The exceptional Sharks led 24-4 at halftime on the Central Coast and carried on their merry way in the second. When the Warriors lose, as they most often do, they lose big.
Next week the Warriors play the champion Roosters, who have three days extra rest, and will be hellbent on bouncing back from a shock loss to the undermanned Raiders.
Then four Warriors players head home, including their absolutely crucial wings Ken Maumalo and David Fusitu'a.
Owner Mark Robinson has been sacking people left right and centre. Forward Jack Hetherington is on report. The club often feels match officials are against them. Coach Todd Payten is a rookie first-grade boss in the middle of a maelstrom.
And you don't want to see the fixture list for the Warriors. Almost all the easy games - if there is such a thing in the NRL - are behind them. Only the Bulldogs offer anything like relief.
And mid-table Cronulla were in no mood for charity.
Shaun Johnson celebrates his try against the Warriors. Photo / Getty
A spectacular long range try from Sione Katoa, set up early in the second half by Johnson, was among the many match highlights for the victors. An obstruction foul from Blake Green, who was sin-binned, only made life harder for the Auckland club in the second half.
About all the Warriors could dwell on with any fondness was a massive hit by interchange forward Agnatius Paasi on Toby Rudolf, who is trying to get out of his agreement to join the Auckland club. Little wonder.
It almost goes without saying these days that the Warriors blew scoring chances in the first half which left them with an uphill battle in the second.
Chief among them: Patrick Herbert failed to ground the ball properly for a try in the sixth minute with the Sharks leading 6-0. It was a heartbreaking moment for a struggling team.
And Cronulla quickly struck to double the agony when William Kennedy scored from a scrum move aimed at the often shaky defensive combination of Peta Hiku and Maumalo. At 12-0 the writing was on the wall inside the 10-minute mark.
Eliesa Katoa of the Warriors looks dejected after a Sharks try. Photo / Getty
The killer blow was provided by Johnson, when he chased his own kick to score just inside the dead-ball line in the 28th minute.
Johnson is the NRL's try assist king but this was his first try of the year and he celebrated with outstretched arms.
With Johnson goalkicking beautifully, the Sharks led 24-4 at the break and there was no way back from there.
Errors from Jamayne Taunoa-Brown and Karl Lawton on attack didn't help the Warriors' cause. Nor did a late hit from Hetherington which saw him put on report.
While the Warriors may have blown early chances, their attack was often stilted anyway. Sharks fullback Josh Dugan showed them how to do it, scooping a great pass out of a double tackle to set up a try to the impressive Ronaldo Mulitalo.
The only light relief for the Warriors came via a Maumalo try, after a Kennedy defensive howler. But it never seemed anything more than a match curio for a team which managed to blow yet another try chance even when it didn't count, in the final minutes although they did get a last-second score to Wayde Egan.
Sharks 46 (S. Katoa 2, J. Ramien 2, B. Hamlin-Uele, W. Kennedy, R Mulitalo, S. Johnson tries; Johnson 7 goals) Warriors 10 (K. Maumalo, W. Egan tries; R. Tuivasa-Sheck goal). Halftime: 24-4
