Maloney sinks Bulldogs at the death

v BYE

An after the siren conversion from James Maloney has led an indifferent Sharks outfit to a grinding 20-18 win over the Bulldogs in front of 10,081 fans at the Olympic Stadium. 

For about 79 minutes, it looked like the Sharks would miss the chance to put themselves back on top of the NRL tree but in true Sharks style - they stuck it out and picked up a valuable two points against a dogged Bulldogs team. 

The Bulldogs smarted from their defeat last weekend in Canberra, and started the game on-fire. William Hopoate returned to the custodian role and brought instant impact as he blazed through a mediocre kick chase to set up the first Bulldogs try. 

Despite an average kicking game, the Bulldogs kicked their defence as they repelled the Sharks and counter-attacked well. Reynolds, who scored the first set up the second, with a grubber that Michael Lichaa pounced upon for a shock 12-nil lead. 

Sam Kasiano came on and matched it with the Sharks forward pack immediately. His first two runs included a penalty and a try to stretch the lead back to eight at the break. 

He was ably assisted by Blues bolter Jack Bird who feed Valentine Holmes for the second Sharks try. The centre was a constant nuisance for the sizeable Bulldogs side and his understanding with Chad Townsend, who scored himself, will be vital to success later in the season for the black, white and blues. 

As the game swung though, Sharks got back into the game with Ben Barba relishing facing his old side - covered almost every blade of grass on ANZ through his kick returns. He added a 55th try when he exploded through a gap to bring it back to 18-14. 

The second half was all the visitors attacking while the Bulldogs defended their line. The result swung like a pendulum in the final five, as the Sharks thought they had it when Leutele slid across in the 58th minute - the centre just touched the whitewash and the Dogs survived. 

Cronulla continued to create opportunities and a long break with three minutes to go where Kerrod Holland spilled it, gave the second placed side one more chance. Leutele this time kept his feet well inside and left it to Maloney to kick them to victory.

Both teams get the benefit of a seven day turn around with a public holiday next Monday - Canterbury are 'away' to the Dragons at ANZ Stadium in the afternoon, while the Sharks host the Cowboys that night at Southern Cross Group Stadium.