Sharks 16 Wests Tigers 20
IN AN unruly affair in which the lead changed six times in the course of 80 often frantic but invariably frustrating minutes, the Wests Tigers had their nose in front when the siren sounded at Toyota Stadium yesterday.
The score read 20-16 and the Tigers added an invaluable two points to the ledger. But don't read too much into that. The siren decided the match, rather than the players. "Ten minutes less, 10 minutes more and the result's different," conceded Tigers captain Brett Hodgson.
His coach, Tim Sheens, happily banked the competition points but didn't exactly claim victory. "I don't know how we won that game, to be quite honest," he said. "We won it, lost it, did some silly things. Everything that could happen did happen.
"Both sides had their chances. We led at half-time, we led at the end, so at the end of the day we could say we were the better side but I don't think we particularly were. We had our moments and so did they, it was just who finished on top."
The win continued some long-running themes. The Tigers have the wood on the Sharks, with their winning streak now extended to nine, albeit with the past three matches decided by two points or less. And the Sharks are back where they were last year - the heartbreak kids who lost nine matches by fewer than five points. Last week they went down to a golden-point field goal against the Panthers and yesterday's loss had players and coaching staff shaking their heads.
An optimist would say they're always competitive; a pessimist would argue they can't put anyone away. In the first 20 minutes yesterday, it looked as if the Sharks were about to silence the doubters with an avalanche of possession and aggressive, attacking impulses across the park.
In the end, however, they scored only one first-half try when Brett Kimmorley took on the line with a big dummy and showed a short, slow bloke can still beat a big, fast one - in the form of Tigers centre Chris Lawrence - before finding Brett Seymour in support.
But the dreamy, lethargic Tigers gradually rubbed the sleep from their eyes. Chris Heighington shoved his way over after 30 minutes and, three minutes later, Hodgson drifted across field attracting two defenders before his pass hit Lawrence on the chest at pace. One certainty in the NRL is already clear: if you give this kid space, he will make you pay. At 19, Lawrence has 23 tries from 30 appearances and is destined for higher honours.
Hodgson, who entered the match having kicked 20 straight, hit the posts for his second shot running but the Tigers still led 8-6 at the break.
Both sides got a savaging in the sheds. "We got a bit of a serve and I imagine they would have," Tigers second-rower Todd Payten said. "Sticky [Sharks coach Ricky Stuart] is a pretty angry man but our coach is pretty reserved and holds his cool pretty well. I haven't seen him like that for a while."
Cronulla scored first in the second half - a penalty to winger Luke Covell to tie the scores - but the fact the Sharks chose to kick from 30 metres out showed their fragile self-belief, something the Tigers seem never to lack. Attacking on the back of consecutive penalties, Hodgson's dummy opened a gap of similar dimensions to the mouth of Botany Bay and he converted his own try to put his side up 14-8 with 25 minutes to play.
Perhaps Cronulla had sold their attack short. Seymour showed the way with a big left-hand fend on Tigers replacement Corey Payne to even the scores again before Covell's 69th-minute penalty had the home side in front 16-14.
But Lawrence wasn't done for the day. With five minutes left, Heighington was pulled down on the line and half Mathew Head drew back from dummy half and rolled the ball in behind the winger for Lawrence to reclaim the lead. Hodgsons's sideline conversion took an eternity and went over, nudging the Tigers out to 20-16.
The Sharks went home shattered. "It feels like last year," said Covell, "having teams on the ropes, playing good enough footy but not coming up with the two points. We just can't get over the line."
WESTS TIGERS 20 (C Lawrence 2 C Heighington B Hodgson tries B Hodgson 2 goals) bt CRONULLA 16 (B Kearney B Seymour tries L Covell 4 goals) bt at Toyota Stadium. Referee: S Hayne. Crowd: 17,241.
