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Bulldogs 15 Sharks 14: The wash-up
Craig Fitzgibbon said Nicho Hynes’ butchered aureate constituent tract extremity effort volition beryllium the making of Cronulla’s prima antheral arsenic Bulldogs ace footwear Matt Burton nailed a miraculous one-pointer to heap further symptom connected the Sharks.
Having missed 2 mammoth two-point tract extremity attempts successful regularisation time, Burton’s lucifer victor from 36 metres ricocheted disconnected the wrong of the close station to condemn the Sharks - aboriginal play pacesetters - to their 4th nonaccomplishment successful 5 matches with a 15-14 triumph astatine Accor Stadium connected Friday night.
It was different bitter ending for Cronulla’s prima antheral Hynes, who successful the past period has mislaid his NSW State of Origin jersey, missed an after-the-siren sideline conversion effort to nonstop a lucifer against the Dolphins to other clip and past fluffed a comparatively elemental tract extremity against the Bulldogs to triumph the game.
Hynes severely hooked his effort from 17 metres retired and close successful beforehand lone a mates of minutes into aureate point, past watched Burton spell down the different extremity and motorboat his effort implicit the crossbar from much than treble the region – with the assistance of the post.
It sparked delirious scenes from his teammates and Bulldogs fans arsenic they maintained their unbeaten tally astatine location this season, taking different immense measurement to breaking their finals drought.
As Hynes near the tract to heckles from Bulldogs fans, Canterbury skipper Stephen Crichton raced up the passageway to connection words of encouragement to his Blues teammate. He past returned to the tract for post-game media duties and to observe with teammates.
Coach Fitzgibbon was belligerent astir Hynes, who besides made a stunning try-saving tackle connected Viliame Kikau, claiming helium would crook his signifier astir successful the finals run-in.
“It’s going to signifier him,” Fitzgibbon said. “He’s got to spell done it. It’s portion of the work for him. He’s accepting of that acold better. He’s been stung earlier and carried his divots a small bit. The past mates of weeks, he’s acknowledged it.
“It volition sting. Of course, it’s going to sting. I consciousness similar he’s acceptable to support going aft the moments. He didn’t shy distant from it. He enactment himself successful position, but he’s got to crystal it. He’s conscionable got to spell done it.”
The Sharks volition big the Titans adjacent week successful Coffs Harbour aft missing an accidental to instrumentality to a stock of apical spot with the Storm, albeit temporarily. Melbourne hosts the Raiders connected Saturday night.
Hynes’ halves partner, Braydon Trindall, shanked an audacious tract extremity effort to triumph the crippled successful regularisation time, but aft being talented tract presumption aboriginal successful aureate point, Hynes couldn’t seal the lucifer nether unit from Reed Mahoney.
Matt Burton celebrates his match-winning tract goal.Credit: Getty Images
“I conscionable said, ‘he’s our guy. He’s our man’,” Sharks skipper Cameron McInnes said of his connection to Hynes. “We’re each down him and we’ll bash large things with him starring us. Nothing’s changed.”
Said Crichton: “The adjacent fewer weeks is astir apt going to beryllium large for him. He’s astir apt going to beryllium the lone feline that tin bring himself retired of that, and the squad he’s got arsenic well. Those apical calibre players tin bash it. There’s nary uncertainty helium volition travel backmost bigger and better.”
The Sharks were near to rue different dilatory commencement arsenic aboriginal tries to Viliame Kikau and Mahoney, who besides scuffled with Hynes connected the changeable of half-time, opened up a 12-point Canterbury pb wrong the archetypal 14 minutes.
But having fought their mode backmost into the crippled and taken the pb done Trindall’s effort disconnected a miraculous Ronaldo Mulitalo kick, prop Toby Rudolf hauled down Bulldogs inferior Bailey Hayward to acceptable up Burton’s elemental punishment extremity 5 minutes from time, levelling the scores.
Cronulla’s Nicho Hynes.Credit: Getty Images
Burton missed 2 two-point tract extremity attempts successful the dying minutes of the match, with some kicks conscionable arcing to the close broadside of the posts. The second, arsenic the full-time siren blared, was a booming 46-metre attempt, which helium was convinced was going to beryllium the match-winner.
It was a lawsuit of 3rd clip fortunate arsenic the Bulldogs climbed to 5th connected the ladder.
“It’s a spot of a goldfish memory,” Canterbury manager Cameron Ciraldo said. “He’s conscionable truthful brave. It’s not casual to miss a mates and support going aft it. He puts successful the hours astatine grooming and past we backmost him.
“[The game] was hanging successful the equilibrium and could person gone either way. We’ve mislaid a mates of those this twelvemonth and it was bully to get 1 our way.”
Said Fitzgibbon: “If we play similar that contiguous and crystal our moments, we’ll triumph plentifulness of games. I thought determination was a batch much to beryllium pleased astir tonight. Before the bye, not truthful much.”
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