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Luke Covell’s left boot has kicked plenty of goals for Cronulla but tonight he used it to produce three miracle tries in the Sharks’ 28-22 NRL win over North Queensland.
The oft-maligned winger made three freakish plays in atrocious conditions at Toyota Stadium to set up tries for Brett Kearney, Brett Seymour and Terence Seu Seu that put the Sharks on the path to victory.
Covell curled a perfectly weighted kick in-field to an unmarked Kearney in the 24th minute for Cronulla’s second try of the game that gave them a lead they never relinquished.
Four minutes after halftime he slid over the touchline but just managed to soccer the ball back into the goal area before he crossed the chalk for Seymour to score and extend their lead to 22-4.
Covell completed his night of brilliance with another left foot chip from the sideline in the 63rd minute for reserve hooker Seu Seu to score and seal Cronulla’s victory with a 28-4 lead.
The Cowboys produced three late tries to prop Shane Tronc (71st), Matthew Scott (73rd) and Ty Williams (77th) to end their horrendous season on somewhat of a positive note but they were never really going to run down Cronulla.
Covell also converted four goals from five attempts to virtually seal the competition’s leading pointscorer title just days before he is expected to sign a one-year contract extension with the club.
Cronulla jumped to second place on the NRL table with the win but are likely to drop back to third tomorrow night when premiership favourites Melbourne host South Sydney at Olympic Park.
Regardless of tomorrow’s outcome it is still Cronulla’s finest regular season finish since their 1999 minor premiership.
The loss leaves North Queensland in danger of collecting the wooden spoon if the Bulldogs somehow manage to upset the Raiders in Canberra tomorrow.
The Cowboys have been one of the biggest disappointments this year but started like finals contenders with Ashley Graham scoring in the sixth minute after three repeat attacking sets.
But the Sharks awoke from their insipid opening to score three tries in eight minutes – to Ben Ross (20th minute), Kearney (24th) and Kade Snowden (28th) – and take an 18-4 lead into the break.
Cronulla coach Ricky Stuart praised Covell both in the dressing sheds in front of his teammates and afterwards at the press conference for seizing on the limited opportunities in the game.
“He is such a great, instinctive footballer,” said Stuart.
“Those pieces of play to kick the ball back in … it shows how much skill he actually has.
“He is a great football player. We were never not going to sign him, it was just a matter of when and how with the salary cap.”
Stuart said he was “not too concerned about the finish” when his team conceded three late tries as he was resting key stars Paul Gallen, Luke Douglas and Isaac De Gois.
Cowboys coach Ian Millward went out of his way to accuse the Sharks of illegal stalling tactics in the play the ball, earning a stunning rebuke from Stuart who claimed his rival was “not the full quid.”
Millward also suggested his team didn’t deserve the wooden spoon despite setting a new club losing streak record of 13 this year.
“I just thought we would win tonight and not have to worry about that stuff,” said Millward.
“If you look at us, that is 11 games now we’ve lost by 12 points or less this season,” he said.
“And the majority of that we have had a lot of injuries.
“I’m pretty sure when I say that I don’t think we deserve the spoon.”
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