MANLY SEA EAGLES 14 CRONULLA SHARKS 30
TOM SMITH, Four Pines Park, Sunday
NICHO HYNES sent a reminder to New South Wales selectors by leading Cronulla to victory over Manly on their own turf.
Tolutau Koula’s double helped to erase the Sharks’ 14-0 half-time lead, before the visitors slammed on three late tries to run away with the two competition points.
Prolific winger Ronaldo Mulitalo scored a try in each half and Hynes notched two try assists to put his hand up for Origin honours.
The halfback’s boot set up Mulitalo’s opener on twelve minutes, before ex-Eagle Addin Fonua-Blake steamed onto a Hynes pass to touch down without a hand laid on him.
Lehi Hopoate’s high tackle on Sam Stonestreet prevented the visitors from adding another four points but Hynes nailed the extra two to make it 14-0 at the break.
However, Koula quickly erased the arrears.
The first was an end-to-end move where Haumole Olakau’atu kicked for speedster Jason Saab who found the centre, while the second was all Koula, skipping free of five defenders.
An offside penalty gave Reuben Garrick a match-levelling penalty-goal, but the Sharks steadied late to secure the win.
Garrick committed a shocking handling error in his own in-goal to cough up a try to Braydon Trindall, then Billy Burns’ boot laid on Mulitalo’s second and KL Iro found the left corner to finish things off.
SEA EAGLES: 1 Tom Trbojevic, 2 Jason Saab, 3 Tolutau Koula, 4 Reuben Garrick, 5 Lehi Hopoate, 6 Luke Brooks, 7 Daly Cherry-Evans, 8 Jake Trbojevic, 9 Jake Simpkin, 10 Siosiua Taukeiaho, 11 Haumole Olakau’atu, 12 Ben Trbojevic, 13 Jazz Tevaga. Subs: 15 Corey Waddell, 16 Ethan Bullemor, 17 Nathan Brown, 19 Clayton Faulalo (not used)
Tries: Koula (47, 54); Goals: Garrick 3/3
SHARKS: 1 Will Kennedy, 2 Sam Stonestreet, 3 Jesse Ramien, 4 KL Iro, 5 Ronaldo Mulitalo, 6 Braydon Trindall, 7 Nicho Hynes, 8 Addin Fonua-Blake, 9 Blayke Brailey, 17 Thomas Hazelton, 11 Briton Nikora, 12 Billy Burns, 13 Cam McInnes. Subs (all used): 10 Oregon Kaufusi, 14 Daniel Atkinson, 15 Jesse Colquhoun, 16 Braden Hamlin-Uele
Tries: Mulitalo (12, 74), Fonua-Blake (18), Trindall (66), Iro (77); Goals: Hynes 5/6
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 0-12, 0-14; 6-14, 12-14, 14-14, 14-20, 14-26, 14-30
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Sea Eagles: Tolutau Koula; Sharks: Nicho Hynes
Penalty count: 5-7; Half-time: 0-14; Referee: Gerard Sutton; Attendance: 15,823
