Before a ball had even been kicked this season, Cronulla seemingly had a fullback crisis.
Kade Dykes marked his 21st birthday with a season-ending knee injury. That setback occurred just two days after the club released another very capable custodian, Lachlan Miller, to continue his career in Newcastle.
It left the Sharks with just one No.1. Perhaps that is all they need.
When debate arises around the best fullbacks in the game, Will Kennedy’s name isn’t mentioned. That may soon change. Having only just signed a new contract that will keep him in the Shire until the end of 2025, Kennedy celebrated with a first-half hat-trick in his side’s 33-20 win over Canterbury at Accor Stadium.
Each try showcased a different skill set. The first was reward for backing up in the middle of the field, to convert an opportunity created by Nico Hynes and Briton Nikora. The second was a reminder of his leaping ability, as he soared above counterpart Hayze Perham. And his final scoring act was the sale of two dummies that the Bulldogs defence duly bought.
The three strikes occurred in a helter-skelter six-minute period that effectively proved the difference. It took Kennedy’s try haul to nine for the season, just one shy of ladder leader Maika Sivo.
Will Kennedy dives over for one of his three tries against the Bulldogs.Credit: NRL Photos
Despite the setbacks, the hosts threatened to make a game of it. Canterbury had only two genuine attacking opportunities in the opening stanza and nailed them both. Braidon Burns, in his first game of the year, scored on the right, Declan Casey down the left. Come half-time, they trailed by just four points.
The Bulldogs attack was again run by Matt Burton and Kyle Flanagan, although they swapped jerseys and the responsibilities that come with them.
The hope was that with Burton wearing the No.7, he would run the show. However, the playmaker’s greatest asset is his running game, yet he ran only once during the opening hour of the contest. When he did take on the line, it proved effective. Late in the game the former Panther used his speed and footwork to pierce a hole to set up Corey Waddell for a try.
If he is to contest for a NSW centre spot – Jack Wighton’s decision to retire from representative football helps his chances – Burton will need to do it more often.
The Sharks never genuinely felt threatened, although they only did as much as required. They scored twice in the second half, through Matt Moylan and Sione Katoa, to open up a seemingly insurmountable lead.
However, defensive lapses kept Canterbury in it until almost the very end. The sight of Ronaldo Mulitalo butchering a certain try, by putting his hand into touch when he had acres of real estate in which to put the ball down, summed up the night.
Ultimately, the Sharks did enough to record their first back-to-back wins of the campaign, a sequence they will seek to continue when they host the Cowboys on Thursday.
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