It was a case of no Nicho, no worries for the Sharks who overcame the loss of their star playmaker earlier in the week to end their horror run of form with a thumping win over the hapless Wests Tigers who lost inspirational skipper Api Koroisau to injury.
The 58-6 win had the Shire rocking just days after locals feared their side could slide out of the top four after Hynes was carried off training with scans revealing a serious ankle injury that will keep him sidelined for two months.
MATCH CENTRE: Sharks v Tigers, players, video, stats
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said on Thursday that his side had to move on quickly, and that’s exactly what they did as they looked nothing like the side that had lost five of its previous six games.
Having already won games against Melbourne and Brisbane without Hynes, the Sharks again showed they are more than a one man team with Braydon Trindall and Daniel Atkinson combining well, with the halfback rounding out the scoring with a solo try.
Atkinson got the ball rolling when he made a clean break in the third minute, with Trindall putting Kayal Iro over on the next play as the halves had a field day against some paper thin defence.
While their attack was back to its brilliant best, there is one serious concern for the hosts with fan favourite Jesse Colquhoun helped off with what appeared to be a significant knee injury in his first game of the season.
During their run of three consecutive losses the Sharks had one glaring Achilles heel: Their slow starts.
In each of those losses, against the Dolphins, Bulldogs and Titans, Cronulla conceded two tries inside the opening 13 minutes, ensuring they began the game behind the eight ball.
Following the Titans loss, Craig Fitzgibbon said his side’s slow starts were “a bit of a trend we’ve got the address.”
Against the Tigers it’s fair to say they addressed it. Kayal Iro powered over from close range in the second minute to give the Sharks a dream start.
Solomona Faataape scored for the Tigers in the ninth minute, before Ronaldo Mulitalo got his first of the night four minutes later, ensuring Fitzgibbon’s side were the ones to cross twice before the 13th minute mark.
Leave a Reply