NRL: Sharks down lacklustre Roosters

Anthony Tupou of the Sharks is tackled. Photo / Getty Images

Cronulla Sharks 18
Sydney Roosters

Cronulla ended a five-game NRL losing streak with a hard-fought 18-4 victory over a lacklustre Sydney Roosters outfit on Sunday.

In front of a healthy home crowd of 14,459 at Toyota Stadium, Sharks skipper Paul Gallen had a brilliant game and scored one of Cronulla's four tries, but he will enter the NSW State of Origin camp under an injury cloud after battling on with a shoulder problem in the second half.

Ben Pomeroy scored a double and Stewart Mills crossed on debut as the Sharks easily held off the Roosters, whose only points came from a try to centre Kane Linnett on the stroke of halftime.

Linnett suffered a dislocated shoulder in the act of scoring the try, while Cronulla's hooker Paul Aiton's season is in serious doubt after he left the field in the second half with what appeared to be a serious knee injury.

Not even the return of troubled five-eighth Todd Carney from a three-week ban was enough to inspire a Roosters team devoid of attacking ideas.

Cronulla produced a stirring second half defensive display, repelling wave after wave of Roosters attack, which rarely looked threatening.

Cronulla's stand-in fullback Isaac Gordon typified Cronulla's defensive spirit, stopping seemingly certain tries to Mitchell Pearce and Tom Symonds in one seven minute period in the second half.

Pomeroy opened the scoring when he took advantage of a mix-up between inexperienced Roosters Steve Naughton and Linnett in the 12th minute, before Gallen extended the lead 10 minutes later when he brushed aside Pearce to stroll over, though both tries went unconverted.

An intercept try to Pomeroy in the 77th minute iced the game and consigned the Roosters to their fifth consecutive loss.

CRONULLA 18 (B Pomeroy 2 P Gallen S Mills tries M Wright goal) bt SYDNEY ROOSTERS 4 (K Linnett try) at Toyota Stadium. Referee: Shayne Hayne, Gavin Morris. Crowd: 14,459.

- AAP