The Cronulla Sharks survived a spirited second-half comeback from Manly to claim a 28-22 NRL victory at Shark Park, overcoming a dominant first-half performance that saw them race to a 22-4 halftime lead.
Tries to Teig Wilton, Niwhai Puru and a quickfire double from Billy Burns put the hosts firmly in control before the break, but Manly responded through Ben Trbojevic, Jason Saab and Jamal Fogarty to close the gap to just four points.
Despite building momentum and creating opportunities to level the scores, the Sea Eagles were hampered by costly errors and missed chances, allowing Cronulla to seal the result with a late penalty goal and retain the Steve Rogers Memorial Trophy.
