Canterbury Bankstown has edged Cronulla 15-14 at the Olympic stadium as Matt Burton kicked a golden point field goal to move the Bulldogs to fifth on the ladder.
It was third-time lucky for Burton, the ball crashing into the right upright in golden point, just seconds after Nicho Hynes missed a sitter from just 20 metres out at the other end.
"It's a bit of a goldfish mindset, I think," Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo said of his five-eighth.
"He's just so brave. It's not easy to miss a couple and still go after it.
"He had a couple of shots, and they were very close, but he learned his lessons from them and he was able to nail that last one."
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon though was disappointed after his side got themselves back into the game despite another poor start.
"That will sting," he said.
The Bulldogs had lead 12-0 in the first half, thanks to tries from Viliame Kikau and Reed Mahoney inside the opening 15 minutes, during which the Dogs had as much as 92 per cent possession.
However, the Dogs needed a 76th minute penalty from Burton to send the game to golden point after Briton Nikora, Sine Katoa and Braydon Trindall all crossed for the Sharks.
Hynes' wayward kicking from out wide kept the Bulldogs in the game though, and Burton, despite missing two booming attempts at two-point field goals in regular time, made no mistake from his third effort.
"He [Hynes] has got to dust himself off pretty quick and look forward to the next moment," Fitzgibbon said.
"It's a good opportunity to shape him really. It's gunna shape him.
"You have to ice your moments," Fitzgibbon said. "And we didn't."
The defeat was the Sharks' fourth in their last five matches as their concerning mid-season slump continues following the bye.
Pre-game, Sharks coach Fitzgibbons said his halfback had "nothing to prove" after his omission from New South Wales' State of Origin side for Game II.
But Hynes was below par all night, the missed field goal in golden point only one of several blemishes with the boot.
"That's part of the job and responsibility," Fitzgibbon said.
"He's accepting of it. I feel like the last couple of weeks, he's acknowledged it."
Skipper Cam McInnes said Hynes still had the support of the team.
"He's our guy. We're all behind him. We'll do great things with him leading us."
Cronulla remains in third spot on the NRL ladder, but upcoming games against the Titans in Coffs Harbour and Wests Tigers at Shark Park, before another bye, take on added importance if the Sharks are not to sink heading into finals.
Both teams had players placed on report Kikau and Toby Sexton for the Bulldogs, and Oregon Kaufusi for the Sharks — all for dangerous tackles.
Original Story link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-28/nrl-live-updates-rd-17-bulldogs-vs-sharks/104037678
Story By: Simon Smale
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