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Cronulla have underlined their top four credentials with a gritty, defensively-perfect 18-0 win over the Newcastle Knights at PointsBet Stadium, led by a barnstorming performance from Siosifa Talakai.
Playing in an unfamiliar centre role, he bossed Dane Gagai, arguably the form player in the position in the comp.
The final try, in which he bounced Gagai to create space from which Will Kennedy was able to score, was emblematic of the physicality – and some unheralded finesse – that he brought to bear on the Knights’ defence.
The stats were barely believable: 228 running metres and 16 breaks on his own, as well a try and an assist.
“Talakai grew up a centre and has played middle and back row, so that was a big job for him out there,” said Craig Fitzgibbon.
“The whole back five were enormous to start the sets: there were plenty of good performances but Siosifa stood out.
“It was crucial for him to hold up his position against Dane Gagai. They had a ding-dong there. He’s no fuss and went about his work with a powerful performance.”
Coaches often speak of having pride in their defensive line, and that was on full display for all 80 minutes with the Sharks.
They missed just 14 tackles all night and denied their opponents any meaningful scoring chances.
The tries that came at the other end were all off the back of a performance without the ball that will have impressed Craig Fitzgibbon no end.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 01: Aiden Tolman of the Sharks runs the ball during the round four NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Newcastle Knights at PointsBet Stadium on April 01, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
“That was a really hard game,” said Fitzgibbon. “We were trying to execute, we were moving the ball, and I thought we tried to put some footy on but couldn’t get rewards.
“I thought Newcastle were extremely physical and have started the season with high energy, so we had to fight for everything, which was good to see.
“Knowing Adam (O’Brien) and how they’ve started, we knew we’d have to dig deep at times. It was important to go through those periods and come out the other side.
Braden Hamlin-Uele was also mightily impressive, battering into tackles and leaving a mark. Leo Thompson, the Knights four-game rookie, was often the recipient: to his credit, he kept running back hard for more punishment.
This wasn’t by any means a terrible showing from Adam O’Brien’s Knights, who missed the punch through the middle of the injured David Klemmer and the suspended Mitch Barnett. They might be adding to that list with Tyson Frizzell leaving the game early with a hamstring complaint.
They struggled a little with ball in hand, though against this Sharks defence, most teams would, but defensively they were also strong and could take a lot of heart from how they withstood an early second half onslaught from the Sharkies.
“We’re disappointed,” said O’Brien. “There were some parts that were really really. Defensively we showed a ton of effort.
After playing 50 minutes with 12 last week – and ten more tonight after a sin bin for Dom Young – it was maybe a game too far for the Knights, who looked more leggy than their opponents.
“We haven’t spent a lot of time together, because we’re in the middle of four six-day turnarounds, but just as important is personnel,” explained the coach.
“Over the last month, we’ve not spent much time together with our attack, and that’s where we looked disjointed and as fluid as it has in the early rounds.
“Four short turnarounds in a row has hurt our ability to spend time on that as training.
“We’ve got one more to go, and we can hold onto some of that resilience and get better with the ball. We didn’t look like scoring a try tonight.
“I’m not driving off the cliff. We need to spend some time together, hang tight and keep fighting through this period. We’ll come out the other side.
“There’s signs that we’re not lying down, we’re having a crack, and we can get the polish stuff back because it was there only a few weeks ago.”
Last night, Titans coach Justin Holbrook had complained about the difficult conditions as reasoning for his side’s poor performance, blaming the dew for their errors.
With the wind howling into the faces of the Sharks, they showed how to play the conditions as they found them: Cronulla kicked cleverly, completed high, ran hard and tackled everything that moved.
Aiden Tolman, playing game 300 in the NRL, had managed just 15 tries all in prior to tonight but managed to open the scoring with a crash over from close range.
Sione Katoa had been denied earlier in the half when kicking for himself, but as the clock elapsed on the first half, he got his score.
It was a late shift to Will Kennedy, then to Jesse Ramien, and though the centre might have scored himself, he found the winger to make sure with an acrobatic finish at the corner.
The 8-0 that the Sharks took to the break – having played against the wind – was worth far more.
Newcastle failed to deal with the wind anywhere near as well. While they were manful in defence, in attack they repeatedly struggled to make ground and get their strike players – notably Kalyn Ponga – into the game.
The first half of the second half was a case in point. Now facing the wind, the Knights could barely get out of their own end, with kicking a particular difficulty.
That task was made yet harder by a sin-binning for Dom Young, who was adjudged to have put Ronaldo Mulitalo in a dangerous position in a lifting tackle.
The Sharks made tow key breakthroughs last week while the Dragons were a man light, and they iced the game with the advantage this time around.
Talakai – best on ground and denied a score in the first half – got his deserved try before, with Young back on the field, creating the last for Will Kennedy.
Blayke Brayley was binned too, late on, for a professional foul – but too late for one last attack. The Sharks’ clean sheet remained intact.
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