NEWTOWN JETS
1. Mark Kheirallah
2. Byron Ford
3. Willie Mataka
20. Francis Vaiotu
5. Sam Latu
6. Johnathon Ford
7. Blake Lazarus
14. Tinarau Arona
9. Kurt Kara
10. Khalid Deeb (c)
16. Tom Symonds
12. Brad Barrett
13. Ahmad Ellaz
11. James Koloamatangi
8. Isaac Maliota
17. Ryan Verlinden
18. Scott Jones
4. Brett Lane
COACH: Greg Matterson
CRONULLA SHARKS
1. Isaac Gordon
2. Kose Lelei
3. Dean Collis
23. Ricky Leutele
21. Daniel Perkins
6. Albert Kelly
7. Tim Smith
8. Siosaia Vave
19. Stuart Flanagan
10. Jack Afamasaga
17. Trent Grubb
9. Jarred Farlow
13. Broderick Wright
14. Sione Kite
15. Andrew Clayton
16. Scott Porter
18. Richard Irwin
22. Jason McGrady
25. Johnny Mannah
COACH: Tony Herman
GAME CAST
1st Min: underway here at Henson in what promises to be one of the matches of the year. Gee I'm sooo excited, been waiting all week for this one. I would the last time I was this excited was when I was in Thailand and I went... Well lets just say I'm VERY excited!!! Sharks have first use of the ball and complete their set courtesy of an Albert Kelly kick down field.
3rd Min: first real chance as Cronulla attack however an awful and forward pass by Tim Smith is intercepted by Byron Ford who sets off down field however Smith makes amends by not only chasing him down but forcing the ball loose 30m out from the Jets try line.
6th Min: Newtown look good early and Willie Mataka warranted a great deal of attention to stop him from scoring but unfortunately the kick by Ford on the last had too much on it and the Sharks bring it out for a 20 tap.
9th Min: after a lightning fast start by both sides things have settled down a bit now with most of the play taking place between the 20's.
13th Min: interesting play there by Jonnon Ford. Last tackle around 50m out, he deliberately kicks the ball towards touch and finds it 20 out. Despite still being early, both sides already looking tired. Considering the Sharks played Monday night that may not be a good sign for their supporters.
15th Min: a nice kick by Kurt Kara out of dummy half on the last sees Newtown force the first drop out of the match and from the resulting set Jonno Ford and Tom Symonds combine to look dangerous close to the line but the Sharks repel the attack and come away with the ball. Ford and Symonds are seeing plenty of it early and it appears only a matter of time until they conjure some sort of magic. #ABRACADABRA
19th Min: a period of sustained pressure finally pays off for the home side as a pin point cross field kick by Lazarus is plucked from the air and controlled beautifully by Byron Ford. Lazarus can't add the extras but the Jets lead it 4-0.
24th Min: it is all the Jets here and to be brutally honest they should probably lead by more than the four but some scrambling Sharks defence mixed with some indifferent fifth tackle options means the Sharks remain very much in the mix.
27th MIn: CHANCE the Sharks bust the Jets open courtesy of Isaac Gordon and he sprints away, comes to the fullback and only needs to find an unmarked Daniel Perkins however his pass was a little high and hot and Perkins can't handle it and it flies into touch. Not the best of passes but probably should have been held!
30th MIn: CHANCE this time the Jets are left to rue the one that got away as Byron Ford looks set to run forty and score untouched but Isaac Gordon comes from the clouds and pulls him down and in an effort to ground the ball on the line Ford spills it. Great chase by Gordon and the Sharks dodge another bullet!
34th Min: TRY and this was always going to be the danger, the Jets dominate everything except the scoreboard for so long yet now they trail. Trent Grubb scores a really soft try right beside the posts and with Smiths conversion somehow the Sharks lead. Credit to them for hanging tough. Sharks 6 Jets 4
Half Time: this one is certainlyliving up to its finals like billing and at the main break the Sharks lead it 6-4. Sharks coach Tony Herman should be the happier of the two coaches as the Jets had probably done enough to have at least scored one or two more tries while the Sharks spent most of the forty in their own half yet head to the sheds with the lead. Back soon with what should be a riveting second forty.
41st Min: back underway for the second half and a poor start by the Jets has handed the Sharks a golden opportunity but on the last Johnny Mannah takes the Jets defence on and they force the ball loose and the Jets take it back out to the 20m mark for a tap. The first try in the 2nd half is going to be so vital.
45th Min: solid start by both sides and an interesting change sees Scott Porter come on for Albert Kelly. Perhaps Tony Herman is just freshening him up to let him loose in the last 15mins or so as he doesn't appear injured.
48th MIn: another near thing for the Jets as from around 40 out on the last Ford dabs in the chip kick and had it sat for a chasing Symonds they may well have scored but as it was Scott Jones did take it eventually but with swallowed up by the Sharks defence. The Jets will need to make the most of one of these chances eventually.
52nd Min: TRY an amazing banana kick on the last by Lazarus from 10m out is taken by Kheirallah as intended and just as the Sharks look to have diffused his attempt to get over the line he simply pops it to Deeb who was never going to be denied from only 1m out. Lazarus converts and the Jets retake the lead 10-6.
57th Min: and almost like a carbon copy of the first half here as the Jets continue to really dominate general play. Sorry Sharks fans if this seems somewhat biased but your side is not playing badly but they are just behind the Jets by 5-10% in most areas and it is actually a credit to them that they are only behind by four. Most sides would probably b out of the match to be honest.
62nd Min: TRY great try to the Jets and perhaps the one that will seal the two competition points. Lazarus splits the Sharks from 40 out and as he comes to Isaac Gordon he hesitates and looks for support only to realise there was none so he tucks the ball under the wing, pins the ears back and does it all himself! What a try!!! Lazarus converts his own try and the Jets 16 lead the Sharks 6.
66th Min: and for one of the first times in recent memory the Sharks looked dangerous as the ball shifted out to their left and as the overlap unfolded the final pass was knocked down by Sam Latu to deny the try in the corner although the Sharks do get another set 10m out.
70th Min: TRY grandstand finish coming up here as always at Henson. Smith runs to the line and puts in a grubber that bounces 5m up in the air and Afamasaga flies the highest to come down with the awkward kick and with Smiths conv from right beside the posts it is now 16-12 with under 10 mins to play.
74th Min: TRY and the comeback is almost complete as Collis breaks the line and Porter looms up in support, receives the pass and plants it down under the posts. Smith easily converts and the Sharks lead it 18-16.
78th Min: the Jets have one last roll of the dice and on the last the kick is put up to Byron Ford and he had a good play on it but is unable to pull it down for the winner!
Full Time: What a win to the Sharks... off the quick back up from Monday and largely outplayed that found a way to win. The Jets will be bitterly disappointed after leading 16-6 late in the piece but in fairness they probably lost it in the first half when they trailed 6-4 despite probably should have scored 3 or 4 tries. Mannah lead from the front for the Sharks while Porter was good for the Sharks in the second half.
cheers all!
