Another Nicho Hynes masterclass and a double to Ronaldo Mulitalo led the Sharks to a 44-6 win over the Cowboys at PointsBet Stadium on Thursday night.
Mulitalo took his try tally at the Sharks' home ground to 19 in 18 games as Cronulla's outside backs ran riot in a seven-tries-to-one demolition.
On the back of an early error by Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt it was the home side striking through Siosifa Talakai in just the second minute before Hynes added a penalty goal nine minutes later to make it 8-0.
The Sharks had a second in the 14th minute when edge back-rower Briton Nikora's grubber kick rebounded into the in-goal and Jesse Ramien pounced forn his fourth try of the season. With Hynes' conversion the score had blown out to 14-0.
With 15 minutes to go in the half the Sharks turned up the heat defensively on the back of a Hynes kick, forcing the Cowboys to kick from just 15 metres out from their own line and grabbing a try on the next set.
Ramien the pinball wizard
Winger Sione Katoa was the beneficiary of some slick hands by Hynes and Will Kennedy and the Sharks had racked up a 20-0 lead.
The Cowboys got on the board in the 34th minute when Tom Dearden exploded through a gap from 40 metres out and linked with Feldt, who produced a huge fend on Mulitalo to cross for his fourth try of the season.
Four minutes into the second half the Sharks went left and another peach of a pass from Kennedy found Talakai who sent it on to Mulitalo for the home side's fourth try and the margin was out to 18.
Mulitalo burns them on the outside
Sharks back-rower Jack Williams then made a line break and was taken high by Cowboys No.1 Scott Drinkwater, the resulting penalty gifting Hynes two more points to make it 26-6.
Cowboys prop Coen Hess' 150th NRL game turned sour in the 55th minute when he was sin binned for tripping and the Sharks cashed in when Talakai produced another quality tap-on for Mulitalo to cross again.
Two minutes after Mulitalo scored the Sharks were in again when Drinkwater made a meal of a Hynes kick and the Cronulla supremo picked up the scraps and touched down for a 38-6 lead.
Five-eighth Matt Moylan then laid on a try for Teig Wilton as the Sharks piled more pain on the Cowboys, who also lost their skipper Chad Townsend to a suspected calf injury.
The Sharks lost Nikora and prop Braden Hamlin-Uele to suspected knee injuries in the only dampener on a dominant performance.
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Match snapshot
- Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes took home the inaugural Paul Green Medal as the player of the match.
- Cowboys prop Jordan McLean left the field in the 17th minute for a HIA, bringing Reuben Cotter into the game. McLean was cleared and returned to the field in the 31st minute.
- The Cowboys missed 23 tackles and the Sharks had 23 tackle breaks in the first half as the home side dominated.
- Sione Katoa and Siosifa Talakai had 13 tackle breaks between them for the Sharks.
- Val Holmes put his hand up for work all night for the Cowboys with 15 runs for 110 metres.
- Sharks prop Braden Hamlin-Uele ran for 141 metres from 14 runs before going off late in the game.
Feldt with an almighty fend
- Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater was placed on report in the 50th minute for dangerous contact.
- Cowboys prop Coen Hess was placed on report and sin binned for tripping in the 55th minute.
- Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo has scored 19 tries in 18 games at PointsBet Stadium.
- Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt has scored 14 tries in his past 16 games against the Sharks.
- The Sharks have won nine of their past 10 games against the Cowboys.
- Cowboys forward Jeremiah Nanai was sin binned in the 73rd minute for a hip drop tackle on Braden Hamlin-Uele, who went off injured. The Sharks were able to activate 18th Man Braydon Trindall.
Hynes takes home inaugural Paul Green Medal
Plays of the Game
Blockbusting winger Sione Katoa's fifth try of the season and 51st of his career showcased his power and pace as well as the finesse of fullback Will Kennedy. With Nicho Hynes orchestrating the attack brilliantly, the Sharks' right edge clicked into gear and the halfback found Kennedy who delivered a perfect tap-on to Katoa, who powered through Tom Dearden and Val Holmes to score.
Katoa crosses
Sharks centre Siosifa Talakai kept the party tricks coming in the second half when he came up with a magical tap-on for Ronaldo Mulitalo to complete his double in the 58th minute. Talakai finished the night with 177 run metres and two try assists.
Ronaldo gets his second
What They Said
"I thought it was fitting that the Sharks No.7 got the Paul Green Medal. Nicho controlled the game and his kicking game was outstanding and we needed to do that tonight to mount pressure and defend the way we wanted to. We thought Blayke Brailey was outstanding tonight, he has been good the whole year, and Braden Uele was another one we thought was close. He has been really strong for us." - Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon
Sharks: Round 9
"Far from pretty. We started on the back foot and spent a lot of time in our own end for the first 30 minutes. A lot of tries we conceded didn't come from defensive system breakdowns, they came from one-on-one misses. Tackling is hurting us. I'm not offering up any excuse, that was far from NRL standard tonight."
- Cowboys coach Todd Payten
Cowboys: Round 9
What's Next
The Sharks and Cowboys head to Brisbane for Magic Round next week. Craig Fitzgibbon's men face the Dolphins on Saturday afternoon and will have skipper Dale Finucane back from suspension while the Cowboys have a Sunday afternoon meeting with the Roosters.