Inspired Sharks channel Olympic spirit in victory

OLYMPIAN Lachie Miller had a sensational NRL debut at fullback and Nicho Hynes stepped up on his return to halfback to inspire the Sharks to a 25-18 win over the Titans.

The 27-year-old Miller, who represented Australia in sevens rugby at the Tokyo Olympics, split the Gold Coast defence to score an 80m cracker in the second half to cap a memorable match in front of his family at CBUS Super Stadium.

The win took the Sharks to fourth on the ladder and has put another nail in the coffin of the Titans’ finals hopes.

After the scores were locked at 6-all at the break, Hynes supported Ronald Mulitalo down the middle of the park to score and then put Mulitalo in with a three-man cut-out pass.

Miller then put his stamp on the match when the Titans watched a bomb bounce. Miller swooped and his electrifying speed did the rest.

Only four points separate the Sharks and the Dragons in 11th as the fight for top eight spots intensifies. It was a vital win for Cronulla and they had big contributions from hooker Blayke Brailey and centre Siosifa Talakai.

Miller lived up to the wraps about his talents, making 254m from 19 runs with nine tackle breaks.