
Sharks' season back on track after 10 minutes of torment secures win over St George Illawarra
Braydon Trindall has helped put Cronulla's NRL season back on track, unleashing 10 minutes of torment on St George Illawarra's back three to help the Sharks come from behind and win 30-18.
Off the back of two straight losses and after trailing at halftime, Cronulla went from 18-6 down to 22-18 up between the 47th and 57th minutes on Thursday night.
The hosts then did enough to hold on for victory at Shark Park, making it 10 in a row against their arch-rivals and keeping the Sharks fifth on the ladder.
Trindall scored a double and kicked superbly in the win, while Blayke Brailey was back to his running ways out of dummy-half early in the game.
Their Sharks teammate Sione Katoa produced one of the tries of the year with a brilliant effort that proved the match clincher.
With the Dragons down 24-18 with five minutes to play, five-eighth Lyhkan King-Togia chipped ahead and went to toe the ball on again.
But Katoa slid along the ground to catch the ball goalkeeper-style, before gathering his feet and sprinting 60 metres to score.
The result makes it two losses in a row for the Dragons, with Shane Flanagan's men now 12th and at risk of sliding further south this weekend.
For Cronulla, this was a desperately needed win.
Beaten by an undermanned Sydney Roosters and the Warriors in the Shire in their past two matches, Cronulla travel to Brisbane and Melbourne in the next fortnight.
Things started well with Brailey running out of dummy-half, and the hooker bust through the middle to send Trindall over for his first.
But after that, it was all the Dragons before the break.
Damien Cook turned back the clock for one try and King-Togia beat four defenders for another.
And when Jack de Belin went over with Sharks centre Jesse Ramien in the sin-bin for a professional foul it was 18-6.
Then it was left for Trindall to revive the Sharks in the second half.
The five-eighth put Briton Nikora over with a short ball, before staying alive to score from one of his own bombs after Clint Gutherson and Tyrell Sloan failed to defuse it.
The go-ahead try then came when Nathan Lawson dropped Trindall's next bomb, and Sione Katoa skipped to the outside of Dragons centre Moses Suli from the scrum to score.
The only concern for Cronulla came in the form of a knee injury for Mawene Hiroti, just a week after fellow centre KL Iro was ruled out for two months with a pectoral tear.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Man, 20, charged over alleged death threats to Newcastle Knights player James Schiller
NSW Police have charged a 20-year-old man for allegedly making death threats and sending vile messages to Knights winger James Schiller last week. Schiller copped a barrage of abuse on his social media following Newcastle's 26-22 golden point victory over the Sea Eagles last week. Schiller had a mixed performance, committing five errors, missing four tackles, and giving away three penalties but also scored and produced several moments of brilliance in the Knights' comeback win. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. But after the Knights' incredible victory, Schiller returned to the dressing room over the moon, only to open his phone to see several vile threats aimed in his direction. 'Count your days c--- I will end your f---ing life,' the private message to Schiller read. 'Doesn't make up for it even though you won … 'Five errors, two penalties, 1 six again and partridge in a pear tree. I hope Dane (Gagai) jams his c--- down your throat and you choke and die.' The threats directed at Schiller were addressed by Knights coach Adam by O'Brien following the game, who labelled it 'worrying'. 'That is worrying,' O'Brien said. 'I want to protect them … and for him to go through that over a couple of errors … it's a game of footy. 'He's got a family. That's partly the reason why you do want to protect them. 'I think it's a societal problem, isn't it? It's not just football players who are getting that sort of stuff. 'I understand there is some legislation, and I think at the moment it's in the hands of authorities to try and help in this situation with James. 'We need to be able to stop people doing it, change their thought process before doing it.' Lake Macquarie Detectives launched an investigation into the incident after Schiller was reportedly shaken up by the ordeal. It led to them arresting and charging a 20-year-old man on Friday. The man was charged with use of carriage service to menace/harass/offend. He was granted conditional bail to appear at Belmont Local Court on Wednesday, July 30. Police have the authority to charge individuals for threats made through social media and this incident isn't the first of its kind. In 2021, two men were charged after sending abusive or threatening messages to NRL star Latrell Mitchell on social media.


The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
New shoes put spring in Zheng's step at Queen's Club
Top seed Zheng Qinwen has beaten home favourite Emma Raducanu 6-2 6-4 to move into the semi-finals at the Queen's Club Championships while 37-year-old veteran Tatjana Maria upset 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to reach the last four. In an entertaining battle at the Andy Murray Arena on Friday, Olympic champ Zheng showed why she could be a real contender heading into Wimbledon as she marched into her first semi-final on grass. Zheng has won singles titles on clay and hardcourts but she is still adapting to grass, with the 22-year-old showing a marked improvement in her match with Raducanu after she changed her shoes midway through a game when the Briton was serving. "I want to apologise for my shoes. I didn't want to fall two times, but I just don't know how to run on grass," Zheng said sheepishly. "I still don't know when I have to change the grass shoes. I think right now is the time, so it's the new shoes. I feel much better to run. "It was a really difficult match for me, especially because she has got more experience than me on the grass court. I'm just really happy to get into the semi-final for the first time on grass." Germany's Maria, who came through the qualifiers and also knocked out sixth seed Karolina Muchova in the last-16, stunned former Wimbledon champ Rybakina 6-4 7-6 (7-4) to move into a WTA semi-final for the first time in two years. A mother of two whose eldest daughter is 11 and travels with her on tour, Maria is ranked No.86 in the world. "Oh my God, it means so much to me. It's a perfect example to never give up and to always keep going, doesn't matter what, because I'm still here and I'm living this dream," said Maria, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2022. "I have my family with me, an amazing team. So much support and so much love, and we are really enjoying the ride together. "I'm super, super proud to be in the semi-final and I hope in a few years you will see my daughter in the same stage here!" Maria will face second seed, Australian Open champ Madison Keys, who battled back from a set down to beat Diana Shnaider 2-6 6-3 6-4. Top seed Zheng Qinwen has beaten home favourite Emma Raducanu 6-2 6-4 to move into the semi-finals at the Queen's Club Championships while 37-year-old veteran Tatjana Maria upset 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to reach the last four. In an entertaining battle at the Andy Murray Arena on Friday, Olympic champ Zheng showed why she could be a real contender heading into Wimbledon as she marched into her first semi-final on grass. Zheng has won singles titles on clay and hardcourts but she is still adapting to grass, with the 22-year-old showing a marked improvement in her match with Raducanu after she changed her shoes midway through a game when the Briton was serving. "I want to apologise for my shoes. I didn't want to fall two times, but I just don't know how to run on grass," Zheng said sheepishly. "I still don't know when I have to change the grass shoes. I think right now is the time, so it's the new shoes. I feel much better to run. "It was a really difficult match for me, especially because she has got more experience than me on the grass court. I'm just really happy to get into the semi-final for the first time on grass." Germany's Maria, who came through the qualifiers and also knocked out sixth seed Karolina Muchova in the last-16, stunned former Wimbledon champ Rybakina 6-4 7-6 (7-4) to move into a WTA semi-final for the first time in two years. A mother of two whose eldest daughter is 11 and travels with her on tour, Maria is ranked No.86 in the world. "Oh my God, it means so much to me. It's a perfect example to never give up and to always keep going, doesn't matter what, because I'm still here and I'm living this dream," said Maria, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2022. "I have my family with me, an amazing team. So much support and so much love, and we are really enjoying the ride together. "I'm super, super proud to be in the semi-final and I hope in a few years you will see my daughter in the same stage here!" Maria will face second seed, Australian Open champ Madison Keys, who battled back from a set down to beat Diana Shnaider 2-6 6-3 6-4. Top seed Zheng Qinwen has beaten home favourite Emma Raducanu 6-2 6-4 to move into the semi-finals at the Queen's Club Championships while 37-year-old veteran Tatjana Maria upset 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to reach the last four. In an entertaining battle at the Andy Murray Arena on Friday, Olympic champ Zheng showed why she could be a real contender heading into Wimbledon as she marched into her first semi-final on grass. Zheng has won singles titles on clay and hardcourts but she is still adapting to grass, with the 22-year-old showing a marked improvement in her match with Raducanu after she changed her shoes midway through a game when the Briton was serving. "I want to apologise for my shoes. I didn't want to fall two times, but I just don't know how to run on grass," Zheng said sheepishly. "I still don't know when I have to change the grass shoes. I think right now is the time, so it's the new shoes. I feel much better to run. "It was a really difficult match for me, especially because she has got more experience than me on the grass court. I'm just really happy to get into the semi-final for the first time on grass." Germany's Maria, who came through the qualifiers and also knocked out sixth seed Karolina Muchova in the last-16, stunned former Wimbledon champ Rybakina 6-4 7-6 (7-4) to move into a WTA semi-final for the first time in two years. A mother of two whose eldest daughter is 11 and travels with her on tour, Maria is ranked No.86 in the world. "Oh my God, it means so much to me. It's a perfect example to never give up and to always keep going, doesn't matter what, because I'm still here and I'm living this dream," said Maria, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2022. "I have my family with me, an amazing team. So much support and so much love, and we are really enjoying the ride together. "I'm super, super proud to be in the semi-final and I hope in a few years you will see my daughter in the same stage here!" Maria will face second seed, Australian Open champ Madison Keys, who battled back from a set down to beat Diana Shnaider 2-6 6-3 6-4.

News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Daly Cherry-Evans grabbed by pitch invader, immediately tackled
It was an eventful evening for Daly Cherry-Evans on Friday night, with the Manly captain grabbed by a rogue pitch invader after Manly's loss to the Gold Coast Titans. The Titans thumped the Sea Eagles 28-8 in a surprise result that leaves Manly's finals hopes hanging in the balance. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Cherry-Evans had a poor performance with Manly looking rudderless in attack, and his evening took a turn when he was momentarily grabbed by a pitch invader after the game. As Manly and Titans players shared pleasantries on the field post-game, a fan dressed in Manly gear ran onto CBUS Super Stadium and grabbed Cherry-Evans as the halfback was talking to a Manly staff member. Cherry-Evans looked around, startled by the embrace that came out of nowhere, before a swarm of security guards in hi-vis grabbed the intruder and tackled him to the ground. Cherry-Evans didn't look too phased by the incident, which was captured on Fox League's cameras. Kevin Walters said: 'Hang on, there's a bit going on in the background' Yvonne Sampson added: 'There's an over zealous Sea Eagles fan who's ran onto the pitch and looks like he was quickly dealt with by security.' The post-game incident came after a horror performance from Manly and a poor game by Cherry-Evans, disappointing week for the Sea Eagles skipper after being axed by Billy Slater. 'The start of the week was tough, Sunday got the news, Monday had to go to training and face the boys,' Cherry-Evans said. 'After that it honestly started to feel normal. This is not the first time that I've been dropped from the Queensland side. 'So I guess I've had experience to take it on board and like I said pre-game, you can't just worry about the things you can't control, and the initial news was tough but yeah I moved on and thought we were going to come here tonight and play some really good footy. 'Based on our preparation, it looked like all the signs were there and unfortunately the most important part of the week is showing up on game day and we didn't do that.' Cherry-Evans was pressed on whether he saw his Origin axing coming but dodged the question. 'No, I just got the call on Sunday and then just, yeah, moved on from there,' Cherry-Evans said. 'I think I got the call on Sunday which was tough and processed it pretty quickly during the week and moved on, and yeah as I said the focus has been on Manly all this week so it's again disappointing to lose back-to-back games.' Cherry-Evans was then pressed on reports from Sam Walker's manager the Roosters have gone cold on signing him after his form slump. 'No, I'm not, I don't sort of understand that stuff,' Cherry-Evans said. 'Sort of stay out of it. All I can do is control my footy at Manly and speculation will be speculation but yeah, no, just obviously we've just lost a couple in the row so it'd be silly for me to be worrying about stuff like that.' Manly enforced injured in big blow In a big blow for Manly, Haumole Olakau'atu suffered a dislocated shoulder and is facing a lengthy stint on the sidelines. 'He dislocated his shoulder there so he'll get scans over the weekend and if there's bone damage then potentially you have to do reconstruction,' Seibold said. 'If it's muscle only or the ligaments only then potentially you can rehab it over six weeks but he's going to be gone for a while. 'But just summed up the night you know he's going for a try and dislocates his shoulder, so we will miss him of course. He is a quality player.' Seibold admitted his side were outplayed by the last placed Titans. 'We were outplayed, defensively we missed far too many tackles, which is an attitude thing,' Seibold said. 'We actually started really well the first 10 minutes, but after that we were well outplayed so we couldn't get ourselves back in the contest.' Seibold was pressed on why his team has been so inconsistent this season. 'I think mate, it comes back to attitude, being consistent individually, collectively, that's not just the players, that's the staff who've got to come up with some answers because we're a really good footy team, right?' Seibold said. 'Like in our first month of footy, outstanding this year, even like two weeks ago, well three weeks ago, very good against the Broncos and a couple weeks earlier they were really good against the Cowboys, but it's the story of our season. I think we missed the jump there, Titans made us pay.' Seibold took ownership of the side's preparation as they currently sit outside the top eight. 'We've done it every away trip this year, we did it up in Townsville, played really well up there,' Seibold said. Cherry-Evans saved some praise for former teammate Kieran Foran, who was brilliant against his old side. 'He's a good friend and one of the great competitors of our game,' Cherry-Evans said. 'So there was absolutely no doubt he was coming out here tonight to put it over his old side and he did exactly that tonight, he was really good wasn't he?' The result leaves Manly 10th on the ladder heading into a bye, before games against the Wests Tigers and Rabbitohs before another bye.