Cronulla have recorded their third win in a row by dominating Newcastle 18-0, highlighted by popular forward Aiden Tolman scoring a try in his 300th NRL game.
Props don't often get the plaudits they deserve but the meagre crowd at PointsBet Stadium on Friday night was on its feet when Tolman crashed through three Knights bodies for his four-pointer.
He becomes the 10th player to score a try in their 300-milestone game but is the first front-rower to do so.
The Sharks seem destined for extreme weather games.
Last week they battled torrential rain for their win over St George Illawarra and this time it was a blustery southerly.
The bulk of their points came from four tries with Nicho Hynes converting just one of them.
The wind was so savage Cronulla regained possession from the kick-off as the southerly blew the ball back towards them.
The gusty conditions also contributed to the modest 8-0 half-time score.
Despite some entertaining end-to-end football, the first points didn;'t arrive until Tolman came on to replace Braden Hamlin-Uele in the 23rd minute.
A few touches later he was celebrating the Sharks opening try.
The 33-year-old had only scored 15 times in 299 games but 'sweet 16' came one pass off the ruck from close range.
That seemed to warm up Cronulla who began to dominate and were rewarded before the braek when Sione Katoa leapt over his opposite winger Enari Tuala to score in the 39th.
Fans were wondering if Newcastle's Tyson Frizell would get in on the act in his 200th NRL game but the Knights forward strained his hamstring in the 54th minute, he left the field and didn't return.
The visitors' cause wasn't helped when winger Dominic Young was placed in the sin bin in the 60th minute for a lifting tackle.
Siosifa Talakai wrong-footed and fended his way to the try line in the 68th while the Knights were down to 12 men to extend the margin.
Stand-in centre Talakai then pushed away Dane Gagai in the lead-up to a brilliant team try finished off by Will Kennedy in the 75th -- which Hynes converted.
The loss was the first time Newcastle had been held scoreless since a 40-0 loss to Penrith in March 2017 -- while the Sharks hadn't been able to achieve the feat against the Knights since their premiership year in 2016.
