Cronulla have overcome the absence of around $3 million in big-name players to beat NRL heavyweights Melbourne 20-18 at PointsBet Stadium.
In one of the Sharks’ great backs-to-the-walls efforts, they bore the brunt of the Storm early before taking charge of the match moments before halftime.
John Morris’ men then withstood a late Storm surge, who got back within two points when Ryan Papenhuyzen ran onto a Kenny Bromwich offload with three minutes to play.
Without the likes of Shaun Johnson, Matt Moylan, Wade Graham and Aaron Woods, youngsters Kyle Flanagan and Braden Hamlin-Uele stood up in the Sharks win.
In just his third NRL game, Flanagan rolled in two crucial grubbers that changed the momentum of the match as the Sharks appeared destined to trail 12-6 at the break.
After he forced a line dropout just with a short kick, he grubbered early for rookie Briton Nikora on the ensuing set to put Cronulla back in the match at 12-12.
The 20-year-old then booted the Sharks ahead after the break via a penalty goal, before Hamlin-Uele took the hosts’ lead to eight with a powerful run to the line.
It was the headline moment of a strong game from the bench prop, who finished with four tackle busts to go with his first NRL try.
Winger Sione Katoa was earlier the Sharks’ other try-scorer, the beneficiary of a long cut-out ball from Chad Townsend after a Cameron Munster error.
Flanagan and Townsend then controlled the game, keeping 63 per cent of the ball in the second half.
It marked the first time the Sharks have scored 20 in a match against the Storm since way back in 2005 – some 23 match-ups ago.
The Storm had earlier been the best team of the opening half hour, with Josh Addo-Carr and Jesse Bromwich both crossing for tries as they pushed for their seventh win in eight games.
But they were also left to rue a denied four-pointer to Addo-Carr, when it was ruled that Kenny Bromwich had obstructed Flanagan in the defensive line.