If anyone from the NRL was at Southern Cross Group Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the debate about taking games away from suburban grounds would be forgotten – immediately.
In front of more than 14,000 fans on a perfect afternoon in the Sutherland Shire, Cronulla fought back to down Penrith 20-18 in a see-sawing encounter that had just about everything.
The win was Cronulla’s fifth in a row and leaves them entrenched in the top four after eight rounds.
From the unstoppable Andrew Fifita and Paul Gallen to the electric Ben Barba and Valentine Holmes, the Sharks were a team of heroes as they came from behind to score a late victory.
Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan said he was proud of the way his players dug deep.
“We had to show some resolve there,” he said.
“I thought we didn’t have any field position in the second half.
“We needed to score some tries from our end and we did that.
“We found a way to win in the end.
“But I was really happy with the way [we] hung in there.”
Cronulla opened the scoring in the second minute when hooker Michael Ennis burrowed over from close range on the back of a strong run from the returning Luke Lewis, back from suspension.
The Sharks looked like they might blow the game open three minutes later when an excellent offload from Wade Graham found Barba on the inside who in turn found Fifita before he was stopped by some desperate scrambling defence.
A James Maloney penalty goal extended Cronulla’s lead to 6-0 after 15 minutes.
Penrith halfback Jamie Soward was penalised for a high tackle on Jayson Bukuya, with the Sharks backrower forced off for a concussion test 10 minutes later.
The game exploded to life just after the half hour mark when, with Cronulla defending their own line, Lewis put a heavy shot on Matt Moylan, forcing the Panthers fullback into a mistake.
Ennis then ran in and shoved Moylan in the back, sparking a melee.
The Sharks rake was penalised for his involvement, leaving Cronulla to defend their own line again.
Maloney extended Cronulla’s lead to 8-0 with another penalty goal just before half-time.
It had been tough going for Penrith, as they lost centre Waqa Blake to a hip flexor problem, and five-eighth Te Maire Martin to a fractured shoulder.
The game turned five minutes after the break when Penrith scored from a freak incident.
A swirling Soward bomb caused Sosaia Feki a problem, as the Sharks winger attempted to trap the ball with his foot.
The ball bounced up into the arms of Moylan who scored next to the posts.
Seven minutes later and the visitors had the lead, as backrower Isaah Yeo, deputising in the centres after the loss of Blake, scored out wide.
There was then a 12-point swing that went against Cronulla, as they had a try to Chad Townsend correctly disallowed for offside after the halfback had brilliantly linked up with Jack Bird.
The Panthers then marched up field and scored out wide through James Fisher-Harris to extend Penrith’s lead to 14-8.
But the never-say-die attitude that has been a feature of this Cronulla side in recent years was again on display as Townsend sparked the resurgence.
The Yarrawarrah Tigers junior took on the Penrith line and made a break before he found Maloney backing up to score next to the posts.
Maloney’s conversion leveled the score at 14-all before Holmes stole the show.
The Sharks launched a counter attack from deep inside their own half, with the young winger racing 70 metres to score under the posts after good lead up work from Townsend and Bird.
Just when you thought it was all over, back came Penrith.
A miraculous last-tackle play with three minutes to go saw Fisher-Harris crash over for his second of the game.
But Soward’s conversion sailed wide, leaving Cronulla to hold on for a gutsy two-point win.
Sharks captain Paul Gallen said the composure shown by his side in defence at the end of the first half and in attack at the end of the second was what won them the game.
“It was really good [our composure],” he said.
“We probably won the game in the first half with our defence.
“But I reckon we’ve still got to get better than that...in the end I think we got lucky [Soward] left his kicking boots at home.
“To our credit we got the win and we hung tough.
“Good sides win [those] close games.”
Leader Scoreboard
Cronulla Sharks 20 (Michael Ennis, James Maloney, Valentine Holmes tries. James Maloney four goals)
defeated
Penrith Panthers 18 (Matt Moylan, Isaah Yeo, James Fisher-Harris tries. Jamie Soward goal)
at Southern Cross Group Stadium, Woolooware
Crowd: 14,273
Leader man of the match: Chad Townsend (Sharks)
Sharks’ next three: Broncos (home), Knights (away), Sea Eagles (home)
