Cronulla Sharks

The seven tries to one win was the first time Cronulla players have left the Northern Beaches with two competition points since 2008 and just their sixth triumph in 41 visits to Manly since joining the premiership in 1967.

It also officially put paid to any hope of the Sea Eagles making the finals after their fourth consecutive defeat.

Manly's sole try by captain Daly Cherry-Evans in the 77th minute staved off the equal worst defeat at Brookvale in the club's history but it was easily Cronulla's biggest win at the ground - eclipsing their 27-18 victory in 1974.

Seemingly in good shape after a Round 18 win over Newcastle, the Sea Eagles have slumped to four losses in a row for the first time since the opening month of the 2021 season to now sit four points outside the eight.

They face a confident and composed Sharks outfit who have a top-fourth berth well and truly in the grasp with games against Manly, Bulldogs and Knights to come.

Craig Fitzgibbon's men are playing a brand of footy well suited to high-pressure play-off games and they have every reason to believe a second premiership in seven years is a real possibility.

The Cronulla forward pack had a field day through the middle, with props Royce Hunt and Braden Hamlin-Uele getting over for tries and Cameron McInnes putting in a huge shift from the interchange, running for 138 metres and making 36 tackles in his 59 minutes on the field. 

Cronulla scored four converted tries and kicked a penalty to lead 26-6 at the break, but while they were in control for most of the match at Scully Park, they never managed to fully shake off their stubborn opponents. 

Through the dramas of the past decade Wests Tigers have never finished last in their 22 seasons as a joint venture but Sunday's loss to the Knights leaves them precariously placed in 15th, just one win ahead of the Titans.

The Sharks, meanwhile, are sitting pretty in third spot and face teams well below them on the ladder in their final four games but coach Craig Fitzgibbon will be taking nothing for granted in the run home.

With four games to play the Sharks are in the box seat to snare a crucial top-four position while the season appears to be over for the Dragons.

The Sharks needed only three minutes to open the scoring when Nicho Hynes strolled over from close range before the Dragons hit back in the ninth minute when a Ben Hunt bomb was spilled by Ronaldo Mulitalo and Jack de Belin picked up the scraps to score.

The Dragons went down a man in the 12th minute when Tariq Sims was sent to the bin for high contact on Sharks winger Connor Tracey.

Sitting third on 28 competition points, the Sharks play the sides coming 11th, 15th, 10th, 12th and 14th in the final five games so a home final at PointsBet Stadium beckons. 

The Dragons hit a major hurdle on Sunday when they were totally outplayed by the Cowboys and their misfiring attack must be a huge concern to coach Anthony Griffin.

Given that Cronulla boast the third best defensive record in the NRL the Dragons will need to find a whole lot more with ball in hand if they are to topple the Sharks for the first time since round five, 2020.

Sitting third on 28 competition points, the Sharks play the sides coming 11th, 15th, 10th, 12th and 14th in the final five games so a home final at PointsBet Stadium beckons. 

The Dragons hit a major hurdle on Sunday when they were totally outplayed by the Cowboys and their misfiring attack must be a huge concern to coach Anthony Griffin.

Given that Cronulla boast the third best defensive record in the NRL the Dragons will need to find a whole lot more with ball in hand if they are to topple the Sharks for the first time since round five, 2020.

Cronulla matched - and for large periods outplayed - Penrith in round 19, and were in the match right up until Jarome Luai's 77th-minute try put the game beyond reach.

The Rabbitohs head to PointsBet Stadium in red-hot form, having won their last four matches including a 24-12 victory over the Storm last weekend. 

The two clubs have met just once a year for the past six seasons, with South Sydney winning four of those clashes. 

After falling behind 10-0 early, the Panthers slowly worked their way back into the game and had the class to grind out their 17th victory of the season.

The Sharks made the ideal start a Matt Moylan bomb was tapped back to Jesse Ramien who found Connor Tracey and the winger stepped off his right foot and beat four Panthers defenders to score in the corner after eight minutes.

With seven rounds of the regular season remaining Penrith find themselves eight points clear at the top of the ladder, while the Sharks have climbed to third after beating the Cowboys last up. 

Cronulla are riding a five-game winning streak and will be full of confidence, while Penrith should benefit from refreshing a number of their top line stars last weekend ahead. 

The last time they met in Round 14 last year it was Cronulla who came away with a late 19-18 victory, but prior to that the Panthers won the past four head-to-head clashes.