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Warriors 12 Sharks 20
FULLTIME
That's that. The Warriors win the second half 6-0, but that halftime deficit was too big to overcome.
80 mins
Lodge gives away a penalty inside the Sharks' half, and that should be that as Johnson finds touch.
Less than a minute on the clock.
78 mins
The Sharks attack from inside the Warriors half, and look to go wide to Mulitalo in to score on the wing, but the pass from Tracey is offside.
Warriors' scrum, but they're running out of time with about 2:30 left on the clock.
77 mins
The Sharks attack the left wing, where Nikorima to snap up a loose ball after Mulitalo's offload comes back in field.
Knock-on called against Nikorima, and the Warriors use their captain's challenge again.
Mulitalo's offload is thrown straight at Nikorima's hand, so that's a knock-on against the Warriors.
75 mins
Tuivasa-Sheck takes the ball from the scrum, before Walsh tries to put Fonua-Blake through.
They go wide, but Walsh's cut-out pass for Watene-Zelezniak has too much on it, and goes into touch.
Sharks' restart.
74 mins
Penalty to the Warriors, against Mulitalo. But the Sharks go for their captain's challenge against Tevaga.
Tracey lost the ball in Tevaga's tackle, and the captain's challenge is unsuccessful.
Huge scrum coming up for the Warriors.
73 mins
Johnson kicks to the air on the Sharks' last, and Walsh does brilliantly to climb highest and take it.
Last real roll of the dice for the Warriors here, they've got seven minutes to score twice.
70 mins
What's happened there? The Warriors run the ball into the Sharks' half, as Montoya puts a kick through after dropping the ball.
The Sharks can't ground the ball, as Murchie grounds it in-goal, but were the Warriors offside from the kick?
We'll go to the bunker. Yep, everyone was offside there.
Penalty for the Sharks.
69 mins
Rudolph knocks on, and the Warriors will have a scrum inside their own half.
67 mins
Fonua-Blake is put on report (again) for a high-tackle. Sironen has passed his concussion test after that Katoa high tackle as well.
64 mins
Set restart for the Sharks inside the Warriors' half. But Kennedy knocks on as he attempts the play-the-ball.
The Warriors get out of danger.
63 mins
Sharks set again, and it's almost a carbon copy. Johnson kicks through on the last, and again the Warriors get it into touch for a dropout.
62 mins
Sharks set. Johnson kicks through on the last and is the only man chasing it. Katoa gets there first to ground the ball in goal, and force a Warriors dropout.
61 mins
Fonua-Blake gives away a penalty in tackling Nikora. He's placed on report.
58 mins - TRY WARRIORS
And the Warriors score! A set piece sees Egan and O'Sullivan combine, with the halfback delaying the pass as late as possible before putting Tuivasa-Sheck into a gap to score!
Walsh to convert from relatively in front, and he belts it through the posts.
(WAR 12 CRO 20)
57 mins
Knock on called against Lodge, and the Warriors use their captain's challenge.
And what a challenge it is. The ball came straight off Rudolph. Warriors scrum on the Sharks' 30m line.
56 mins
Sharks knock-on, Warriors scrum. Fonua-Blake runs the ball to the 30m line. Murchie juggles the second but hangs on.
Nikorima goes wide to Walsh who also struggles to hang on, but does. O'Sullivan finds Murchie, and this time he does drop it.
53 mins
The Warriors restart with two tackles left in the set. Murchie loses possession though, and the Sharks can breathe a sigh of relief.
53 mins
The Warriors attack from the restart, and Katoa goes close on the fourth!
He claims the try, but we'll have to check with the bunker. There's definitely an arm under the ball, but does it belong to Kennedy or Katoa?
The bunker calls held up.
51 mins
Sironen is hit high by Sione Katoa! That's a shocking tackle, and Sironen's bleeding straight away. Swinging arm from Katoa, straight to the head. He's placed on report, but no sign of a sin-bin.
Warriors restart inside the Sharks' half.
50 mins
The Sharks kick on their last, and Mulitalo beats Walsh in the air. The ball goes back to Johnson who kicks to Tuivasa-Sheck.
The Warriors can restart from inside their half.
47 mins
Penalty for the Warriors as Katoa's legs are taken out in the play-the-ball. Walsh finds touch and the Warriors restart just inside the Sharks' 40.
But Murdoch-Masila drops the ball in the first tackle.
45 mins
Sironen does well to tackle Ramien in free the ball, and the Warriors can counter from inside their own half.
The Warriors go wide as Nikorima nearly puts Walsh through, but the Sharks defend in numbers.
Nikora tackles Sironen to save a certain try close to the line, as the Warriors reach the 10m line on the last.
The Warriors go wide to Berry, who looks for an offload back inside to Watene-Zelezniak, but he can't hang onto the ball.
41 mins
We're back out for the second half, can the Warriors come back?
Walsh kicks off to get us going again.
HALFTIME
The Warriors give away another penalty from the restart, O'Sullivan for a high tackle on Sione Katoa. O'Sullivan's placed on report too.
Mulitalo's back on the field, he's passed his concussion test.
Johnson kicks on the last, and Tuivasa-Sheck spills the ball!
Nikora charges at the line, as Walsh makes a try saving tackle, but then interferes with the play-the-ball. The Sharks will take the shot at goal to end the half.
Trindall lines up the kick, and adds the two points.
(WAR 6 CRO 20)
37 mins - TRY SHARKS
Penalty from the restart, as Walsh finds touch from the kick-off.
Sharks set inside Warriors territory. Set restart called after two tackles too.
Brailey hits the line hard, and gets the ball to Hamlin-Uele, who sends Walsh flying as he barges over for the Sharks' second try in a matter of minutes. He then pulls out a celebration straight out of the WWE.
Trindall to convert, and does.
(WAR 6 CRO 18)
35 mins - TRY SHARKS
Sharks scrum, as Johnson and Kennedy combine off the back. Johnson tries to put Talakai through on the third, but Sironen makes the tackle.
Set restart for the Sharks on the fourth, and the Sharks can go again.
Johnson sees Rudolph attack the line on the second, before Trindall attacks the line on the fifth!
He runs into Nikorima, spins out of the tackle, and grounds the ball to score! That's his first NRL try, and on his birthday too.
Can he convert his own try? Yes he can.
(WAR 6 CRO 12)
32 mins
Another Sharks set for the Warriors to defend.
Johnson kicks on the last, straight at Walsh who can't hang on! Knock-on called against Walsh, and the Sharks can attack from their restart.
31 mins
Johnson kicks to the Warriors' in-goal on the last tackle, O'Sullivan gets there first and grounds it despite the oncoming attackers.
The referee sends it to the bunker, but there's no doubt about that.
Another dropout for the Warriors.
30 mins
Mulitalo goes off for a concussion test, while the Sharks restart with a penalty.
Appeals for a forward pass as Johnson feeds Rudolph, before the Sharks go wide.
Tracey is crunched by Watene-Zelezniak on the fourth, before Johnson kicks on the fifth as the ball goes into touch off O'Sullivan.
Warriors dropout.
28 mins
Walsh kicks on the Warriors' last, looking for Mulitalo on his own at the back inside the Sharks' own goal.
The winger escapes his in-goal though, before Lodge gives away a penalty for a high tackle on Mulitalo later in the set.
Harsh against Lodge, Mulitalo was falling into the tackle after jumping over Tevaga.
26 mins
Johnson kicks on the Sharks' last and Tuivasa-Sheck does brilliantly to claim it, centimetres off the ground.
The Warriors look to run from their own half. Nikorima goes for the corner on the last, and finds touch.
Sharks restart on their 10m line.
23 mins - TRY SHARKS
Penalty against Lodge for offside after O'Sullivan charges down Trindall's kick.
Great chance for the Sharks. Johnson throws a dummy on the fourth, but the Warriors read it.
The Sharks play-the-ball quickly as Trindall finds Tracey outside him, drawing in the defender before sending his teammate in to score.
Trindall looks to convert from wide on the left, and does. All square.
(WAR 6 CRO 6)
21 mins
The sides trade sets, as the Warriors again run inside the Sharks' half.
Nikorima kicks on the last, but no danger for Cronulla.
18 mins - TRY WARRIORS
The Warriors work the ball into the Sharks' half again and get into the 10m line on the fifth.
Nikorima puts a kick up on the last, Katoa takes it and the Warriors keep the ball.
Watene-Zelezniak kicks again, and Kennedy and Katoa miss it! Walsh is there chasing and grounds the ball for the first try!
Walsh will look to convert his own try, right in front of the posts. And he gets it.
(WAR 6 CRO 0)
16 mins
The Sharks have their first real crack from inside the Warriors' half. Trindall kicks through on the last, and Walsh expertly lets it roll into touch despite the oncoming attackers.
Warriors restart.
14 mins
The Warriors take the first three tackles and get to the Sharks' line. O'Sullivan kicks on the last, Sione Katoa bats it into touch, but Nikorima was offside from the kick.
Sharks penalty.
13 mins
The Sharks knock-on in the play-the-ball. Warriors' scrum inside their own half.
Rudolph gives away a penalty on Tevaga.
Warriors to restart on the Sharks' 30m line.
11 mins
The Sharks give away a penalty, Woods coming up with a dangerous tackle on Tevaga.
The Warriors restart just shy of the Sharks' 20. Walsh tries to step through the line on the seond, before the Warriors run on the third, Katoa takes the tackle.
O'Sullivan nearly puts Berry away on the fourth, Tevaga takes the tackle on the fifth.
O'Sullivan kicks on the last, with the ball going dead, and Katoa can't keep the ball in play.
Sharks restart.
9 mins
Walsh kicks on the Warriors' last and finds touch, the Sharks will restart from inside their own half.
Johnson kicks on the last straight back to Walsh.
7 mins
The Sharks kick for the corner on the last through Johnson, but Tuivasa-Sheck saves the day out on the wing.
The Warriors start their attack from their own tryline.
5 mins
Trindall makes an error inside the Sharks' 20, and the Warriors have a great chance to attack from a scrum.
Walsh and Nikorima combine on the first, with the youngster nearly put through.
Katoa takes the ball close to the line on the third, as Lodge hits the line on the fourth.
The Warriors keep the ball alive on the fifth before O'Sullivan is tackled, as Nikorima kicks on the last, but it amounts to nothing.
Nikorima then gives away a penalty.
2 mins
Watene-Zelezniak takes the kick, and Fonua-Blake takes the first hit-up. Lodge has his first run as the Warriors make use of the ball.
O'Sullivan kicks on the last into Sharks territory.
KICK-OFF
We're away at Jubilee Stadium!
6:04pm
Both sides are out on the ground! Kick off is seconds away!
5:52pm
As a late change, Jack Murchie has come onto the interchange bench in place of Kane Evans.
The Sharks have swapped out Briton Nikora for Siosifa Talakai in their second row.
5:30pm
Good evening! The first real news is that the Warriors have been caught up in a COVID scare before kick-off.
Reports out of Australia indicate that the Kiwi side were forced to stay on their team bus, after staff at Jubilee Stadium were identified as close contacts of a positive case.
That's also seen the Warriors' pre-game meals have to be thrown out, while the facilities undergo a deep clean.
*****
Kia ora, and welcome to Newshub's live updates of NZ Warriors v Cronulla Sharks from Jubilee Stadium, Sydney.
After throwing away a 12-point lead against the Dragons last week, the Warriors will be desperate to snap their losing streak - now at four games.
Teen sensation Reece Walsh returns to the side following a hamstring injury picked up on State of Origin duty with Queensland.
Mid-season recruit Matt Lodge makes his Warriors debut today, starting in the front row and relegating Kane Evans to the interchange bench.
Elsewhere, Kodi Nikorima returns from injury to take the place of another mid-season addition, halfback Chad Townsend, partnering Sean O'Sullivan in the halves. Jazz Tevaga also takes the spot of Tohu Harris, injured in last week's defeat to the Dragons.
For Cronulla, centre Will Chambers is absent to attend the birth of his child, seeing Connor Tracey move from five-eighth to centre.
Braydon Trindall will partner Shaun Johnson in the Sharks' halves as a result.
Recent history is on the Sharks' side, winning seven of their last eight games against the Warriors.
TAB odds:
Warriors $2.15, Sharks $1.67
Teams:
NZ Warriors: 1-Reece Walsh, 2-Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3-Rocco Berry, 4-Marcelo Montoya, 5-Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (c), 6-Kodi Nikorima, 7-Sean O'Sullivan, 8-Addin Fonua-Blake, 9-Wayde Egan, 10-Matt Lodge, 11-Eliesa Katoa, 12-Bayley Sironen, 13-Jazz Tevaga.
Interchange: 15-Leeson Ah Mau, 16-Bunty Afoa, 17-Ben Murdoch-Masila, 20-Jack Murchie.
Sharks: 1-William Kennedy, 2-Sione Katoa, 4-Jesse Ramien, 6-Connor Tracey, 5-Ronaldo Mulitalo, 14-Braydon Trindall, 7-Shaun Johnson, 8-Aiden Tolman, 9-Blayke Brailey, 10-Aaron Woods (c), 11-Briton Nikora, 12-Teig Wilton, 13-Toby Rudolph.
Interchange: 15-Siosifa Talakai, 16-Jack Williams, 17-Braden Hamlin-Uele, 19-Mawene Hiroti.
