Cronulla won their sixth straight NRL clash and claimed outright third on the ladder with a 44-22 trouncing of Canberra on Sunday.
Aided again by Todd Carney, the Sharks set up the victory with a five-try-to-two first half for a 28-12 lead at the break before holding out the Raiders at Canberra Stadium.
Carney was in damaging form against his old club, orchestrating at least three of the Sharks’ tries and finishing with 12 points off his own boot with six successful goals from nine attempts.
After making a habit of winning nail-biters over the past five weeks, it was a blissfully comprehensive victory by the Sharks.
Before this weekend, they hadn’t won by more than 12 points.
They also managed to match their highest score against Canberra, having also notched 44 points over the Raiders in 1982.
It was another disappointing showing from the Raiders in front of their home crowd.
David Furner’s men had much to prove in their first game back since losing captain Terry Campese to a season-ending knee injury, but came off second best in the battle of the forwards.
The game had looked wide open nearing halftime when Josh McCrone posted his second try to pin the margin back to four points at 16-12.
But two tries in seven minutes to Cronulla before the break pushed their lead out from four to 16, and they never looked back.
They posted another three tries to two in the second half for a clear victory.
“They were just too enthusiastic for us,” Raiders’ forward Tom Learoyd-Lahrs said, before urging the home crowd to stick with the injury-hit club.
John Williams scored two tries for Cronulla, while McCrone was one of Canberra’s best and finished with the same tally.
The last-minute inclusion of star fullback Josh Dugan failed to pay dividends for the Raiders, although he did manage a classy try in the second half when the game was all but lost.
timmypig
Guest
Agreed Jeff .... perhaps a Facebook 'LIKE and then start crying again' button
Jeff McGinn
Guest
Crosscoder: If this was a comment on facebook, I would immediately hit the 'LIKE' button.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
I wont breathe easy unless they make the top 4.I am amazed by their efforts this year, but over the years had my confidence deflated by 2nd half comp let downs. Provided both( and the) emphasis is on both Gallen(perpetual motion) and Carney remain injury free, they have a strong chance of getting there. Sharks fans have had to put up with a lot of let downs ,over the decades.'Their loyalty as a result is like a tattoo, part of who they are and difficult to remove.
jamesb
Guest
If the sharks can get themselves a couple of decent outside backs, they could definitely challenge. Whether the sharks can go far this year with a backline of Pomery, Best, Wright, and Mills remains to be seen
Meesta Cool
Guest
A few years ago, I used to enjoy banter with a Roarer with Nickname Master Sharkey.. he was fair dinkum sharks fan anyone heard from this guy lately?.
Matt
Guest
Agreed and certainly the most loyal as well. We have had our hearts broken many times but we still are there in droves cause we love our club.
Meesta Cool
Guest
Do not underestimate this Sharks team, they have recruited well for the last three seasons and the results are just starting to show.. I believe they will get even better.. Great to see. their supporters are amongst the noisiest and friendliest in the league.
The Barry
Roar Guru
How good was Jeff Robson ? Most under rated player in the comp. Haven't seen heaps of the Raiders this year due to the time of their games but you have to start wondering about the ability of David Furner to coach at this level. Given their roster they should have been performing much better than they have been. Even allowing for injuries to Campo and Dugan, their forward pack should be able to grind out more results than they have. Trips to Canberra used to be a nightmare for visiting teams - on the field as well - now they've won something like four from their past 12.