Sharks hold on for victory

The Cronulla Sharks have returned to the winners list after fending off a fast-finishing North Queensland Cowboys outfit 24-18 at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday night.

Cronulla laid the platform for victory in the first half, posting four tries-to-one, including two incredibly soft efforts just before half-time to take a commanding 22-6 lead at the break.

The Sharks appeared headed towards a comfortable victory, leading 24-6 with less than a quarter of the game remaining, but the Cowboys put some interest back into the match with tries in the 67th and 69th minutes to get within six points before the visitors held on in a tense finish.

Cowboys skipper Johnathan Thurston, backing up from last night's Centenary Test, tried hard to spark his side, but it was his opponent, Brett Kimmorley, who took the honours in the half-back battle with an inspirational 80 minute performance that helped his team stop a two-match losing streak.

Other players to back up from the Test included Sharks duo Paul Gallen and Greg Bird and Cowboys' enforcer Carl Webb - all having strong games.

The 15th-placed Cowboys have now suffered three successive losses, including last week's shock defeat to the previously winless Rabbitohs.

Cronulla posted first points in just the fourth minute courtesy of a well-worked play to the left involving slick passes from Brett Seymour and Bird to send full-back Brett Kearney crashing over just inside the corner post. Winger Luke Covell's sideline conversion was as straight as a die, giving the visitors a 6-0 lead.

The Shire boys made it 10-0 seven minutes later when Kimmorley took on the line from close-range then popped a pass to second-rower Fraser Anderson, who muscled his way over.

Poor ball control meant the Sharks could not continue their early dominance and it was the Cowboys who scored next on the back of a mountain of possession when halves Thurston and Travis Burns used well positioned decoy runners to send winger Mark Henry over in the left corner. Thurston's trademark sideline curler put the home side just four points behind 27 minutes in.

But the Cowboys would pay dearly for some deplorable defence on their own line in the three minutes leading up to the break with the Sharks posting two tries in that period to skip away to a 22-6 half-time lead.

Big second-rower Luke Douglas steam-rolled over the top of makeshift Cowboys full-back Ash Graham in the 37th minute for his first try in almost two seasons then Gallen powered through some woeful marker defence to score on the stroke of half-time.

The Sharks increased their lead to 18-points just after the break when Covell slotted a close-range penalty goal after Cowboys forward Luke O'Donnell was pinged for a high shot on Kimmorley.

Tries to forwards Carl Webb in the 67th minute and O'Donnell two minutes later put the home side back into the contest, but the no-frills Sharks held their nerve to hang on for victory much to the disappointment of the 17,065 pro-Cowboys crowd in attendance.

In further bad news for the Cowboys, Travis Burns left the field just after half-time with a shoulder injury and did not return.

Cronulla Sharks 24
Tries: Kearney, Anderson, Douglas, Gallen
Conversions: Covell 3
Penalty goals: Covell

North Queensland Cowboys 18
Tries: Henry, Webb, O'Donnell
Conversions: Thurston 3

Sportal's NRL Player of the Year:
3 - Brett Kimmorley (Sharks)
2 - Greg Bird (Sharks)
1 - Brett Kearney (Sharks)