NRL: Gidley injured as Knights defeat Sharks

Colin Best of the Sharks is tackled by Jarrod Mullen of the Knights during the round two NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Newcastle Knights. Photo / Getty Images,

Newcastle handed Wayne Bennett his first win as Knights coach but it may have come at a heavy price with skipper Kurt Gidley suffering a potentially serious shoulder injury in Sunday's 18-6 win over a wasteful Cronulla.

Gidley departed in the sixth minute, having dislocated his shoulder in an attempted tackle on Todd Carney.

The blow will no doubt be a concern for Bennett as the Knights continue to adjust to his reign, but the veteran mentor would have been happy with the resolve of his men who won handsomely without their leader and just two fit players on the bench for the majority of time.

The Sharks were their own worst enemies in a match they at times dominated, five clear-cut try-scoring chances bombed within five metres of the Knights' line before Ben Pomeroy finally got over three minutes from time.

Cronulla started with plenty of aggression, with former Shark Kade Snowden - who reneged on a deal to re-sign with the Sharks before linking up with Newcastle - copping some heavy early treatment.

Unfortunately their execution didn't match their fire, with their first opportunity butchered after just five minutes when Darius Boyd claimed an intercept when an unmarked Nathan Gardner was headed under the posts.

The Knights made them pay for the miss with Akuila Uate scoring soon after, their joy tempered by the sight of Gidley heading up the tunnel.

Newcastle maintained pressure on the back of a Jarrod Mullen 40-20, but the Sharks had only themselves to blame for not getting back into the contest before the break with another two opportunities bombed with the line wide open.

A corked calf to Neville Costigan left the Knights short on personnel, but it had little impact on the visitors - the resilience Cronulla had shown in the first half nowhere to be seen when Chris Houston scored a soft try three minutes after the restart.

The Sharks blunders continued, with the final pass from Wade Graham for what would have been a John Williams try again going astray for the scoreboard to remain blank.

The Sharks faithful that dominated the 15,564 crowd must have known it wasn't going to be their day when the Knights wrapped it up 16 minutes from time with a try that left Cronulla skipper Paul Gallen bemused.

Junior Sa'u lost the ball as he powered towards the line with three defenders on his back, but when the video referee sent it back to on-field whistleblower Tony Archer, he awarded the try claiming the Knights centre had been stripped of the ball before grounding it.

-AAP