Both of the Sharks’ tries were the result of strong defensive actions, particularly from Blayke Brailey, who knocked the ball out of Fletcher Sharpe’s hands in the set before Nikora’s try.

From then on, it seemed as if the home team had their backs free and continued to put in the effort.

Until the 20th minute, when their control of the game was broken by a try from Knights standout Kai Pearce-Paul.

Knights debutant Kyle McCarthy blocked a crossfield kick that left Pearce-Paul in great difficulty. The Englishman fought his way through traffic to score his side’s first goal of the night.

Ten minutes later, the visitors scored another goal through Greg Marzhew, who capitalised on some great work from Kalyn Ponga, who attacked quickly and purposefully and then played a sharp pass into the hands of his winger.

Newcastle controlled the final stages of the first half and only lost control of the game shortly before half-time when halfback Phoenix Crossland was sent to the penalty box for a deliberate foul.

With seconds left, the Knights’ number 7 held a Sharks player trying to rush the ball and was duly sent to the penalty box.

Crossland’s action, described by Fox League as a “really stupid move”, could have cost the Knights dearly, but Atkinson missed the resulting penalty and Newcastle dominated the period in which he was absent.

The visitors almost conceded a try at the start of the second half, but Ponga saved with a strong try against Siosifa Talakai in the 43rd minute.

A few sets later, the Knights scored through Dane Gagai, who blocked Talakai on his way to a four-point shot. Between Talakai’s botched attempt and Gagai’s, the Knights also scored a penalty goal, meaning they led 18-10 after 50 minutes.

From then on, the game turned into an arm wrestling match in which neither side had a chance as everyone on the pitch put up a determined defense.

Cronulla’s decision to take a penalty in the 63rd minute, despite the Knights being cornered on the ropes and their own goal line, underlined the strength of Newcastle’s stifling defence.

With eight minutes left, Ronaldo Mulitalo scored and Atkinson’s conversion from the touchline took the game towards golden point.

The game took a turn at the end when both sides’ successful field goal attempts were disallowed due to blocking penalties, so the game had to go into overtime.

Newcastle had the first shot in the golden point and almost scored after a breakthrough by Gagai on the right, but his pass inside to Ponga was saved by Will Kennedy.

In the next set, the visitors fired the next shot not over Ponga, but over Crossland, whose field goal attempt flew past the post and opened the door for the home team.

On the next set, the Sharks marched up the field and allowed Atkinson to score the game-winning field goal, confirming that the two points stayed in Cronulla.

With the Bulldogs and Sea Eagles breathing down their necks, these were two crucial points for Cronulla, while the Knights will mourn a missed opportunity to keep their season alive.

Here are three of the game’s most important talking points

SHARKS BACK FIVE ARE AVAILABLE WHEN IT MATTERS

In modern rugby, the importance of a team’s back five is often discussed.

Not only do they finish sets with acrobatic jumps into the corner to score points, but they purposefully bring the ball out of their half and start sets incredibly strong.

At golden point, Cronulla’s defence once again showed why it is so important to Craig Fitzgibbon’s team, especially in the moment before Daniel Atkinson’s game-winning field goal.

Sione Katoa, Ronaldo Mulitalo and Will Kennedy each made powerful attacks from their half, with Katoa nearly scoring a goal a few plays before Atkinson’s field goal on the right side.

Their link-up made the headlines with his composure at the crucial moment, but it was the work of his wingers that put him in position to score.

Mulitalo scored in the 72nd minute to keep the home side in the game. Kennedy had earlier denied the Knights a sure try at golden point by blocking an inside pass from Dane Gagai. Had he found Kalyn Ponga on the inside, it would have resulted in a sure try for the away team that would have clinched the game.

Cronulla’s No. 1 ran 127 metres, Katoa 130 metres and Mulitalo 133 metres – while centres Jesse Ramien (186 metres) and Siosifa Talakai (189 metres) both got their hands dirty in Cronulla’s decisive win.

KNIGHTS REGRET MISSED OPPORTUNITY

For much of the second half, Newcastle seemed to have the game under control, especially after Dane Gagai scored a goal in the 49th minute.

Cronulla struggled to break through its defensive wall, as evidenced in the 63rd minute when the Sharks opted for the two-man combination after being awarded a penalty in front of the Knights’ post.

Nevertheless, the Knights lost, even though they had enough chances to decide the game.

These were not ruled out until the end of the game, when Ponga had a field goal disallowed for a blocking violation and Phoenix Crossland missed a field goal in golden point.

In the second half, the Knights failed to get the ball out of their own half on several occasions and lost it more than once – including two minutes before the Multitalo try that ultimately led to the equaliser.

According to Fox Sports Lab, four of the Knights’ six second-half errors came in the final 20 minutes of the game, highlighting their sloppiness when the game and their season were on the line.

During those 20 minutes, the Knights also completed only 38% of their sets and missed 14 tackles.

A team still fighting to qualify for the finals will look back with deep regret in the coming days and weeks at so many mistakes at such crucial moments in the competition.

MCCARTHY SHOWS NRL PROMISE

Adam O’Brien made the bold decision to name debutant Kyle McCarthy at left midfield for this game after the full-back showed promise in his first NRL game.

Facing Jesse Ramien, one of the most destructive centers in the competition, is no easy task for a center with 200 games of experience, let alone one playing for the first time.

But McCarthy showed that he was more than up to the challenge by taking out the Sharks’ centre with some tough tackles – although the centre was also superior to him at certain stages of the match.

The debutant finished the game with 21 tackles and two misses, which is quite impressive considering he was covering Ramien and also had to deal with Brit Nikora and Sione Katoa.

With the ball in his hand, the young center was not afraid to get involved in the competition and ran 19 times for 114 meters – breaking five tackles.

In the set before Ponga’s disallowed field goal just before the end, it was a strong carry from McCarthy that gave Newcastle the momentum to get into position for the one-point shot.

And while McCarthy is understandably behind Bradman Best and Dane Gagai in the pecking order at Newcastle, Adam O’Brien should be confident of having a genuine first-class player in his ranks who could soften the shock of Gagai’s eventual retirement.

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