FT: Sharks 20 def Dragons 10
Christian Tuipulotu taken and let the voluntary tackles begin!
Dragons playing some hot potato late, in weather that is better suited to cold spaghetti and mashed bananas.
Hynes adds the penalty goal.
PENALTY SHARKS: Offside
Lomax loses the ball forward.
PENALTY SHARKS: Crusher
Hunt's kick is picked off by Briton Nikora! Sharks hang on
Sharks defence holding firm
PENALTY DRAGONS: Regrip
Wilton taken short!
Sharks need one more I feel
PENALTY SHARKS: Might be a professional foul here.
Liddle is back passing his HIA. Meanwhile... Lomax is down with the orange shirt but is running back to defensive line.
Confirmation Tyrell Sloan was placed on report for that trip.
Ravalawa and Mulitalo engaging in yet another verbal chat.
Fa'amanu Brown has left injured straight down the tunnel.
Hynes converts to extend it beyond two scores.
From another Sharks break, Sione Katoa breaks through up field before another critical tackle from Sloan. On the ensuing play, Hynes combined with BIG BALD TOMMY to crash across!
Katoa is away and is brought down by Sloan! Might've been a trip there.
Hunt is taken on the last play.
You might suspect a potential two point field goal for Lomax here.
Iro runs up field and he loses it.
Despite there only being four tries and a bit of a dour struggle. Both sides have been big on energy.
Ravalawa puts it down...
Hynes' kick for touch he wass going all or nothing... but that is a definite disaster.
PENALTY SHARKS: Slow peel
Pass was called forward by the touchie.
Iro loses the ball
Dragons look imposing, but they panic and offload it again and again and again... this isn't the Pre Season Challenge LADS! No bonus points
Tom Eisenhuth is dumped by Wilton!
SIX MORE DRAGONS: Flop
Well that was good from the Sharks, offload city but Rudolf taken on the last.
Liddle coming off for a HIA.
Sloan makes a bad decision. Great read by Ronnie Mulitalo.
Wilton got a hospital ball. Pass from Hynes wasn't up to his standard.
Sharks get the ball in great starting field position. It is pretty cold out in the Shire! Brrrrrrrrrrr
CHALLENGE TIME: Sharks challenging the ruling and they won't win that I suspect. Mrs Badger confirms it and we are OUT of challenges.
Rinse and repeat cuz the Sharks set restarts again.
SIX AGAIN SHARKS: Slow ruck
Atkinson puts that down I thought but it looks like it'll be a knock on by RFM.
Nikora's offload is touched and will be six more.
Hynes adds the extras.
After being denied minutes before. Hynes and Talakai combined forces once more to isolate Hunt in defence. The power of the impact bench forward was too much for the opening try of the half.
PENALTY SHARKS: Second effort
The challenge is unsuccessful.
Jack Bird loses it but we are off to the Bunker for the first challenge of the evening.
NO TRY!
VIDEO REF: Todd has no try, confirming Siosifa Talakai is held up!
Hynes splits them... HOW DID HE NOT SCORE
Just the three tries in the opening half, conditions are making the game quality hard to judge just like it was in the early match.
We are back underway for the second half. Dragons with it to start this second 40..
Lomax nails it. 10-6 at the half.
Capitalising on the additional field position. The Dragons added a try on the stroke of half-time as they shifted the ball back to the right. Ravalawa again crossed out wide after a defensive mix-up from the Sharks left edge.
Dragons again will go aerial and I thought it came off Tuipulotu's arm live and it'll be a dropout.
SIX AGAIN DRAGONS: Leg pull
Dragons seemed bunched in the middle
PENALTY SHARKS: Jack Williams slow peel. Sharks fans will be drunk from that being ticked off the drinking game.
Ball put down by Jack Williams.
SIX AGAIN SHARKS: Ruck infringement against Lomax.
SIX AGAIN SHARKS: Slow peel
Dragons are surviving this aerial raid by the Sharks, maybe some kicks along the ground might be a little bit more effective given how the rain is falling.
Mulitalo takes the bomb but then quickly spills possession.
So we're at an interesting point in this game. Sharks looking vulnerable in the middle, so they have brought on Jack Williams to shore up that part of the field.
Lomax hooks the kick
It took many sets on the Sharks line but they eventually cracked when Ben Hunt went down the short-side and found Mikaele Ravalawa who went over untouched on the right edge.
SIX AGAIN DRAGONS: Ruck infringement.
Bit of conjecture on contact, Sharks are upset but that looks okay
Big tackle Atkinson! Saves the day on Sloan. The cross-field kick rattles off the upright, Flanagan scoops it up but can't get an efficient offload and the Sharks recover.
NO TRY - was a penalty against Jesse Ramien so the Dragons have their chance to camp down the Sharks end.
VIDEO REF: Todd has NO TRY on grounding, has an on-field decision of offside on Jesse Ramien.
Liddle with a clean break! Ankle tapped by William Kennedy.
PENALTY DRAGONS: High shot
Atkinson with a clean bit of air. Important try saving tackle.
Hynes takes it and the Sharks get a seven tackle set. Katoa tapped it off the mark and now we get play back underway.
PENALTY DRAGONS: Slow peel against Cam McInnes
Hynes' pass called forward
Dragons put the ball down through Hame Sele. Sharks work back through the middle third.
SIX AGAIN SGI: Slow peel
SIX AGAIN SGI: Slow peel
Hynes adds the extras. 6-0.
After letting an early opportunity slip. The Dragons conceded a penalty and a six again which allowed the Sharks to dominate field position. A crafty pass from Blayke Brailey found Oregon Kaufusi who crashed over the top of some soft St George Illawarra defence to cross for the first try of the contest.
SIX AGAIN CRO: Ruck infringement
PENALTY SHARKS: High shot by Hunt on Mulitalo.
Lomax well handled by Iro and the pass is picked off by Ronaldo Mulitalo.
PENALTY DRAGONS: Regrip by Daniel Atkinson.
Nicho is taken on the last so that will result in a change-over. Cronulla's last tackle play has been a lot to be desired through the opening 10 here.
SIX AGAIN SHARKS: Too slow
PENALTY SHARKS: Inside 10m
Sharks aren't getting to the contest of these high kicks. Sloan has had a lot of time to take the bombs.
Better take from Sloan under pressure.
Just as we say it, Kyle Flanagan puts way too much on it. Rain again continues to fall.
Dragons matching the field position battle. Just need to get back into that scrap with the opposition.
Sharks lose the ball on the last tackle, changeover 10 x 10. So the Dragons now work out of their own end.
PENALTY SHARKS: Looks like Kyle Flanagan is guilty.
Both sides through their opening sets. There is an ominous black cloud to the southern end of Shark Park
UNDERWAY! Sharks to get first use of it at home. The surface is in magnificent condition given how much rain Sydney has copped in the last 48 hours.
Referee this afternoon is Todd Smith in match number 52. Touch judges are Dave Munro and Phil Henderson. Kasey Badger is in the bunker, after the controversy yesterday we hope she is okay and holding up well amid some of the horrific online abuse.
On the team front, the Sharks are unchanged from earlier this week. For the Dragons, Tom Eisenhuth shifts to the back-row. Raymond Faitala-Mariner shifts to the bench, this allows Blake Lawrie to start this afternoon at lock.
Grab your masks, snorkels and fins and welcome to a rain-soaked Shark Park for the local derby between the Sharks and Dragons, the only thing missing is an appearance from Henry the Octopus. Remarkably, the pitch has drained pretty well after its waterlogged state this morning, it was reported that the Sharks CEO had to do an emergency Bunnings run this morning to ensure the pitch drained adequately.
Referees & scorers:
Referee: Todd Smith
Touch Judges: David Munro, Phil Henderson
Video Referee: Kasey Badger
CRONULLA-SUTHERLAND SHARKS (20)
Tries: Oregon Kaufusi, Siosifa Talakai, Thomas Hazelton
Field Goals:
Two Point Field Goals:
Conversions: Nicho Hynes (3/3)
Penalty Goals: Nicho Hynes (1/1)
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS (10)
Tries: Mikaele Ravalawa (2)
Field Goals:
Two Point Field Goals:
Conversions: Zac Lomax (1/2)
Penalty Goals: