Cronulla have celebrated their return to Shark Park with a dramatic 79th-minute try from Teig Wilton helping to seal a 18-16 NRL win over the Parramatta Eels.
Saturday's game - which also doubled as Craig Fitzgibbon's debut as Sharks coach after missing last week's loss to Canberra with COVID-19 - was the first at Cronulla's home ground in two years.
Cronulla's lack of discipline and halfback Nicho Hynes' inaccuracy with the boot (one from four attempts) nearly cost them until Wilton burrowed over in the last minute and Hynes converted when it mattered most.
The Sharks began brightly when winger Ronaldo Mulitalo opened the scoring down the left after he combined nicely with Connor Tracey and Will Kennedy in the fifth minute.
Either side of Mulitalo's score Oregon Kaufusi and Bailey Simonsson failed to legally ground tries for the Eels, then Sione Katoa extended the Sharks' lead with a try on the half hour mark.
Unfortunately for Cronulla, Hynes was unable to convert either Sharks try and Parramatta cut the deficit to 8-6 when Mitchell Moses scored on the stroke of half-time.
With nothing much happening, Moses took advantage of a flat-footed Sharks defensive line and chipped over the top.
Eels skipper Clint Gutherson tapped the ball inside to five-eighth Dylan Brown who sent it onto Moses to touch down under heavy pressure from Jesse Ramien.
Moses appeared to be struggling with a thigh complaint and Gutherson converted the try before adding a penalty in front of the sticks early in the second half when Wilton tackled Ray Stone off the ball.
Wilton's ill-discipline again allowed Parramatta back into the game when he illegally tackled Moses in the air while kicking with Gutherson notching the ensuing penalty.
Fitzgibbon brought new recruit Cameron McInnes into the fray to a large cheer from the crowd of 11,459.
His introduction seemed to be the spark the Sharks needed, with Hynes setting Tracey up to score with 20 minutes to go.
Any optimism seemed shortlived when Reed Mahoney scored with 15 minutes to go to put the Eels back ahead and Cronulla's Braden Hamlin-Uele dropped the ball over the line.
But then Wilton steamed onto a Matt Moylan pass and scored his late try, converted by Hynes, to send the home supporters into a frenzy.
