CRONULLA SHARKS 28 MANLY SEA EAGLES 22
TOM SMITH, Ocean Protect Stadium, Friday

BRAYDON TRINDALL had the ball on a string as the Sharks overcame the red-hot Sea Eagles in the Battle of the Beaches. 

Without his regular halves partner Nicho Hynes by his side, Trindall assisted three tries and scored one of his own as Cronulla set up victory with a big first half. 

Back-rowers Billy Burns and Teig Wilton combined for three tries in the nine minutes before the break, although Manly shaved the margin to four with an early second-half blitz. 

Trindall’s men had enough points to defend, although a suspected broken arm to captain Blayke Brailey took some gloss off the Sharks’ win. 

This is only the Silvertails’ second loss in nine matches since Kieran Foran took over as interim coach. 

Forty-eight hours after the Origin opener, Manly missed New South Wales pair Haumole Olakau’atu, who was rested, and Tolutau Koula, who failed a head-injury assessment after being caught high by the sent-off Kalyn Ponga. 

Cronulla called upon Brailey and Addin Fonua-Blake after making their Blues debuts, although Queensland first-gamer Briton Nikora sat out. 

KL Iro (knee) was another late out for Craig Fitzgibbon, who brought Mawene Hiroti into the centres. 

The big news at the selection table was Hynes’ calf injury, bringing first-gamer Niwhai Puru into the number seven jumper, while Manly welcomed back Lehi Hopoate from suspension. 

Trindall opened the scoring with an early penalty goal, before Puru made it a debut to remember. 

Backing up a Brailey line break from dummy-half, the rookie half raced away with a maiden first-grade try just nine minutes into his first outing.

Clayton Faulalo – filling in at fullback with Koula and Tom Trbojevic (hamstring) both sidelined – got the Eagles on the board, dummying past Puru. 

But the Sharks took control before half-time. 

First Wilton shrugged off Nathan Brown to score a simple try from close range. 

Then Burns bagged his quick-fire brace. He had Faulalo to thank for his first, when the Manly number one left a Trindall kick behind and the back-rower pounced. 

The second also originated with Trindall’s boot, but was far more spectacular. Hearing the half-time hooter, the stand-off speared a kick over Hopoate’s head to find Burns in the right corner. 

Trailing 22-4 at the break, the Sea Eagles eventually converted a mountain of pressure into four points when Ben Trbojevic overpowered the under-siege Sharks defence. 

Trindall immediately restored Cronulla’s advantage, pirouetting through the visitors’ line, but then Jamal Fogarty got the Eagles well and truly back in the contest. 

First he launched a bomb the Sharks defenders let bounce into the lap of speedster Jason Saab. 

Then the veteran halfback supported a Luke Brooks bust, toeing a loose pass to himself to score a try that narrowed the margin to a mere four points after Reuben Garrick’s conversion. 

The officials turned down a Fonua-Blake try claim before spotting an escort by Brooks that gifted Hiroti a penalty goal. 

And the hosts clung onto that six-point buffer to claim their second straight win. 

GAMESTAR: Stand-off Braydon Trindall stood up in Nicho Hynes’ absence, scoring a try and assisting three others. 

GAMEBREAKER: A late Mawene Hiroti penalty goal gave the Sharks a six-point buffer they clung on to. 

MATCHFACTS

SHARKS
1 Will Kennedy
2 Samuel Stonestreet
3 Jesse Ramien
23 Mawene Hiroti
5 Ronaldo Mulitalo
6 Braydon Trindall
7 Niwhai Puru
8 Addin Fonua-Blake
9 Blayke Brailey
10 Toby Rudolf
12 Teig Wilton
16 Billy Burns
13 Cameron McInnes
Subs
14 Jesse Colquhoun
15 Siosifa Talakai
17 Thomas Hazelton
18 Hohepa Puru
21 Jayden Berrell (not used)
22 Riley Jones (D) (not used)

Tries: Puru (9), Wilton (31), Burns (36, 40), Trindall (51)
Goals: Trindall 3/6, Hiroti 1/1

SEA EAGLES
1 Clayton Faulalo
2 Jason Saab
3 Josh Feledy
4 Reuben Garrick
5 Lehi Hopoate
6 Luke Brooks
7 Jamal Fogarty
8 Taniela Paseka
9 Jake Simpkin
10 Kobe Hetherington
11 Jackson Shereb
12 Ben Trbojevic
13 Jake Trbojevic
Subs
14 Brandon Wakeham
15 Nathan Brown
16 Ethan Bullemor
17 Simione Laiafi
18 Blake Wilson (not used)
19 Joey Walsh (not used)

Tries: Faulalo (22), B Trbojevic (48), Saab (55), Fogarty (57)
Goals: Garrick 3/4

SCORING SEQUENCE: 2-0, 8-0, 8-4, 14-4, 18-4, 22-4; 22-10, 26-10, 26-16, 26-22, 28-22

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Sharks: Braydon Trindall; Sea Eagles: Jamal Fogarty

Penalty count: 6-3
Half-time: 22-4
Referee: Todd Smith
Attendance: 10,793