Sharks win, Will scores in the wild wild West

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Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

The Cronulla Sharks have bounced back into form with a 24-18 win over the Manly Sea Eagles in the first match of a double header held at Optus Stadium.

Claiming their fifth win from six matches against the Sea Eagles during Craig Fitzgibbon's tenure as coach, the Sharks led all the way - despite a nervous final set - to get back in the winner's circle following back-to-back losses over the past fortnight.

In a first half which saw both teams struggle to make an impression on the scoreboard, the hosts broke the deadlock with Sam Stonestreet (35th minute) running onto a cutout pass from Braydon Trindall to touch down in the corner.

The Sharks capitalised on a penalty from inside their territory with seconds left in the half to take an 8-0 lead to the change of ends after Trindall threaded through a grubber kick to give Stonestreet (39th minute) his second double of the season.

Both teams had tries denied minutes apart early in the second half with Will Kennedy making a length of the field kick return - only for the bunker to rule Stonestreet obstructed Tommy Talau - while Clayton Faulalo's acrobatic effort came up short after replays showed the ball grounded on the sideline.

The disappointment of being denied by the bunker did little to deter Kennedy (46th minute) as the fullback dazzled the Sea Eagles' defence with footwork to give the Sharks a 14-0 lead.

Two tries in quick succession shifted the momentum of the match in the Sea Eagles' favour with Faulalo (52nd minute) pouncing on a grubber and Luke Brooks (56th minute) racing 90 metres after snatching an intercept to narrow the margin to two points. 

A left side shifted finished off by Mawene Hiroti (63rd minute) gave the Sharks breathing space which was converted into a victory when Tom Hazelton (75th minute) crashed over from close range.

Daly Cherry-Evans (78th minute) finished off an intercept run from Talau to give the Sea Eagles one set to send the game into golden point, however the Sharks stood tall to emerge with a win in Western Australia.

Next week, the Sharks will travel to Newcastle for an Easter Sunday clash with the Knights, while the Sea Eagles will host the Dragons at 4 Pines Park on Thursday night.