Cronulla ended a four-game winless run and got their minor premiership challenge back on track with a strong 37-12 win over the Sydney Roosters on Saturday night.
The Sharks are now one point behind leaders Melbourne Storm heading into the final round, and facing a trip south to AAMI Park on Saturday night for a clash to decide the minor premiership.
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Sharks smash Roosters as Ennis farewelled
The Sharks have returned to form after coming back from 12-nil down to thrash the Roosters 37-12
Cronulla captain Paul Gallen was outstanding in his return from a calf strain that kept him out of their losses to the Dragons and South Sydney, with Sosaia Feki also returning on the wing.
In a horror start for the Roosters, they lost lock Sio Siua Taukeiaho to a knee injury in the second minute after falling awkwardly under a tackle.
On the next play Mitchell Pearce screwed a kick wildly out on the full to give the Sharks early field position.
But it was the visitors who scored first.
A scrappy last tackle saw Jared Waerea-Hargreaves fling a long pass out to young five-eighth Connor Watson on the right, who crashed through two Sharks' tackles to score.
A Latrell Mitchell penalty goal put the Roosters out to an 8-0 lead as both sides struggled to hold onto the ball.
Six handling errors in the first 18 minutes – three from each side – led to a scrappy opening, with the Sharks bombing a chance to narrow the margin.
Sosaia Feki won the race to a Gerard Beale grubber kick into the in-goal area, but the Sharks winger failed to ground the ball, knocking on in the process.
Cronulla were punished immediately, as the Roosters went down the other end of the field for Pearce to find Mitchell with a perfect cross-field kick, with the Roosters winger climbing above Feki to give his side a 12-0 lead.
The Sharks hit back three minutes later – courtesy of another error – with Matt Prior scoring under the posts after Watson had failed to field a Michael Ennis grubber.
The Roosters were resilient in defence, repelling four Cronulla sets on their own line as the Sharks mis-firing attack looked to be having another off night.
The intensity lifted just after the half hour mark when Gallen was penalised following a push and shove.Â
But if the Sharks' attack had been off for a few weeks, Ben Barba showed why with their class they  need only a half chance to punish their opposition.
With Cronulla attacking the Roosters' line three minutes before half-time, a Wade Graham offload was knocked down and scooped up by Barba.
The mercurial fullback accelerated through the Roosters' defenders before breezing past Ferguson to level the score at 12-all.
The Sharks' first half resurgence wasn't done, with James Maloney potting a 40-metre field goal on the stroke of half-time to give Cronulla a 13-12 lead at the break after Waerea-Hargreaves had been penalised for a late tackle on Gallen.
Six minutes into the second half Cronulla extended their lead with Beale touching down from a Barba kick.
The Roosters then put their kick-off out on the full, as Cronulla began to find the grind that worked so well for them on their 15-game winning streak.
Gallen put the Sharks out to a 25-12 lead with 25 minutes to play when he somehow held off four Roosters defenders to stretch out and score under the posts, before a Jayson Bukuya try five minutes later all but sealed the result.
A late Valentine Holmes try and an Ennis penalty goal – in his final home game for the Sharks made it 37 unanswered points for Cronulla, with the Sharks looking as though they have found their mojo just in time for the semi-finals.
St. George & Sutherland Shire Leader
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