Cronulla forges ahead

Press, 11 July 1988, Page 24

Cronulla forges ahead

NZPA Sydney Cronulla stretched its winning streak to seven matches when it beat Sydney rugby league leader Canterbury, 1810, yesterday.

At the end of the seventeenth round of Winfield Cup, Cronulla moved up to share the lead with Canterbury and Penrith.

Although missing the New Zealand prop, Dane Sorensen, out because of a shoulder injury, Cronulla played with great spirit to lead, 10-6, at half-time.

The Kangaroo player, Tony Currie, levelled the scores with a try, but Cronulla stuck to its task, with field goals slotted over by Alan Wilson and man-of-the-match Michael Speechley. Cronulla sealed victory in the last seconds when the halfback, Barry Russell, dashed 30m from the scrum

base to score under the posts. The defending champion, Manly, put the final nail in the coffin of North Sydney’s semi-final chances with a 2218 win.

North Sydney lacked the tajent and experience of Mark Graham and Clayton Friend, both on international duty for New Zealand, while Newcastle yesterday must have lamented the absence of strongmen Sam Stewart and Adrian Shelford, who were similarly committed.

The league tailender, Western Suburbs, in its first game since Laurie Freier was sacked as coach, overpowered Newcastle Knights, 14-4, at Newcastle. After being locked at 4-4, the battling Magpies raced away for a match-winning break with two tries in as many minutes early s-ln the second half. '<

The New Zealand fullback, Tony Kemp, and the fiveeighths, Robbie McCormack, were the only Knights to sparkle in a disappointing display. The blockbusting centre, Mai Meninga, in his second game since breaking his arm, spearheaded Canberra to a 24-8 rugby league win against St George — scoring two tries and kicking two goals. On Friday South Sydney ran in six tries to two in hammering 35-10 an Eastern Suburbs- side which featured the former All Black, Kurt Sherlock, in a rare first grade appearance. Balmain 22 beat Parramatta 6; Brisbane 8 beat Penrith 6; Manly 22 beat North Sydney 18; Western Suburbs 14 beat Newcastle 4; Canberra 24 beat St George 8; Cronulla 18 beat Canterbury 10; Gold Cast 25 beat lllawarra 10.