Sharks sink Cowboys to book prelim

Sharks playmaker Braydon Trindall led his side to a hoodoo busting 26-18 defeat of the Cowboys to set up a grand final qualifier against Penrith next week.

Trindall scored two tries and laid on another as the Sharks stormed to a 24-0 halftime lead and hung on to end a seven-match losing streak in finals matches.

Taking on responsibility for Cronulla's kicking game, Trindall forced four goal line dropouts and produced 20 kicks totalling 641 metres.

North Queensland fought back in the second half, with Valentine Holmes scoring two tries but he and fellow Cowboys back Kyle Feldt finished their last match for the club on the sideline after being injured.

The first penalty in the game was a penalty try after Cowboys prop Rueben Cotter took out Trindall as he chased a kick in the 14th minute and both referee Ashley Klein and the Bunker believed the Sharks playmaker would have scored.

The try gave the Sharks an immediate boost and Cam McInnes crossed two minutes later after winger Ronaldo Mulitalo tapped back a Nicho Hynes bomb for Teig Wilton, who passed to his skipper to score. 

Wilton looked set to be the next to score after a long range Mulitalo break but the Kiwi winger's pass was touched in flight by Jake Clifford.

Trindall then finished a brilliant Sharks try after launching a bomb that bounced up for centre Jesse Ramien, who produced a flick pass for the five-eighth to score.  

Mulitalo extended the lead after Trindall combined with centre Kayal Iro to create an overlap for the star winger to simply stroll over out wide just before halftime and Sharks fans were thinking about meeting Penrith next weekend.

However, it was a different Cowboys team in the second half as Dragons-bound centre Val Holmes inspired a stunning comeback that fell just short.

Holmes sparked the fightback when he stepped inside Toby Rudolf and Will Kennedy to score in the 42nd minute.

Cotter scored in the 55th minute after Sione Katoa spilled a Tom Dearden bomb and the Maroons five-eighth picked up before passing to his unmarked co-captain.

Holmes scored his second in the 70th minute but suffered a knee injury in the process and later had to be assisted from the field, joining departing winger Kyle Feldt on the sideline.