Warriors 37
Sharks 10
The rollercoaster race for NRL finals places has taken a hefty lurch in the Warriors' favour.
In a round where the Warriors snapped their two-match skid with an impressive victory over the Sharks, one playoff rival faltered and another suffered a potentially crippling injury blow.
The Eels' Friday night defeat
by the Titans has left them four points behind the eighth-placed Warriors.
The slumping Eels also have judiciary issues to contend with after illegal hits on Titans captain Scott Prince and five-eighth Matt Rogers.
Prop Fuifui Moimoi is in trouble for striking Rogers in the head with a swinging arm, while Ben Smith was put on report for a late forearm to Prince's head.
With their season hanging by a thread, the Eels have recruited leading judiciary lawyer Geoff Bellow to defend the pair.
South Sydney, another club with the potential to overtake the Warriors, scored a thrilling comeback win over the Tigers but lost influential five-eighth John Sutton to a season-ending shoulder dislocation.
Already with an extensive injury toll and with away matches against the Storm and Panthers to come over the next two weeks, the Rabbitohs will likely require more miracles akin to Saturday's thrilling golden point comeback. They scored a try on the final hooter - to stay in the playoff hunt.
The Warriors needed no such dramatics to see off the Sharks, backing a determined defensive effort with six tries, including a second half hat-trick to wing Bill Tupou.
"The performance was very professional, very accurate, exactly what we are looking for at this time of year," coach Ivan Cleary said.
Not always the recipients of favourable refereeing decisions this season, the Warriors received a handy leg-up when Joel Moon was awarded a crucial second half try.
Manu Vatuvei looked to have knocked on while challenging for a cross kick; however, video referee Chris Ward gave the Warriors the benefit of the doubt - a decision that sparked the Sharks' capitulation.
While the margin of victory gave the Warriors' points differential a much needed boost, it was the return of their defensive intensity that set the platform for their success.
Early on in particular,the Warriors' defence was critical to how the game went, Cleary said.
"It gave us confidence and then later on, when it got to about 20-6, I think [Cronulla] probably thought 'we've had a fair crack and we just can't get through'. I think that is what led to the points that came later."
In a match that marked the return of prop Sam Rapira after a 10-week absence with a knee injury, the Warriors took a 14-6 lead to the halftime break courtesy of tries to Brent Tate and James Maloney.
Moon's contentious try seven minutes after the restart gave them a decent buffer before Tupou exploded into life with three tries in the space of 20 minutes.
Heading into Sunday's match against the Knights at Mt Smart Stadium, the Warriors might also be chancing a peak at the top end of the NRL ladder. Locked on 26 points with the Broncos and Sea Eagles, they are now just two points out of third place.
