The Sydney Roosters have kept up their strong run into the NRL finals going with a 34-18 victory over the Cronulla Sharks.
Despite the Roosters victory, the biggest talking point to come out of the match will be the injury toll for the Cronulla Sharks with star halfback Shaun Johnson suffering a suspected snapped Achilles whilst Royce Hunt suffered a serious knee injury also during the second half.
The Roosters opened the scoring in just the fifth minute when Mitch Aubusson crossed for his opening try when the Sharks defence opened up with ease following the veteran's angled run.
The lead for the home-side didn't last too long when the Sharks hit back through Siosifa Talakai got through to score after Shaun Johnson set him up with a flat pass along the 10m line which opened up the space.
A Kyle Flanagan penalty goal put the tri-colours back in front before the Roosters hit back with two tries in quick succession with Daniel Tupou getting over the line despite the valiant efforts Sione Katoa trying to hold him up. The second try in the succession for the Roosters came when Isaac Liu charged through the middle of the of the Sharks defence with some footwork before finding Luke Keary who scored.
The Roosters then added a second try for the record-breaking Aubusson who got the green lights from the NRL bunker despite replays suggesting Aubusson had knocked on in the lead-up when chasing through a desperate kick from Angus Crichton on the last.
The Sharks ended the first half on a high when Ronaldo Mulitalo crossed with a remarkable dive in the corner and Shaun Johnson converted to close the gap to 24-12 at the break.
The second half became a disaster for the Sharks despite only conceding two tries with the injuries to Johnson and Hunt whilst Josh Dugan also succumbed to a knee injury.
The Sharks dominated possession during the open 20 minutes of the second half but it was the Roosters who were able to get on the board first when Luke Keary got his second of the night after Brett Morris was able to go down the short-side before flinging a pass back into the inside which found Keary.
Cronulla did eventually get on the board again inside the final 10 minutes of the game when Braden Hamlin-Uele charged his way through to the line after a missed SBW tackle gave the Sharks big man space.
Joey Manu showed why he is one of the strongest players in the competition as he fought his way to the line and got the ball on the line despite the efforts of 3 Sharks defenders to score.
Next weekend, the Roosters take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium on Friday night whilst it doesn't get easier for the Sharks who take on the Raiders next Saturday.