Dolphins centre pairing stars in upset defeat of Sharks
Jasper Bruce |
The Dolphins have sent an early reminder of their ability to match it with the NRL’s heavyweights in 2026, stunning Cronulla for a fast-finishing 38-10 win at Shark Park.
Red-hot centre pairing Jake Averillo and Herbie Farnworth proved the major difference between the two sides, neither of which were at their electric best on Saturday.
With the scores level in the first half, Farnworth crabbed to the right in the red zone to unsettle the Sharks defence and picked out Isaiya Katoa.
The halfback’s cut-out pass hit Jamayne Isaako, who crossed on the right edge to silence the Shark Park crowd.
In the final two minutes of the first half, Farnworth found himself on the outside of his opposite man Jesse Ramien and then broke free from Sione Katoa.
Farnworth then offloaded for a flying Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to give the visitors a 16-4 half-time lead.
For his part, Averillo had the Dolphins’ first try on a shift to the right before gathering a loose ball to stretch the lead to 16 points in the final 10 minutes.
The eventual thumping win over the back-to-back preliminary finalists will be a big confidence booster for the Dolphins, eyeing their first finals berth.
The victory ends the Sharks’ run of eight consecutive wins at Shark Park.
Braydon Trindall’s 100-game milestone and last week’s big loss to Penrith should have given the Sharks plenty of motivation at home on Saturday.
But Cronulla’s attack was sluggish from the jump, and coach Craig Fitzgibbon would have been particularly disappointed with his side leaking three tries in the last six minutes.
Selwyn Cobbo and Connelly Lemuelu crossed after the result was beyond doubt with punters streaming out of the stands.
Blayke Brailey’s league-leading streak of 133 consecutive games could be under threat after he went on report for tripping.
The Sharks captain was ruled to have tripped Tabuai-Fidow on a kick chase in the second half, allowing the Dolphins to kick for an eight-point lead from the penalty.
AAP