NYC Rd 18 Cronulla 14 Roosters 14

by NRL

A penalty goal to Sharks five-eighth Jake Walsh has seen the NYC Roosters fall just short of victory, drawing 14-all with Cronulla at Toyota Stadium on Monday night.

With two crucial competition points seemingly in the bag, referee Gavin West awarded a contentious penalty for an indiscretion at the 20 metre restart, which gave Walsh the opportunity to steal a draw.

While it was disappointing to lose in such a fashion, there were some good signs from the match, with the young Roosters in the lead for almost the entire game.

It took some time for both sides to warm to the contest, and it was hooker Dean Blackman who opened the scoring close to the posts.

The Sharks were kept scoreless the entire half, and when Paul Rokolati crossed right on halftime, things were looking good on the scoreboard as the Tricolours went into the sheds up 10-0.

Points were proving hard to come by, but when Walsh unlocked the Roosters' defence with a kick to Josh Lambert in the 57th minute, the Sharks were in with a chance.

Henare Wells got one back for the visitors, but when Sione Masima scored the Sharks' second, the stage was set for a grandstand finish, with Walsh going on to kick the penalty goal that leveled the scores at 14-all. Incredibly, we would go on to see the exact same scoreline in first grade, in a bizarre night at Toyota Stadium.

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