NRL: Gallen leads Sharks to victory

Paul Gallen in action for the Sharks. Photo / Getty Images

A Paul Gallen-inspired Cronulla heaped more pressure on under-fire Canterbury coach Kevin Moore with a thoroughly deserved 26-10 NRL win over the Bulldogs on Sunday at ANZ Stadium.

Gallen, backing up from his heroic State of Origin effort for NSW on Wednesday, scored a try, had a hand in another and clocked up more than 150 metres.

The lowly Sharks recorded their first win over the Bulldogs since 2007 and tasted success at Homebush for the first time in three years.

The Bulldogs were forced into making two late changes with NSW hooker Michael Ennis ruled out after a cut he sustained to his ear during Origin II became infected.

Utility forward Corey Payne was also scratched due to a hamstring injury, with Josh Reynolds coming into the side and Dene Halatau filling in for Ennis.

Jamal Idris was stood down for the game after missing a training session last week.

The Sharks opened the scoring through a Chad Townsend penalty after 12 minutes and extended their advantage when Ben Pomeroy latched onto Nathan Gardner's excellent grubber kick to score.

Shane Flanagan's side, who welcomed back Jeremy Smith from an ankle injury, had the Bulldogs' much-vaunted forward pack firmly on the ropes in the opening half, with Kade Snowden looking back to his best in the front row.

Gardner added his fifth try of the season with 25 minutes on the clock, catching the hosts flat-footed with a darting run from 15 metres to squirm his way over in the left corner.

The Sharks continued to press and looked fully in control of the game but, despite their superiority, found themselves leading by only two points at the break as the Bulldogs fought back.

Pomeroy had a glorious chance to add his second try, but grassed the ball with the line at his mercy, Sam Kasiano reacted quickest and flicked a pass to Ben Barba and the fleet-footed fullback raced 80 metres to score.

And on the stroke of halftime, the Dogs went over again, when Kasiano brokeclear and found Reynolds in space and the young playmaker charged over the line.

The ill discipline which blighted the Moore's side in the opening stanza continued after the break.

Successive penalties against Michael Hodgson and Reynolds allowed the Sharks to move themselves upfield and Gallen was on hand to score his side's third try.

Anthony Tupou was instrumental in the build-up, producing a superb disguised pass to put his skipper into space to run over Kris Keating and score.

Townsend kicked the conversion to stretch his side's lead to eight points and then added his second penalty of the afternoon.

And with six minutes remaining, Wade Graham wrapped up the win when Tupou and Gallen linked up again, and the former Penrith five-eighth applied the finishing touches to inflict a fifth defeat in six games for Moore's side.

- AAP