Storm stun Sharks to leave rivals finals-bound on a low
Scott Bailey |
Cronulla’s hopes of playing a home final at Shark Park rest with the NRL after locking in a knockout clash with North Queensland, despite a last-minute 24-20 loss to Melbourne.
With Nicho Hynes and Blayke Brailey among four Sharks rested, Cronulla simply had to avoid a 50-point defeat to ensure fifth spot on the ladder.
But while they achieved that objective, the Sharks will no doubt be unhappy with their end to the season with the Melbourne loss marking four defeats from the final five rounds.
Cronulla appeared to have the match wrapped up late on Saturday night, before a last-ditch attacking play ended with Storm lock Trent Loiero going over.
The play included eight separate passes, with the last a behind-the-body flick from Harry Grant to send Loiero over.
Melbourne led 12-0 early after two Sharks were sin-binned, before three Cronulla tries in an eight-minute period before halftime swung the game.
Storm No.7 Jahrome Hughes failed to finish the first half after another hamstring setback, in a concern for New Zealand’s World Cup hopes, while Cronulla prop Addin Fonua-Blake ended the night on report for a hip-drop tackle on Cooper Clarke.
Sharks officials will talk with the NRL on Sunday to learn if they will be able to play at home or be forced to go to Allianz Stadium.
Had Cronulla been handily beaten and slipped to sixth, they would have faced Newcastle and no chance of a Shark Park match.
But Cronulla will argue hosting the Cowboys would unlikely attract many more at Allianz than the 15,000 legally allowed at Shark Park.
In a dramatic start, debutant Michael Gabrael was sin-binned for a high shot that left Melbourne winger Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown stretchered off and taken to hospital as a precaution.
Ronaldo Mulitalo joined Gabrael moments later when he ran across the field and landed an open-handed slap on Grant, after Melbourne’s captain hit Riley Pollard after kicking.
The ferocity of Shark Park was on full display for the next 10 minutes, with fans fuming that a Nick Meaney pass wasn’t called forward as he sent Hugo Peel over against an 11-man defence.
That anger intensified when Sua Fa’alogo was ruled to have got a ball down within millimetres of the dead-ball line, after chasing down a Grant kick.
But the mood turned before the break, when Pollard offered a glimpse of the future as he helped lay on two tries on debut.
He first sent Katoa over untouched with a long cut-out ball, before linking with Will Kennedy to give Riley Jones his first NRL try at right centre.
The Storm then got back to 18-all early in the second half through Alec MacDonald, before a 61st-minute Sharks penalty goal looked to have sealed it.
Cronulla hope Braydon Trindall will come back from a shoulder dislocation at No.6, while prop Tom Hazleton can also return from suspension.
The result means South Sydney will host Newcastle in the other elimination final.
AAP