Live: Sharks running riot against Cowboys after Tigers stun Dogs

The Parramatta Eels have capped off a comeback win to close out NRLW Magic Round, but the 12-10 win over the Dragons has come at a cost.

Star prop Kennedy Cherrington, in her first game for 2025 after missing the start of the season with a knee injury, copped a nasty head knock and missed the last 10 minutes.

The Eels were trailing 10-2 with 15 minutes left before this effort from Elsie Albert, skittling six Dragons defenders.

Five minutes later, after Cherrington and St George Illawarra’s Raecene McGregor were subbed off with HIAs, Fleur Ginn sliced through on the back of a penalty and they held on with white knuckles and gritted teeth to get the win.

Here are the Magic Round results:

Just moments after Tom Dearden heads to the bin, the Sharks strike from the back-foot.

They have been nowhere for the first half of this second period, but are able to get five out from the try-line and find Cam McInnes.

The big number 13 charges through a couple tackles and puts the ball down.

The conversion is good and the wind well and truly out of North Queensland’s sails.

Desperate stuff from the Cowboys, who are really applying some significant pressure here.

Tome Dearden is charging through a couple tackles with determination but can’t get through.

The Sharks force a turnover.

Braydon Trindall runs a good 50m with the ball but is eventually halted.

Dearden charges back and he is holding the tackle for far too long!

He’s off to the bin for that one.

Dearden looks up you can see he has blood all over his face from that previous attacking play!

They look like a completely different team out there at the moment, as they’re applying some significant pressure in enemy territory once more.

9/10 completed sets for the Cowboys in this second period.

Just 3/3 for the Sharks.

Not good news for the Cowboys, with Robert Derby limping from the field with the help of a trainer.

He was on the wrong side of a pile of bodies in the tackle.

There didn’t appear to be a whole lot in it, but Jesse Colquhoun is put on report for his role in the fray.

They’ve shown more in the first seven minutes of the second half than they did in the entirety of the first.

They are awarded a couple back-to-back sets for what must be the first time in the match, and the pressure shows promptly, with Griffin Neame getting on the end of a deft Robert Derby grubber.

The conversion is good and the margin is 20-points!

Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall was thrilled to see his team take down the second-placed Bulldogs, but he was left blustering and bemused by a late call by the officials.

Minutes after Alex Seyfarth was sin-binned for a high tackle on Harry Hayes, Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton hit Taylan May with a high shot that ruled the Tigers centre out for the match.

Despite May displaying Category 1 concussion symptoms, Crichton was put on report but not dismissed because of the “mitigating” factor that May slipped into the tackle while Seyfarth and Hayes were both upright in their collision.

Crichton said after the game he tried to get as low as he could, and he and coach Cameron Ciraldo were certain he had nothing to worry about from the match review committee.

Marshall disagreed.

“I don’t really want to get in trouble,” he said when asked about it.

“I just can’t understand why one’s one thing and another one’s another thing and now we lose Taylan for 11 days. Lucky we’ve got the bye.

“You can’t use your 18th man unless he gets sin binned. So we lose a player for the game.

“I’ve got enough to worry about coaching than what the rules of the game are. I honestly can’t keep up with heaps of it.”

Marshall also acknowledged they got the rub of the green at other times, with two apparent forward passes ignored in the lead-up to tries.

They’re making good use of the ball early in this second half and force a goal line drop-out courtesy of a deft little Jaxon Purdue kick that is knocked dead by Jesse Colquhoun.

The conditions are clearly challenging out there, but the Cowboys were so, so bad in that first half.

And the statistics bear that out:

• 37% of the ball
• 6/14 completed sets
• 23 missed tackles 

To say they’re in need of something is an understatement.

We’re back underway at Shark Park.

That’s a very professional first half performance from the Sharks.

In muddy, torrential conditions, they have absolutely outmuscled an error-strewn North Queensland.

Ronaldo Mulitalo popped up with two tries late in that half, while Addin Fonua-Blake was marauding and ferocious throughout.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys have been almost as atrocious as the turf they’re playing on.

Errors everywhere and no sign of a cutting edge.

I imagine Todd Payten might have a few things to say in the sheds.

It’s going from bad to worse out there for North Queensland.

Another slick set ends with Ronaldo Mulitalo receiving the ball in plenty of space wide on the left.

He puts the head down, charges forward, and goes over for his second of the half.

Nicho Hynes slots the conversion.

26-0.

The Cowboys won’t want to see that one again.

Robert Derby misses a tackle as the ball is worked out wide left.

William Kenedy has his wits about him as he bats a pass further wide towards Ronaldo Mulitalo.

Mulitalo charges on, Scott Drinkwater slips over trying to tackle, and the Sharks are over for their third try of the afternoon.

Nicho Hynes nails another conversion.

The Sharks are steaming forward and looking destined for their third try of the afternoon.

However, from nowhere, Tom Dearden comes up clutch with a massive hit on Teig Wilton.

The number 12 is stopped in his tracks just out from his line, and the Cowboys survive.

For now.

The Cowboys’ Emarly Bitungane has just entered the field for his first-grade debut, becoming just the second African born player to play in the NRL.

He only took up rugby league at 15!

The rain has stopped and the sun has peaked out from behind the clouds in Cronulla, but there are still rivers hugging the advertising hoardings.

Siosifa Talakai has a swim in one as he slides into the goal area and off the turf, trying to get on the end of a deft Cronulla kick. The ball beats him and he gets absolutely soaked in the Cronulla water.

The Sharks gain some cheap ground courtesy of an escort penalty and the Cowboys pay big time.

Addin Fonua-Blake charges through on the resulting set of six and he’s over for his fifth of the season.

Nicho Hynes slots the conversion and it’s 14-0 in Cronulla.

All a bit too easy out there for the Sharks.

With 12 minutes played, the Sharks have already played seven completed sets, while the Cowboys have finished just one of their four.

Cronulla-Sutherland is pushing again here and get awarded a penalty for a ruck infringement.

The hosts opt to take the kick from 10m out and Nicho Hynes nails it.

8-0.