Two years after being eliminated by the Sydney Roosters in 2023, the Cronulla Sharks have been able to enact payback on their rivals, breaking their finals curse against the Tricolours at Shark Park.
In a back-and-forth contest, it was a double from Ronaldo Mulitalo that proved the difference as the Sharks defeated their opponents by ten points and will now head into the second week of the 2025 NRL Finals series.
Trying to outdo each other from the opening kick-off - especially in the middle of the field - both sides had try-scoring opportunities early but failed to turn anything into points until mid-way through the first-half.
Controlling more field possession, the Roosters continued to knock on the door of the Cronulla line and were finally able to hit the scoreboard through winger Mark Nawaqanitawase.
The 2025 Ken Irvine Medallist, Nawaqanitawase, who finished with over 200 running metres, took on Ronaldo Mulitalo down the right-edge in the 23rd minute and crashed over the line after the ball went through the hands of all the Tricolours star players.
Not to be outdone by his opposing winger, Mulitalo would soon get his payback, crossing the line not once but twice before the break.
Starting the match with an error, the New Zealand international was able to make it 47 tries in 43 games at Shark Park with five-eighth Braydon Trindall registering the two assists.
Returning from injury, Trindall's handy skill in attack allowed the Sharks to go into half-time with a 12-4 lead and added another dimension to their attack with the Roosters continually rushing up on Nicho Hynes.
Despite the opening 40 minutes not being as free-flowing as either coach would have liked it to be, things really started to pick up in the second half.
Increasing the intensity, the Roosters were able to control the contest once again and limited the Sharks from passing the halfway line in their first few sets.
Instead of waiting 23 minutes this time to score, it would only take them less than eight minutes before Angus Crichton helped double their points from a perfectly placed kick from Sam Walker.
However, they failed to make anything out of back-to-back line breaks from Crichton and Connor Watson, and continued to make simple mistakes, much to the dismay of head coach Trent Robinson.
This allowed the Sharks to hold on and increase their lead due to a penalty goal before front-rower Toby Rudolf put the icing on the contest with a try in the 75th minute which saw him barnstorm over James Tedesco.
The Sharks will now face either the Brisbane Broncos or Canberra Raiders next weekend, while the Roosters will end their season prematurely after just sneaking into the top eight.
Match Summary
Cronulla Sharks 20 (Tries: Ronald Mulitalo 2, Toby Rudolf; Conversions: Nicho Hynes 3; Penalty Goals: Nicho Hynes) defeated Sydney Roosters 10 (Tries: Mark Nawaqanitawase, Angus Crichton; Conversions: Sam Walker)
