Depleted Sharks deny high-flying Warriors in Auckland
Darren Walton
Cronulla blew the NRL’s top four open with a brave and epic 10-8 victory over the high-flying Warriors in Auckland.
Miraculous defensive play from fullback Will Kennedy allowed in-form point guard Braydon Trindall to score the Sharks’ game-winning two-point field goal with two minutes remaining on Saturday night.
Warriors center Adam Pompey had the chance to send the match to the golden point but his last-second penalty attempt sent the home fans at Go Media Stadium into despair.
Seconds before Trindall sealed it, Kennedy ran desperately off the line to block Te Maire Martin’s field goal attempt to put the Warriors ahead in their lowest-scoring game of the season.
Instead, Kennedy took an Ashes-like slip catch to steal the ball in one of the games of the season.
The result saw Cronulla storm out of the group, moving from eighth to fifth in the standings, above the Sydney Roosters and behind only the Dolphins and Manly in terms of points difference.
Even without State of Origin representatives Addin Sorua-Blake and injured stars Nicho Hynes and Blues hooker Brayden Bailey, the Sharks dug deep to inflict only their second defeat of the season on the second-placed Warriors.
