‘Just s***house’: Shark’s brutal ‘rat’s arse’ call on SF nightmare ... and bitter farewells

Ronaldo Mulitalo has slammed the Sharks’ “s***house” performance in their semi final loss to the Roosters, saying it was a poor way to send off several club greats.

Having endured a nightmare start to concede a try to Lindsay Collins and lose Nicho Hynes to concussion less than three minutes after kick-off, the Sharks recovered to a 12-10 scoreline when Mulitalo crossed in the 23rd minute.

But from there, it was one-way traffic, with the Roosters scoring six tries to zero – five coming after half time – to set up a preliminary final blockbuster against the Dolphins with an emphatic 46-10 win.

WHAT'S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.

Watch every game of the 2026 NRL Telstra Premiership Finals Series before the Grand Final LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

When asked about the loss on Triple M, the always blunt Mulitalo didn’t mince his words.

“Just really disappointed,’ he said.

“We saved our worst game for last.

“We let ourselves down, we let our fans down, all the ones that turned up.”

Mulitalo’s day was made tougher after two second-half tries from rival winger Mark Nawaqanitawase, with a Roosters fan’s amusing sign of the pair of them drawing laughs aplenty.

‘HE HAD A MOMENT’: Fitzy reveals stunning Hynes act

ROBBO’S BLUNT VERDICT ON DCE TRIP … and big Walker reveal

SHARKS RATINGS: Surprise weakness under the microscope

ROOSTERS RATINGS: DCE’s epic reply to critics

The Sharks were dealt an awful hand from the rugby league gods on Saturday night, with Hynes ruled out in the opening minutes after a hit to the head in a tackle attempt.

They then lost centre Mawene Hiroti to a suspected PCL injury after he collided with an advertising hoarding attempting to run down a Braydon Trindall chip.

It was enough for coach Craig Fitzgibbon to declare “what possibly could have gone wrong, did go wrong” in his post-match press conference.

But Mulitalo wasn’t prepared to give his Sharks an excuse, saying the pair’s replacements – and the team as a whole – needed to step up and fill the void.

“Just had to stay in the fight,” he said of an 18-10 half time score that had the Sharks still a chance of a comeback.

“We obviously lost Nicho pretty early, which doesn’t help, and then we lost our centre, so it was a whole new edge out there.

“But this is the NRL: if you’re not good enough to step up then you shouldn’t be in here.

“No excuses, just rat’s arse.

“We couldn’t control the middle, their forward pack just ran rampant on us. (We were) on the back foot all day. I don’t think we touched the ball for about 15 minutes in that back end.

“We saved our worst performance for last, so really disappointed.”

Mulitalo, one of several current Sharks who graduated from feeder club Newtown’s NSW Cup win in 2019, was particularly disappointed that the performance makes for a poor way to farewell several Cronulla greats.

Captain Cam McInnes is departing for the Super League, while cult heroes Siosifa Talakai and Sione Katoa, as well as Hiroti and centre Jesse Ramien, are also bidding the Sharks goodbye.

“Those guys deserved better,” Mulitalo, who played with Talakai and Katoa in that 2019 NSW Cup premiership, told Triple M.

“ Cam McInnes, Sifa Talakai, Sione Katoa have served this club well.

“It’s just s***house that this is their last memory.

“I’m going to get off the field, enjoy beers with them, and say some goodbyes.”

The semi-final exit ends a topsy-turvy season for the Sharks.

Fitzgibbon’s team were in the top four as late as Round 23, before losing their last two home-and-away games to finish fifth.