NRL live updates: Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs vs Cronulla ...

Absolutely superb from William Kennedy.

Sione Katoa caught the ball in the corner and then passed the ball into Kennedy, who launched through a gap and then made 50 metres up field in a weaving run before Curran brings him down.

The Sharks are in superb position but then a reverse pass from Hynes to a rampaging Royce Hunt is called forward.

A loose pass from Tom Hazelton goes to ground and hands the ball back to the Sharks, only for Jacob Kiraz to throw a forward pass soon after to Josh Curran.

The Sharks kick to the Bulldogs this time, and the battle is rejoined.

There's a bit of push and shove as Reed Mahoney - the most likely aside from Stephen Crichton., who is there as well - gets into Nicho Hynes.

The pair where forehead to forehead there, both muttering at each other as is the way of Mahoney.

This has been a hugely attritional game so far, so a bit of niggle is to be expected - but the referee has said that the next coming together will see someone get sent to the sin bin.

Very few phases of play have involved anything more than a couple of passes before the runners go back into each other, testing that tight edge defence of the Sharks.

It's been brutal, but the Bulldogs are leading.

For the first time in the game, almost, the ball is spun wide and Sione Katoa made the linebreak down the right.

He cuts back inside and is cut down.

The Sharks recycle and move the ball right the way to the left side only for Ronaldo Mulitalo to be smashed by Jeral Skelton - the Bulldogs winger stopping his opposite number dead with a thunderous hit.

Royce Hunt is listed at 114 kg - and he looked every gram of that as he rolled towards the line, needing three Dogs to hold him up.

Now the Dogs have two tackles to defend - and they do it!

Good tackle on Mulitalo and then there's a little skirmish that Crichton - still fired up and unable to channel any of that aggression with any ball so far, so narrow has the play been through the opening half hour - is right in the middle of it.

Oh dear!

Jacob Kiraz looked to reach out and pluck the ball out of the air reaching over the far sideline.

But he dropped it!

A bit of inexperience for the player who had never been named at fullback in his NRL career until tonight.

He may have thought it was a 40:20 but it was not going to be - now the Sharks have great field position.

The Sharks wanted to challenge that Ronaldo Mulitalo knocked the ball on trying to tap it back.

He is ruled - incredibly it has to be said - that he did not knock the ball on into the hand of Jeral Skelton, but Siosifa Talakai then did knock the ball on so the challenge is unsuccessful.

Burton and Kikau both do really well on a rampaging Briton Nikora, who drops the ball as he charged through the line between those two Bulldogs.

The chance goes begging.

Braydon Trindall almost got to the rolling ball sent into the ingoal from Hynes, Matt Burton just getting back and kicking the ball dead.

A sixth-consecutive set coming up for the Sharks.

The first three penalties went the way of the Bulldogs and allowed them to have great field position.

Now the next three have gone the way of the Sharks as Bailey Hayward flops on the tackler.

The Sharks have great field position now.

Lovely stuff from the Sharks.

Fast play the balls, fast straight running and they are rewarded with a try.

It's Briton Nikora who turned back inside against the grain and then spun out of two tackles to dot down.

There is a bit of afters there from Max King, who is upset about something, perhaps just a look from Nikora to the beaten Bulldogs defenders.

Hynes adds the easy extras from dead in front and it's 12-6.

Viliame Kikau is on report for a high shot on Braydon Trindall.

The Sharks are suring forward now though.

And finally the Sharks are going to have a chance with the ball.

The Bulldogs have had 66 per cent possession so far, running for 447 metres to just 186.

The Sharks need to do something here, starting on the 50 from the penalty.

Reed Mahoney stretched out and plants the ball down!

Another set restart, again Mahoney's grubber being played back to the Bulldogs.

He got up and let loose a pass to Burton, who so nearly got through the line.

Then, from the next play the ball, Mahoney darts over from dummy half against a tired-looking Sharks defence.

The kick is good and the Bulldogs lead 12-0.

Not happening for the Sharks at the moment.

Nicho Hynes just kicked the ball straight into the hands of Jeral Skelton where he really should have found some grass.

Then a big looping kick towards Will Kennedy forces the knock on from the Sharks fullback, with Hynes in an offside position as he fielded the ball.

Stephen Crichton looks very, very fired up as well in defence for the Bulldogs, keeping that intensity going from midweek.

The Bulldogs did lead 6-0 in round 2 after Briton Nikora was sent to the sin bin.

So this is not unheard of.

The Sharks won that game 25-6.

The Sharks though did trail 22-0 last time out against the Dolphins, and conceded first the week before that against the Broncos, so they have been slow starters of late.

Oh it's a horror end to the set for the Sharks defensively!

Viliame Kikau had to grubber the ball forward himself after the Dogs went nowhere despite earning a repeat set, Toby Rudolf slid across to smother the ball, missed it, Braydon Trindall was there and shied away from the contact with his prop and Kikau just dotted down.

A poor error defensively.

The kick is good and the Dogs lead 6-0.