CRONULLA SHARKS 24 DOLPHINS 12
TOM SMITH, Sharks Stadium, Friday
NICHO HYNES’ second try made sure the Sharks survived a late scare against the Dolphins to revive their top-eight hopes.
Hynes scored the only four-pointer of the first half, before Cronulla opened up a 14-0 advantage by the hour mark.
But Max Feagai’s first score in Phins colours and Herbie Farnworth’s tenth try in eleven matches shaved the margin to just two points with eight minutes remaining.
However, moments after the desperate Toby Rudolf denied Jeremy Marshall-King, Hynes shored up the hosts’ advantage, then Sione Katoa put some cream on the cake on the full-time siren.
This clash loomed as an intriguing battle of the halfbacks between 29-year-old Dally M Medallist Hynes and 21-year-old Isaiya Katoa, who spent the week in New South Wales camp.
And the oft-maligned Cronulla playmaker took the chocolates by scoring two crucial tries, assisting Katoa and booting four goals.
It’s the first time the Sharks have beaten the Dolphins — the last club to defeat the NRL’s newest franchise since they entered the competition in 2023.
These two teams took very different form lines into their pre-Origin bye last weekend.
Cronulla’s only win from their last five outings came against lowly St George Illawarra a month ago, and that poor run sent them tumbling out of the top eight.
The Phins headed in the other direction, racking up huge wins over the Bulldogs, Dragons, Cowboys and Rabbitohs over the same stretch to surge into the play-off places.
Kristian Woolf’s men headed to the Shire without their Origin fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, shifting Jake Averillo to the back and handing an NRL debut to winger Tevita Naufahu, while Sean O’Sullivan replaced Kodi Nikorima (hamstring) in the halves.
Craig Fitzgibbon stuck with the same 17 that lost their last start against Melbourne, with no interstate duties impacting selection.
Hynes scythed through the visitors’ goal-line defence down the short side for the opener on eight minutes, and nailed the difficult conversion to make it 6-0.
That’s where the score remained at the break, after a runaway Will Kennedy burned support runner Briton Nikora for what would’ve been a certain score.
An escort infringement by Farnworth led to Hynes’ first penalty-goal, then after Jesse Ramien found the right corner, Hynes added another two points after copping a Kurt Donoghoe high shot.
Trailing 14-0 with 15 minutes to play, the Dolphins finally hit the scoreboard via Feagai, who reeled in an Averillo kick and beat three defenders en route to the stripe.
Farnworth then mounted a charge from deep in his own territory, combining with Donoghoe to find the whitewash.
And once Jamayne Isaako added the extras to shave the gap to two, we had a grandstand finish on our hands.
Marshall-King nearly snared a go-ahead try if not for Rudolf, before Hynes dummied his way over for a momentum-shifting try.
Then with two seconds remaining, the star man lobbed an audacious cut-out to the unmarked Katoa on the flank.
GAMESTAR: Cronulla halfback Nicho Hynes scored two pivotal tries, including a late one that halted the Dolphins’ comeback.
GAMEBREAKER: Hynes capped a stand-out display by dummying his way over in the 75th minute to seal the result.
MATCHFACTS
SHARKS
1 Will Kennedy
2 Sione Katoa
3 Jesse Ramien
4 Siosifa Talakai
5 Ronaldo Mulitalo
6 Braydon Trindall
7 Nicho Hynes
8 Addin Fonua-Blake
9 Blayke Brailey
10 Oregon Kaufusi
11 Briton Nikora
12 Teig Wilton
13 Cameron McInnes
Subs (all used)
15 Jesse Colquhoun
16 Toby Rudolf
17 Braden Hamlin-Uele
18 Billy Burns
Tries: Hynes (8, 75), Ramien (55), Katoa (80)
Goals: Hynes 4/6
DOLPHINS
5 Jake Averillo
2 Jamayne Isaako
3 Max Feagai
4 Herbie Farnworth
20 Tevita Naufahu
6 Kodi Nikorima
7 Isaiya Katoa
8 Francis Molo
9 Jeremy Marshall-King
14 Aublix Tawha
11 Kulikefu Finefeuiaki
12 Oryn Keeley
13 Kurt Donoghoe
Subs (all used)
10 Mark Nicholls
15 Connelly Lemuelu
16 Ray Stone
17 Josh Kerr
Tries: Feagai (67), Farnworth (71)
Goals: Isaako 2/2
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0; 8-0, 12-0, 14-0, 14-6, 14-12, 20-12, 24-12
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Sharks: Nicho Hynes; Dolphins: Herbie Farnworth
Penalty count: 7-5
Half-time: 6-0
Referee: Adam Gee
Attendance: 9,658