There was something in the air heading into their second
Monday Night Football clash of the season. South Sydney Rabbitohs had been on
another winning streak and sat comfortably atop the Telstra Premiership table
with Cronulla Sharks sitting amid chaotic traffic at the other end of the top
eight.
The Sharks came into the game showing improved form
after shaking their off-field issues and concentrating on footy, resulting in a
three game winning streak. Shaun Flanagan’s men had been improving every week,
led by the rise of former Wests Tigers prop Andrew Fifita.
Fifita has been the jewel in the Sharks’ crown of
forwards, chewing up plenty of metres and making a slightly exaggerated thousand
tackles per game. Wade Graham has developed into a Paul Gallen-esque player,
with Gallen and Luke Lewis offering world-class support to form a lethal back
row.
The Rabbitohs came in under a shroud of controversy
thanks to the Ben Te’o assault claims. In what was the first major off-field
incident to plague the cardinal and myrtle, all eyes were on Te’o – and the rest
of the team for that matter – to see if they would be distracted.
If their last meeting was anything to go by we were in
for a belter. The round two clash saw Souths sneak away with a 14-12 victory at
ANZ Stadium, but not before being outplayed but not outpointed by a determined
Sharks outfit.
Who knew their return fixture would end with an
identical scoreline, only a different victor?
Not most people as it turned it out, as Gallen and Lewis
were ruled out earlier in the day (coincidentally around the same time they were
with the NSW Blues side, cough conspiracy cough) and later joined by Michael
Gordon who was not passed fit to play. The under-manned Sharks had it all to do,
and that is exactly what they did.
The Sharks first try came after back-to-back penalties
and a mountain of possession in the first five minutes. In what was simply a
soft defensive effort from the Rabbitohs “Wall”, Sharks hooker John Morris sold
a huge dummy, before slipping through a massive gap to score under the black
dot. Todd Carney’s conversion made it 6-0 after as many minutes.
A sloppy contest ensued as both teams struggled to
contend with the conditions, and the men in pink seemingly sought to warm their
whistles.
A dropped ball from Sosaia Feki served the Rabbitohs a
golden opportunity to post points in the 14th minute and recruit
Bryson Goodwin seized it with both hands. His try in the left hand corner
continued his bounce back to first grade, with Adam Reynolds’ conversion making
it level at 6-all.
The two sides traded metres, penalties and countless
dropped ball for the rest of the half, with a try to Jason Bukuya the only
shining light in a somewhat dour half.
When Souths’ in-from five-eighth John Sutton lashed out
at an attacking grubber, the footballing gods smiled upon the Sharks and
directed the ball – with a perfect bounce – into the hands of Bukuya who put
them back into the lead. Carney’s conversion gave the home side a 12-6 lead at
the break.
The second stanza saw much of the same from both teams,
with only two scoring plays in the half.
Souths forward Sam Burgess played the role of hero and
villain on the night, scoring a try and going on report for a crusher tackle.
His try in the 44th minute allowed Reynolds to level the scores at 12
apiece, but his misdemeanour would become the talk for at least the next few
days (he was subsequently suspended for one week).
From there it was end to end play filled with dropped
ball, close calls and penalties against the Rabbitohs. The penalty count ended
11-3 in favour of the Sharks, with the most important of these coming in the
68th minute to Cronulla. Carney’s decision to take the two points –
which was easily converted – would ultimately separate the teams, but not
without some controversy surrounding Sutton’s ability to “knock himself out” in
the final 10 minutes.
Refereeing performance aside, the Sharks hung on for a
win they well and truly deserved. The man of the match performance from Fifita
showed exactly why he was selected for State of Origin, while every other player
chipped in.
Souths were disappointing and did not play like a team
that was on top of the NRL ladder. The penalty count may not have helped them,
but simple dropped ball and poor discipline came back to bite them. Injuries to
Te’o and Sutton weren’t severe enough for them to miss any future games, but
their absence in the first and second halves respectively did not help.
CRONULLA SHARKS 14 (Morris, Bukuya tries; Carney 3
goals) def SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS 12 (S Burgess, Goodwin tries; Reynolds 2
goals) at Shark Park.
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