Mice Outrun Men
CRONULLA Sharks preference for ''mice'' rather than ''elephants'' is working for them, as coach Ricky Stuart looks to duplicate the success of his old Sydney Roosters sides, whose extreme fitness got them to three consecutive grand finals and a premiership victory.
The Sharks' little men in close and out wide drove the big Brisbane Broncos bonkers at Toyota Park on Friday night before the Sharks won 16-8 - six nights after they did the same to the New Zealand Warriors.
With a back row as big as their front row, Brisbane and coach Wayne Bennett were hopeful the premiers would prove too strong across the park for the Sharks.
Stuart decided to test the Broncos' suspect fitness, implementing darting dummy half running, not only from live-wire hookers Kevin Kingston and Isaac De Gois and back-row forwards Greg Bird and Paul Gallen, but also fullback Brett Kearney (until injured) and wingers Luke Covell and Misi Taulapapa.
To this end, bigger forwards Phil Leuluai and Dayne Weston were dropped off a six-man bench, with the only giant there being Luke Douglas, celebrating his 21st birthday.
While the Sharks right-side gave up two early tries out wide, the defence tightened and, as the Broncos started tiring, their runners were punished.
Stuart made sure his big props didn't stay on the field too long, with second rower Lance Thompson taking over there as Gallen, Bird and Reece Williams the latter celebrating his new three-year contract and entry into a Bachelor of the Year competition made the ugly big Broncos a lot uglier.
Promising centre Fraser Anderson and Bird were the only Sharks' try-scorers, with Kearney's other quadricep forcing the Sharks to attack conservatively in the second half, despite the obvious distress on the Broncos' faces, even before their captain Darren Lockyer limped off.
It must be said the Sharks won the game without brilliant kicking, against the Premiers and six to eight Queensland Origin players, and after a cruel playing schedule for the Sharks City-Country reps. Critics will say the Sharks, given their superiority, should have ''gone on'' with it and put on more tries.
Stuart and his coaching staff, however, were well satisfied.
''Given what we'd been through, I confess I had my worries about how the players would back up,'' Stuart observed. ''But they played the way they trained and it all came off.''
Either Bird or Gallen deserve to be selected for NSW this afternoon, while captain Brett Kimmorley and Queensland Origin prop Ben Ross didn't harm their selection chances.
With the best defence in the NRL prevailing, the Sharks can also rejoice in their first win over the Broncos in the last six outings.
Hooker Kevin Kingston's decision to agree to two more years means the main Sharks forwards have been tied up past 2008,
with the club also negotiating with youngster Dayne Weston and veteran Henry Perenara.
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