NRL Magic Round: Cronulla Sharks beat Parramatta Eels, Sydney Roosters punish Dolphins

Thanks for being with us tonight for what was an excellent evening's entertainment.

Magic Round is up and running with a flash and a bang, with two excellent games to kick us off.

There's three more contests for you tomorrow, with the Rabbitohs and Knights getting us underway at 2:00pm AEDT.

We'll be here for that, and we look forward to you joining us.

Thanks from myself and Jon Healy, goodnight.

The Roosters have beaten the Dolphins 36-26 in a rollercoaster contest at Lang Park.

Despite dominating the first half, the Roosters only led 14-8 and had lost Sandon Smith to a head knock inside the opening 10 minutes.

Robert Toia, Victor Radley and Mark Nawaqanitawase had the Roosters in control before Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scored just before the break against the run of play.

A penalty to end the half inexplicably narrowed the gap.

But in the second half, the Roosters ran rampant, with Nawaqanitawase, Radley and Connor Watson all scoring.

The Dolphins were not done though, with Tabuai-Fidow and Herbie Farnworth scoring within two minutes of each other in a bid to launch an unlikely comeback.

But Toia's second try sealed the deal for the Roosters, despite a late try from Kodi Nikorima.

Tedesco was astonishing for the Roosters, running for a game-high 212 metres with two line breaks and two try assists.

That's nice from Nikorima.

Nikorima threw a monster dummy and then took off with acceleration that would make a MotoGP rider's eye's water.

He spins past James Tedesco and bounces over the line.

The gap is now 10 points.

There's just four-and-a-half minutes left...

Roosters lead 36-26.

That's a superb try to wrest back momentum from the Roosters.

But it was another James Tedesco line break that got the Roosters on the front foot.

Another 70 metres - straight down the middle and was only hauled down 10 metres down.

The Roosters move the ball right and it's Toia, the Redcliffe Dolphins junior, a Brisbane boy, who scores another to seal the win.

It's 36-20.

Hold that thought...

The Dolphins have scored another!

A floated pass to Herbie Farnworth in the corner and he scoots over for another.

Surely not. I mean, they've been hopeless for 90 per cent of this match...

But the gap is now just 12 points...

Two converted tries, 10 minutes to get them.

It's 32-20.

A neat score from the Hammer, who just slices through the Roosters line and then, with that unbelievable fleetness of foot, just ghosted away from the chasing defenders.

The kick is good from the sideline to keep the team and supporters just about interested, but not enough to be convinced that a fight-back is on the cards.

It's 32-14.

Billy Smith has just pulled off a brilliant try-saver!

Ray Stone was as good as over the line.

But Smith dived from a mile away and just did enough to dislodge the ball.

Insane save.

Stone, who never looks exactly delighted with himself on a footy field, looks like he's about to go and do damage to something.

He is furious with himself.

James Tedesco is having a very good night so far, running for a game-high 190 metres off 16 runs so far.

If you need an indication as to the competitiveness of any game, look for when the Mexican Wave starts.

Inside an hour for this game, which is no longer holds any promise of a contest unless something really remarkable happens.

Fair few empty seats visible on the sideline opposite us in this game as Brisbanites and visitors alike give up on this and head to the city for an early night.

Still, at least they didn't clock off as early as the Dolphins have in this game...

Daniel Tupou broke free down the left.

He passed inside to Connor Watson, who showed a clean pair of heels to go over in the corner.

From deep inside their own half, the Roosters have struck again.

The Phins are being absolutely eviscerated here.

I said they wouldn't be as bad in this half as they were in the first.

Well, I was wrong.

It's 32-8.

Brilliant from the Roosters!

Brilliant.

A magical, deft kick from Hugo Savala lays the ball on a plate for the English lock who just has to fall over the line, bouncing through a desperately ineffectual tackle attempt from Isaiya Katoa.

The kick is good and the Chooks lead 26-8.

James Tedesco just ran 50 metres towards the tryline.

There were two Roosters alongside him, but he chose to throw the dummy and go himself and then was hauled down close to the line.

A try gone begging you'd think.

But the danger isn't over for the Dolphins and they are tackled in goal and are forced into the dropout.

Very, very, very, very (you get the idea) easy for the Roosters.

Mark Nawaqanitawase finishes in the corner as the Roosters move from the left to the right.

It was just basic line running, a decoy runner through the middle and all the Dolphins flinched to create the overlap.

The kick is good from the sideline and the gap is back out to 12, Roosters leading 20-8.

The Roosters, defending the Caxton Street end, kick towards Milton Road and the Dolphins will take it back.

Parramatta coach Jason Ryles says he doesn't have cash to say what he really thinks about the officiating in tonight's loss to the Sharks.

"I don't wanna be one of those coaches [who blames referees].

"One, I don't have the runs on the board and two, I don't have enough money to give you my honest opinion. They're human and it is what it is. We need to take it out of their hands. It's us, it's not about the referee."

The focus of it was certainly the decision to penalise Bailey Simonsson for a mid-air tackle on Ronaldo Mulitalo, which looked for all money like a legitimate contest for the ball.

Ryles jokes he'll "have to get a loan off Mitch [Moses]" if he speaks his truth, but remains adamant the officiating is not why they lost the game.

"I've worked for a coach and watched others spend lots of time on that and I just think it's a waste of time. At the end of the day you need to get your own backyard right and sometimes you've got to cross your fingers, but that's life."

Just five days after their heartbreaking golden-point loss to the Tigers on Sunday, the Sharks bounced back with a professional performance to take down the Eels.

At the centre of it was oft-maligned halfback Nicho Hynes, who finished with three try assists, and even that number doesn't account for the true number of tries he created.

It comes after he narrowly missed out on one of the best moments of his career last round when his 45-metre field goal attempt hit the post.

"I haven't heard about him for about four or five weeks, which means he's playing well," Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon said

"Last week there's some criticism there from not icing the game, which is all good, it's fair and reasonable. I don't think he has an issue.

But he stepped up, he smashes one from 50m, one lick of paint away from having his moment in the sun, doesn't get it and he still stepped back up time after time after time when the game's on the line."

Captain Cameron McInnes said Hynes is "in a really good place", which was evident from the beaming grin on his face after the win.

"He's doing so many good things for our team. Even when he doesn't have the ball in his hands he's controlling everything. Really happy for him."

I cannot explain how the Dolphins are within six points at the end of what was a woeful half from the Redcliffe boys.

Like the Bermuda Triangle, Roswell and the NRL high tackle policy, it will remain a mystery to us all.

The Dolphins were in their retro shirts and were playing like a veterans team - slow to the punch and second-best in every facet.

And yet, a moment of brilliance from the Hammer and a late penalty and it's 14-8 at the break.

The Dolphins are unlikely to be as bad in the second half as they were in the first, you'd think, so have the Roosters missed their chance to have put the game to bed?