Nikora scores three as Sharks secure home final

A Briton Nikora hat-trick helped the Sharks secure home field advantage for week one of the Telstra Premiership finals, with their 38-16 victory over the Knights on Sunday seeing them leapfrog the Cowboys into second place on the ladder. 

The result means Cronulla will host North Queensland at PointsBet Stadium next week, a venue in which they have won nine of their 10 games at this season, however the Sharks may face a nervous wait to find out the extent of the ankle injury Siosifa Talakai suffered late in the match.

Talakai was able to walk from the field, while Knights forward Mat Croker was sent to the sin bin following the hip-drop style tackle. 

The Sharks scored two length-of-the-field tries through Luke Metcalf and Jesse Ramien, while Nikora opened the scoring and added two more in the second half to ensure Craig Fitzgibbon's side ran out comfortable winners.

After setting up a pair of tries and kicking five of six conversions, Nicho Hynes was rested for the final five minutes of the match, with Talakai their only significant injury concern. 

Another impressive showing from Lachlan Miller at fullback, which included a try, 198 run metres and 12 tackle breaks will leave Fitzgibbon with a difficult decision to make next week, with regular fullback Will Kennedy in line to return from an ankle injury. 

Match snapshot

• Briton Nikora stretched out to score his fifth try of the season and put the Sharks on the board after 11 minutes, with Nicho Hynes converting. 
• After a break in the action following a melee, Tex Hoy carved through for a try, which he also converted, directly off the ensuing scrum. 
• After coming on to replace Matt Ikuvalu when he left the field for an HIA (which he passed) on 20 minutes, Luke Metcalf scored a length-of-the-field try to give Cronulla the lead again.
• Dom Young then showed a clean set of wheels himself to pick off a looping Nicho Hynes pass and go 100 metres to score.
• Cronulla blew the Knights away with two tries in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, with Nikora grabbing his second before Ronaldo Mulitalo added another. 
• Young crossed for his second to put the Knights back into the contest in the 54th minute, but it wasn't long before the Sharks hit back through a long-range intercept try to former Knight Jesse Ramien, his sixth try in seven games against Newcastle.
• Nikora's third try, and a final-minute strike from Lachlan Miller finished the scoring.
• Mat Croker was sent to the sin bin following a hip-drop style tackle which resulted in Siosifa Talakai leaving the field with an ankle injury. 
• Tyson Frizell was placed on report in the second half for a shoulder charge on Sharks winger Matt Ikuvalu which resulted in Frizell undergoing a HIA, which he passed. 

Play of the game

Nine minutes after entering the game as a HIA replacement for Matt Ikuvalu, Warriors-bound Luke Metcalf made his mark when he scooped up a grubber and raced away for a 98-metre try to give his side the lead. 

What they said

"I thought we tried our backsides off in the first half... we had a couple of moments that showed a lack of experience, so we got beaten in a couple of moments of experience, but I don't think it was through any lack of effort." - Knights coach Adam O'Brien.

"We wanted to sign off on a good (regular) season with a win and earn the right to play at home (in the finals). We've done that. The most important thing today was getting that victory to earn that right, the stakes obviously go right up, the pressure goes right up... we're ready." - Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon. 

What's next 

A home match against the Cowboys awaits the Sharks in week one of the finals, while the Knights' season is over, with the club finishing in 14th place.