August 11, 2002: The Sharks played host to a Knights side who had triumphed in the year prior, and who again would look to feature heavily come the business-end of the season.
Heading into the Round 22 clash, the Novocastrians had the edge over the Sharks, having defeated Cronulla at the previous two outings.
With the Sharks side looking to cement a spot inside the top four at the time, the 17,000-plus fans in attendance were treated to one of the finest performances in the club’s history.
Not to be overwhelmed by a side boasting the would-be immortal Andrew Johns – and the likes of origin stars Robbie O’Davis and Ben Kennedy – a Brett Kimmorley-inspired Sharks outfit piled on 64 points at the then, Toyota Park.
Captain Kimmorley starred on that afternoon, scoring two tries and converting 10 goals on his way to re-writing the Cronulla record books.
While Kimmorley’s 28 points still stands as the highest amount of points scored by a single player in one match, the 50-point win remains the second largest victory in Cronulla’s history.
On that day, Paul Gallen made just his 19th appearance for the club, while recently retired Sharks hooker John Morris came off the bench for the visitors.
Cronulla Sharks 64 [TRIES: Matthew Rieck (3), Brett Kimmorley (2), Paul Mellor (2), David Peachey (2), Chris McKenna, Dean Treister. GOALS: Brett Kimmorley (10/12)]
Def. Newcastle Knights 14 [TRIES: Matthew Gidley, Andrew Johns, Timana Tahu. GOALS: Andrew Johns (1/2), Daniel Abraham (0/1)]
