The Cronulla Sharks have held off a Parramatta Eels comeback to record a 28-18 win in the first match of the NRL's 2025 Magic Round.
Kicking off the first of eight matches to be played over three days at Suncorp Stadium, the Sharks led from start to finish, despite having their lead reduced to four points in the final quarter, to bounce back from the disappointment of last week's golden point defeat.
Opening the scoring after a run of penalties in quick succession, Nicho Hynes put KL Iro (10th minute) into space with a well-executed pass for the first try of the night.
Points were hard to come by for most of the first half with a quarter of the match passing before Josh Addo-Carr (34th minute) finished off a left-side move to get the Eels on the board.
Despite being a man down after Siosifa Talakai was ruled out with concussion, enacting a try-saving tackle on Isaiah Iongi, the Sharks rallied to hit the front just before the break with Hynes sending Briton Nikora (38th minute) on a rampaging run to take a 12-6 lead to the sheds.
The Sharks extended their lead early in the second half with Will Kennedy outfoxing Addo-Carr with a superb grubber kick pounced upon by Sam Stonestreet (49th minute) out wide.
A sin bin against Jesse Colquhoun did little to deter the Sharks with Cameron McInnes (57th minute) spinning his way over the line, however the Eels were able to eventually capitalise on their one-man advantage with Addo-Carr (60th minute) and Dylan Brown (63rd minute) slashing the deficit to four points.
Ronaldo Mulitalo came within an inch of scoring a remarkable try, catching a bomb and grounding the ball over his head, only to lose possession just before the line; upon review from the bunker, the Sharks received a contentious penalty with Bailey Simonsson deemed to have held Mulitalo's jersey midway through contesting the kick.
An error from Iongi paved the way for Stonestreet (71st minute) to collect his fourth double of the season, while a penalty goal on fulltime capped the Sharks' third win at Magic Round with a 28-18 final score.
Next week, the Sharks will face the Sea Eagles on Sunday afternoon at 4 Pines Park, while the Eels will face the Dolphins at home on Thursday night.