contain a potent Sharks unit that averages 26.3 points per game.

After showing signs of improvement in wins over the Roosters and Rabbitohs and a close loss to Penrith, the Red V gave up their biggest score of the season on Friday night and will be doing plenty of soul-searching ahead of a clash against a side that put 40 points on them in Round 4.

The Storm conceded an uncharacteristic 45 points to the Cowboys in Townsville to continue their inconsistent season while the Sharks were beaten by a classy Broncos outfit on home turf. 

Both sides have shared a period of dominance against each other since the 2016 grand final with Cronulla winning five of their next eight before Melbourne returned serve, winning five of the last six between the two clubs.

With Nicho Hynes and Will Kennedy in slashing form the Sharks racked up a seventh win of the season to join the Panthers, Rabbitohs and Broncos on 16 competition points.

The Sharks struck first in the seventh minute when Kennedy sliced through the Knights' left side defence to grab his 11th try of the season.

Five minutes later the Sharks looked to have a second when Hynes finished off brilliant lead-up work by Connor Tracey but the try was ruled out for obstruction by Dale Finucane in the lead-up.

Bennett has waited 18 months to unleash Kiwi wrecking ball Valynce Te Whare and the 183rd player to be given his debut by the super coach made an immediate impression.

Te Whare - a raw but powerful rugby union convert, who has been biding his time with the Dolphins feeder team in the Queensland Cup - scored a try in each half as the new franchise produced a typical Bennett effort.