CRONULLA SHARKS 52 WESTS TIGERS 10
TOM SMITH, Ocean Protect Stadium, Sunday

KL IRO and Teig Wilton both scored hat-tricks as Cronulla put Wests to the sword.

The Tigers briefly led approaching the mid-point of the first half before the Sharks flexed their muscles, piling on six tries in the second half.

Rookie winger Faaletino Tavana had a horror afternoon under Braydon Trindall’s high balls, as Wilton, Iro and Nicho Hynes ran riot down the left edge.

Adding injury to insult, Tigers halfback Adam Doueihi dislocated his shoulder scoring Wests’ first try.

It ended an ugly week for Benji Marshall’s men, after captain Jarome Luai signed a landmark move to join Papua New Guinea mid-week.

Tavana coughed up a Trindall bomb to give Wilton his first try, before Doueihi hurt himself with the reply.

Samuela Fainu released Taylan May to put the Tigers in front, but the rest of the game was entirely black, white and blue.

Iro found his first then Jesse Colquhoun dived over to make it 18-10 at the break.

And the floodgates opened after the restart.

Hynes, who struck eight conversions in all, and Kennedy assisted Iro, Blayke Brailey grubbered perfectly for Wilton, and Hynes and Kennedy combined again to give the back-rower his third.

Trindall gift-wrapped four points for Samuel Stonestreet before Hynes raced 65 metres for an intercept try.

Finally, Iro’s hat-trick off another Tavana error brought up the half-century.

SHARKS: 1 Will Kennedy, 2 Mawene Hiroti, 3 Siosifa Talakai, 4 KL Iro, 5 Samuel Stonestreet, 6 Braydon Trindall, 7 Nicho Hynes, 8 Addin Fonua-Blake, 9 Blayke Brailey, 10 Toby Rudolf, 11 Briton Nikora, 12 Teig Wilton, 13 Cameron McInnes. Subs: 14 Jesse Colquhoun, 15 Billy Burns, 16 Oregon Kaufusi, 17 Thomas Hazelton, 18 Hohepa Puru (not used), 20 Riley Jones (not used)

Tries: Wilton (5, 56, 66), Iro (20, 48, 77), Colquhoun (34), Stonestreet (69), Hynes (75); Goals: Hynes 8/9

TIGERS: 1 Sunia Turuva, 5 Luke Laulilii, 3 Taylan May, 4 Starford To’a, 19 Faaletino Tavana, 6 Jarome Luai, 7 Adam Doueihi, 8 Terrell May, 9 Tristan Hope, 10 Fonua Pole, 11 Samuela Fainu, 12 Tony Sukkar, 13 Alex Twal. Subs: 2 Jeral Skelton (not used), 14 Jock Madden, 15 Sione Fainu, 16 Royce Hunt, 17 Alex Seyfarth, 18 Latu Fainu (not used)

Tries: Doueihi (10), Taylan May (16); Goals: Madden 1/1, Laulilii 0/1

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-4, 6-10, 12-10, 18-10; 24-10, 30-10, 34-10, 40-10, 46-10, 52-10

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Sharks: KL Iro; Tigers: Alex Twal

Penalty count: 3-3; Half-time: 18-10; Referee: Todd Smith; Attendance: 14,479