The Cronulla Sharks have continued their sparkling start to the season with a commanding victory over the Raiders.
Canberra had won five of their past six games on home turf, however they were no match for the visitors on Sunday afternoon.
Sharks captain Cameron McInnes opened the scoring in the 12th minute and they didn't look back.
Halfback Nicho Hynes had a try, two try assists and six goals as he orchestrated a dominant team performance.
The 40-0 victory was Cronulla's fourth on the trot and ensured they retained their position on top of the NRL table.
It was the first time the Raiders had been held to zero since round two, 2013 and the Sharks biggest win over the Raiders in 83 matches, in a milestone game to forget for Canberra coach Ricky Stuart. The mentor coached his 500th NRL match on Sunday.
The contest opened with a lengthy feeling-out period, with the Sharks slowly gaining the upper hand before Teig Wilton burst straight through the Raiders line, with McInnes crossing in the subsequent play.
Cameron McInnes Try
The Sharks continued to build pressure and Tom Hazelton quickly made it 12-0 when he ran through Joe Tapine to score under the posts.
Desperate Canberra defence denied a third Cronulla try, and they looked set to hit back with a four-pointer of their own, however Dany Levi spilled the ball with the line wide open.
Thomas Hazelton Try
The Sharks made the hosts pay, rolling straight back down into attacking territory before Sione Katoa crossed in the corner.
The Raiders had multiple chances to hit back late in the first half, however Cronulla held firm to take an 18-0 lead into the sheds.
Canberra's momentum continued after the break and Ethan Strange looked destined to cross, only to be denied by a desperate Will Kennedy tackle.
Again, the Sharks turned defence into points, Briton Nikora scoring from the ensuing set.
Briton Nikora Try
The onslaught continued when Hynes produced a 40-20 before slicing his way through the Raiders defensive line to put his team up 30-0.
From there, Katoa added a second and Jesse Ramien crossed for a try of his own as the Sharks closed out a dominant win.
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Match Snapshot
- The Sharks have scored 152 points in their past four games. It's the first time in 22 years Cronulla have scored 34 points in four-straight matches.
- Sunday's win was the first time the Sharks have defeated the Raiders in Canberra since 2018
- Cronulla have edged their noses ahead in the head-to-head battle between these two teams, the Sharks now holding a 42-41 advantage in the overall ledger.
- Raiders coach Ricky Stuart became the fifth person to coach 500 NRL games on Sunday afternoon.
- Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo was placed on report in the 52nd minute.
Play of the Game
The Sharks ran in 40 points, however it was a defensive play that really swung the game in their favour. Trailing 18-0, the Raiders began the second half desperate to cut the deficit and spark a memorable comeback. After multiple sets on attack, Ethan Strange looked destined to score, only to be denied by a superb Will Kennedy try-saving tackle. From there, the Sharks marched down the field and Nikora crossed to extend the margin.
Kennedy comes up with a fantastic try-saver
What They Said
"I’ve just got to be patient and keep working with the younger players because those boys who are injured, they’re not back for a number of weeks. We’ve got 2-3 months of this, but I can assure you we’ll keep working at it and play better. We had a good number of fans out there tonight, I feel embarrassed for that performance but we’ll just keep working hard." - Raiders coach Ricky Stuart.
Raiders: Round 8
"It was hard-fought. I know the score got away on them at the end, but they had a lot of reasons to turn up today and I thought they were quite physical, so we had to earn everything we got, but I thought we controlled the game really well. It’s a difficult place to come and get a win, so pretty pleased." - Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon.
Sharks: Round 8
What's Next
Canberra have just five days to get ready for Round 9 when they'll take on the Sea Eagles at 4 Pines Park on Friday night. The Sharks return to PointsBet Stadium to take on the Dragons on Sunday.