Brailey stars as Sharks score vital win over Roosters

Scott Bailey | July 18, 2025

Craig Fitzgibbon says Blayke Brailey deserves recognition as the form hooker of the NRL, after the dummy-half helped Cronulla climb back into the top eight with a crucial 31-18 win over the Sydney Roosters.

In a key game for both teams’ finals hopes, Brailey starred again as he laid on two tries with his running game at Shark Park on Friday night.

The win didn’t come easily for the hosts, who let a 20-6 lead slip to 20-18 midway through the second half before finishing the stronger.

But it was a crucial one, with the Sharks now displacing the Roosters in the NRL’s top eight after accounting for fellow finals hopefuls the Dolphins last week.

Cronulla now loom as the most likely side to break from the pack in the middle of the table, with no games against another top-eight side until round 27.

Once criticised for the lack of a running game, Brailey has burst to life in recent months, becoming re-signing priority for Cronulla.

The 26-year-old is now running the ball more than ever out of dummy-half, doing so in the lead up to two of the Sharks’ first-half tries against the Roosters.

The first came courtesy of an extremely late offload for Will Kennedy, who caught the Tricolours napping and crashed over in the opening five minutes.

Brailey then broke the Roosters open from within his own half, busting down field before finding Nicho Hynes in support play.

“I hope people are saying (he’s the form hooker of the NRL), it feels like it,” Sharks coach Fitzgibbon said.

“He has been our player of the year the last two years, we feel like he is consistent. But it’s a nice he’s getting some acknowledgement.

“The most important thing about it is what he is doing for our halves. The spine are starting to organise and get that better.

“I just think he’s underestimated, or has been, and now people are onto it. We have been playing far stronger footy in the past few years and no-one has noticed him.

“He’s obviously stepped up and has added to his game. I think that’s a nice compliment for a kid who has busted his backside for 120 games straight.”

Teig Wilton also went over from a short Braydon Trindall ball in the first half, with Cronulla’s attack looking as good as it has for months at 20-6 up.

The Roosters, meanwhile, had moments in the game where they showed their threat.

Daniel Tupou outleapt Ronaldo Mulitalo to score one try, while James Tedesco finished off another after laying on a break from the Roosters’ own end.

Angus Crichton also scored early in the second half after Mark Nawaqanitawase batted back a Chad Townsend bomb to make it 20-18.

But amidst all that were far too many handling errors and forward passes, and Trent Robinson’s men completed at only 64 per cent.

And when Egan Butcher – filling in at centre for a concussed Billy Smith – put down a ball after heavy contact from Sione Katoa the comeback was spoiled.

Billy Burns took the lead back out to 12, debutant Chris Vea’ila crossed and Trindall kicked a late field goal as Cronulla took a big step towards another finals series.

“We got beaten physically,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.

“We lacked the physical presence and then lacked the cohesion to go and nail the points needed.

“I thought our skill was poor tonight and I thought our catch was poor. 

“We’re a pretty flowing team when it comes to our movement, but it was really stop-start and the skill level cost us lot in a lot of areas.”