Cronulla have taken a huge step towards Finals football with a 32-12 win over North Queensland in Townsville, putting a huge dent in the Cowboys’ chances in the process.
The Sharks are now all but secured in the eight with 13 wins and a huge advantage in differential between them and their rivals.
The Cowboys, conversely, need to find two wins from their final two games, which includes Penrith in the final round, while also improving their differential. It seems unlikely from here, especially if they play like this.
For a side that needed the win more, they showed a remarkable lack of endeavour with the ball, proving unable to trouble a Sharks side that has been there for the taking, especially on their own goalline in 2023.
In their own end, North Queensland gave up two uncharacteristically simple tries late in the first half which game them a mountain to climb, before letting more slip in the second.
Scott Drinkwater had opened the scoring, but was otherwise unable to influence the game and, without him, the Cowboys’ attack looked toothless.
Todd Payten’s side had plenty enough ball to make an impact, with 41 sets to the Sharks’ 34, but didn’t ask anywhere near enough questions of their opponents.
“They made some last gasp tackles,” he said. “Their wingers made some smart decisions and got in the passing lane a couple of times.
“Conversely, we didn’t defend our tryline well enough, we let two soft tries in around the posts just before half time. They moved faster defensively than us.
“Our mindset has to be to play through teams. We were a bit sideways in that second half. A little bit more unstructured football can help us, with an offload or two. We still need to play quick. We’re a really good team when we do that.”
Craig Fitzgibbon, sick of hearing that his side are flat track bullies, now has wins over Souths and North Queensland to point to.
Many had expected their form to fall away following Will Kennedy’s injury, but his replacement, Connor Tracey, took home the Paul Green Medal for man of the match and has been close to their best in every game he has played in the number one jumper.
“We got nothing given to us, we had to earn it,” said Fitzgibbon. “It was pleasing.
“We’re working hard, we feel like we’re improving parts of our game, sticking at our plan and having the discipline to execute it over and over again instead of letting the situation get to us.
“We’ve still got more and we’ll need more.”
There’s no doubt that the Sharks are brilliant with ball in hand. There is a lot of doubt about whether they are any good without it.
When the Cowboys are good, they tackle their way to victory, and when they lose, it’s generally because they can’t post enough points. The conventional wisdom would hold that the better defence would win the day, but for 40 minutes, it really wasn’t the case.
The Cowboys got two tries, both through shocking Sharks tackling. The second, in which Chad Townsend crabbed 40m across the field without anyone engaging him, was as soft as they come, compounded by the one tackler who decided to get involved being Ronaldo Mulitalo, which allowed Valemei in to score where he should have been.
But the Sharks went to the break ahead, thanks in no small part to the Cowboys’ usually decent defence falling apart.
The first try, for Mulitalo, was an excellent example of why the Sharks’ attack is feared: they ran a short side play with limited room, but still had a decoy, a support runner and a free man to pick from. North Queensland could be forgiven for succumbing to excellent offensive play.
The second and third, however, were much more preventable as twice they allowed big men to go straight down main street and score close to the posts.
Payten’s half time chat – according to Fox League at least – focussed on their goalline D. Whatever he said didn’t work too well, as Nicho Hynes was able to prize them apart for a fourth, kicking for Wade Graham.
When you have to chase, invariably chances will come at the other end – and the Cowboys never looked like coming back.
While Cronulla would have been seen as the worse defensive side ahead of kick off, they came up huge when it matters.
As mentioned, it didn’t start superbly, but they bucked up big time to keep the Cows out from the 23rd minute until the end.
The scramble was excellent at times, and most of all, they’d done their homework: Cronulla knew that Drinkwater would come into the line on the left and look to hit the winger with the long pass, his favourite pet play, and they shut it down completely.
As good as the Sharks were, the Cowboys’ lack of imagination was exposed again.
Townsend and Tom Dearden offered very little and the other two potential sparks, Reece Robson and Jason Taumalolo, are always much better at the bash-and-barge than they are at creativity.
It’s dogged North Queensland all year and did so again: the power is there, the back three start sets well and the forwards do a sterling job to get the ball into the right end…but the finesse and polish is often missing.
They had a great completion rate, though, so there’s that. 85% wins nothing if you don’t score any points, or look like scoring. Tonight was a great example of that.
NQR
Roar Rookie
Payten has finally got Clifford back for next year. I believe both Payten and Clifford were keen to reunite and Townsend was a stop gap signing because Dearden, Drinkwater and Hampton never possessed the kicking or game management requirements. I still can’t understand Hiku’s selection. I’d give Luki or Nanai go at centre FFS.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
I agree with all of that Rob. Our deficiencies have been obvious to me for quite some time. I am glad Chad came North but it's now time for him to go. We won't go all the way with him as a 7. Hiku is gone as well so that's a plus. We are stuck with Drinkwater and JT13 so we just need to work around them. My wishlist is A true 7 who can threaten the line. A centre with some pace. Another prop with some size. Get those and we move forward.
Renegade
Roar Guru
The one that is 4 points ahead and beat the red and green vermin 2 weeks ago? Lol righto delusions
steveng
Roar Rookie
Lets see, I'd wory about your mob first.
Renegade
Roar Guru
See ya when the roosters put souths out of their misery one more time :thumbup:
steveng
Roar Rookie
Let’s see, remember last year Week -2 with your world beating Sharkie’s? What was the score? Bunnies 38 Sharks 12 don’t call me Mr.delusions! As once September comes around the Sharks will be the same, but this year it will be first week :laughing:
Renegade
Roar Guru
Lol Mr.delusions is here again
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I do realise the consequences. It has its risks as well but I'm sure I noticed the Sharks doing it to great effect. There is a time and a place for it. Often a small player goes high and gets flung off with the commentators saying he was never going stop him. Better to stop a try and risk a fast play the ball.
Bonza
Roar Rookie
I was frothing!
NQR
Roar Rookie
I don’t know if you realise the consequences of going low in the modern game. Take Granville for instance who does just what you’re suggesting last night bringing down Hunt about 10m out only for Brailey to jump out quickly from dummy half catching defenders back pedaling and then putting Hazelton over. Granville is always making low contact and many 6 agains happen of the back of his clean low effective tackling? As for Drinkwater’s ability to tackle I wouldn’t know where to start. His attempt to tackle Hynes sums him up. It certainly a long way from being the quality of Hammer.
steveng
Roar Rookie
No worries :thumbup: we’ve got all of this 2023 NRL comp covered and it Starts 2pm Sunday, Chooks are not even in the equation, are we playing them??? As I forgot that is how irrelevant they are :laughing:
RedcliffeFan
Roar Rookie
One other highlight. I must admit I got rather emotional when Paul Green's delighful daughter led the Sharkies out and fist bumped Wade who responded with a big and genuine smile. Just a lovely moment.
farkurnell
Roar Rookie
Don’t you worry about the Sharks Stevie ,just look out for the Chooks. Now that would be embarrassing if they finished above the Bunnies on the Ladder. Get out there an practice your Bootscooting with Trell in the off-season
RedcliffeFan
Roar Rookie
I reckon there's a very good chance you are right.
farkurnell
Roar Rookie
Looking for more improvement next week Red. Knights look out your bubbles about to burst
RedcliffeFan
Roar Rookie
The Sharks arrested the slide by deciding they were prepared to tackle after all. Had they continued on their not so merry way they'd have been planning for mad Monday. Key to the improvement was Trindall coming in - the left edge is no longwer the attack magnet it was. His combination with Nicho is building well too and his 40/20 came at a key moment. I have always thought of Nicho as a 5/8 and Trindall is allowing him to play more like one - he has certainly taken much of the pressure off him. Great to see Wado back to fine form - I wish he wasn't retiring. It does seem as if his decision to retire has really spurred him. The left foot kick brought back some great memories. Nostalgia is what it used to be in this case. I am just glad I they seem prepared to dig in and fight - because at times this season they have shown they are not keen on that. Hope it continues and that they've turned the corner - for good.
steveng
Roar Rookie
:laughing: ????your Sharks got away with that win as the Cows were hopeless, they gave it to Sharkys in the 1st and start of the 2nd half but then just faded, just remember Renegade, August is not the months when teams win GFs or are the Cows the top team to beat.
NQR
Roar Rookie
Well done to the Sharks. A must win game for both teams but there was only one team winning this game last night. It felt like I was watching the Matilda’s all over again as just when I thought the home team were back in the contest the other team were just to good and clinical when needed. Pretty deflating last couple of weeks from the Cowboys to be honest. No speed, sideways running with little enterprise with the football. Poor first up contact and some old blokes struggling to keep up. Honestly Townsend, Hiku, Granville and Taumalolo are probably well past their best and at times passenger’s. Oh well I guess it shows how valuable Holmes is also? One player’s absence should affect a team that much but I guess it does. The cynic in me felt that when the NRL handed him a 4 match ban. Only a miracle could see them in the 8 now and I’m not sure they’d be worthy of it either.
andrew
Roar Rookie
It might be a big ask but anything is possible. :laughing:
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
In many games I've wondered why small players don't hit big boppers around the ankles more often. You'd see a big thing charging at the line from 10 or 15 metres out and a midget jump up and try to attack the ball and hold the player up as others come into help. Sometimes the big thing brushes him aside and plants the ball down for a try. It almost shocked the commentators when Brailey and some other little boppers just hit the ankles and attackers like JT2 hit the deck. No chance of a pass or try. I wouldn't be surprised if Fitz is instructing his midgets to go ankle high when the time is right which is against the trend but very effective. Drinkwater could use the technique a lot more I'd say.