Ronaldo Mulitalo ‘fired up like never before’ as rivals clashed in chaotic win over the Storm at Shark Park

Nicho Hynes has finally broken his losing streak against the Melbourne Storm as Cronulla secured a valiant victory, much to the dismay of their rivals during their Sydney visit.

The fierce rivalry simmered throughout the match, ultimately boiling over as the final whistle approached.

With just one minute left on the clock, the Storm found themselves five points behind when Ryan Papenhuyzen fumbled the ball while charging through the centre.

The fullback appeared to be attempting an offload to his supporting teammates when he made the mistake, with Ronaldo Mulitalo hovering over Papenhuyzen in celebration.

This celebration ignited some pushing and shoving, quickly managed by referee Adam Gee as the siren sounded. However, Gee awarded a penalty to the Storm, citing a high shot from Siosifa Talakai on Papenhuyzen.

“The fans are on their feet, on the edge of their seats,” remarked Mick Ennis on Fox League.

The Storm collected their penalty near the 30-metre mark as Cameron Munster sent a towering kick into the air for Grant Anderson and Xavier Coates to chase down.

Both players were unable to secure possession against Mulitalo, who lost the ball upon landing and was struck high by Papenhuyzen.

“Things have heated up more than usual now. Ronaldo Mulitalo appears to have taken a hit,” commentary by Dan Ginnane on Fox League noted.

“He charges in. We might not be finished here,” Ennis added.

A brawl ensued in-goal as a replay of Papenhuyzen’s hit was shown on the big screens, angering Mulitalo, who had to be restrained by teammates from going after the Storm fullback.

With the game concluded, no penalty was issued; however, referee Gee confirmed that Papenhuyzen would have faced a sin binning had time still been on the clock.

“It was a chaotic finish, but what a fantastic night overall,” Ginnane remarked.

“This is destined to be a memorable win for the Sharks. Just listen to that crowd.”

Earlier in the game, Mulitalo delivered a swinging arm on Sualauvi Faalogo, igniting an explosive contest in front of a home crowd.

Faalogo was briefly down on the pitch as the action spilled over the sidelines, leading referee Adam Gee to deliver an immediate warning to both sides.

“He really came in hard and collected Faalogo high. That was fierce,” commented Ennis.

“The contact seemed more serious live, but it was just a slip over the top. It was light contact.”

Despite the earlier incident, the determined Cronulla side fought back, with Mulitalo charging down the sideline to level the scores at 6-all by the seventh minute.

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Injuries struck Jesse Ramien, who was poked in the eye, and Samuel Stonestreet, who faced a foot injury, both addressed before the 25-minute mark.

However, a scoring spree soon transformed the Sharks’ fortunes, with Addin Fonua-Blake, Daniel Atkinson, and KL Iro all crossing the line to give the Sharks a 24-12 lead.

To prevent a potential comeback from the Storm, Braydon Trindall kicked a field goal, amplifying Cronulla’s lead to 25-12 as the halftime break approached.

Even with a second-half hat-trick from Xavier Coates and a try from Nick Meaney, the Storm couldn’t overcome the Sharks, who saw Daniel Atkinson power over for a double.