North Queensland's season has gone from bad to worse with a Chad Townsend injury compounding a lacklustre 44-6 loss to Cronulla at Shark Park.
After reaching last year's preliminary final, the Cowboys are struggling to replicate their 2022 form and Thursday night's heavy defeat to a Nicho Hynes-inspired Sharks leaves them with a 3-6 win-loss record.
Townsend (calf) went off in the second half and is likely to join fellow co-captain Jason Taumalolo on the sidelines for next week's Magic Round meeting with the Sydney Roosters.
Jeremiah Nanai (hip-drop) and Coen Hess (trip) may join them after both were sin-binned, while fullback Tom Chester hobbled off late.
Cronulla, meanwhile, will head to Brisbane to take on the Dolphins brimming with confidence after another impressive display from NSW State of Origin hopeful Hynes.
The halfback pulled all the strings for his side and was named the inaugural winner of the Paul Green Medal as the Sharks moved up to provisional second spot on the ladder.
Hynes scored a try, kicked eight goals from nine attempts and steered the ship as Cronulla racked up a third consecutive win for the first time this season.
The Cowboys made it easy for the Sharks, starting with a Kyle Feldt error that allowed Hynes to send Siosifa Talakai over after just three minutes.
Hynes added a penalty after a late hit from Hess and when Jesse Ramien dived over, the home side had a 14-point lead in as many minutes.
The Sharks' sizzling attack was matched by their ferocious defence, a feature of their play they have struggled to recapture at times in 2023.
On one set the Sharks kept the Cowboys pinned on their own line by restricting them to just 10 metres across the six-tackle set.
Sione Katoa stepped his way over on the next Cronulla set and only a try from Feldt late in the half prevented the visitors from going in scoreless at the interval.
The Sharks picked up where they left off after the break with a slick flowing move allowing Ronaldo Mulitalo to cross soon after half-time.
Hynes converted and then added a penalty after a high shot on Jack Williams.
The Cowboys were holding their own but the loss of Townsend and the sin-binning of Hess for a high shot on Ramien led to an implosion.
Mulitalo added his second try, before Scott Drinkwater spilled a bomb into Hynes's lap and the Sharks star scored the easiest of tries.
The only blemish for Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon would be late injuries to back rower Briton Nikora and front rower Braden Hamlin-Uele, who was the victim of a hip-drop tackle from Nanai.
It meant the Cowboys were down to 12 players to finish the match, making it easy for hardworking Sharks back rower Teig Wilton to bust his way over for his side's seventh and final try of the evening.
AAP/ABC
