Sharks back on top as they defeated the Roosters for their 14th straight win

The Cronulla Sharks defeated the Sydney Roosters 32-20 for their 14^th straight win on Monday at the Allianz Stadium, putting them back on top of the ladder.

The Sharks overcame a spirited Roosters team, which came to play and provided a fierce battle in the first half, according to the NRL website. The first half featured five tries, desperate defence and a place in the sin bin for Roosters winger Blake Ferguson.

The Roosters took control early with Mitchell Pearce earning a penalty kick at the opening set. He then set up the first try of the night after five tackles later.

Pearce kicked the ball opposite of Daniel Tupou, his usual target. Sharks centre Gerard Beale tried to cover it but dropped it for Mitchell Aubusson to go over after three minutes.

But the early momentum couldn’t be sustained as an error from Dylan Napa’s kick-off put the Sharks on the attack. Try-scoring machine Valentine Holmes capitalised with a dive over in the corner for his 13^th of the season.

The Sharks again struck after Ferguson was put in the sin bin. Ben Barba set up Jack Bird for the team’s second try in the right corner.

But the Roosters countered with five-eight Connor Watson, who played his best game in the NRL, using his lightning-fast speed to draw level after 27 minutes.

But the Sharks wouldn’t be denied from winning their 14^th straight game and reclaiming the outright lead atop the Telstra Premiership ladder.

The Sharks played better in the second half as Barba set up Sosaisa Feki for his third try assist of the evening. The team extended its lead with Chad Townsend grounding the ball after receiving the perfect bounce from Beale’s speculative kick.

The Roosters still had their chance to force the game into golden point but Feki broke their hearts with an 80^th minute length of the field runaway try to ice the game.

Foxsports reports that Paul Gallen starred for the Sharks during the game with 172 running metres and 25 tackles. Gallen took over the suspended Andrew Fifita’s workload and provided the boost that led his team to victory.

The Roosters Shaun Kenny-Dowall was considered the dunce due to his costly errors and being the unfortunate defender that Feki beat to score the winning try.