Warriors vs Sharks result: Shaun Johnson shines in the last NRL game and leads the Warriors to victory over the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

For Johnson, it ended a 14-year career in the NRL in which he had only played for the Warriors (2011-18, 2022-24) and Sharks (2019-21), but there were still some magical moments – crowned by the final game of his career.

Johnson drifted right as Mitchell Barnett played the ball about 10m from the Sharks line, received the ball on the run from Dylan Walker and didn’t hesitate to throw a long cut-out pass across the face of two teammates to Dallin Watene-Zelezniak; the Warriors winger ran a beautiful line to cut inside to Sharks counterpart Samuel Stonestreet and score the winning goal.

“In terms of the final sequence, I was in a zone that I felt very strongly last year; a zone, a flow, a clear mindset, exactly how I wanted to execute it,” Johnson told Sky Sport.

“We prepared it. It was a three-game combination in which Walksy [Walker] had his fingerprints all over it and we created a look that was exactly what we wanted. I saw Dal [Watene-Zelezniak] out there and he’s a pretty good enforcer, old Dal. You throw one out and he does the rest.”

It was a show-and-go from Johnson who finally broke through the Sharks defence after the Warriors had been better in the early game. The 33-year-old feinted Sharks hooker Blayke Brailey and prop Oregon Kaufusi before straightening up and charging through a gap. Five-eighth Luke Metcalf was there in support and showed his pace to score the first point of the game.

It was one of three assist attempts for Johnson on the night – he began and ended the night with moments of magic – while he had his radar on during the tee shot from the sideline.

Fonua-Blake, who will call Shark Park home next season, made one last big appearance for the Warriors, while Tevaga, who will also play football elsewhere in 2025, made his mark against the starting lineup at prop – notably by saving what looked like a sure-fire try from Brailey.

At halftime, it looked as if the Warriors were heading for a miserable rather than a memorable end.

After Metcalf’s try in the 11th minute, the Sharks took the lead and stormed through the second half at full steam, leading 22-4 at halftime.

The Sharks had two tries disallowed at the start of the second half, but a quick brace from Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak gave the visitors hope.

When Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Marcelo Montoya crossed the line within three minutes, Johnson converted both to give the Warriors the lead.

A late try from Stonestreet put the Sharks back in the lead, but a final moment of magic from Johnson helped Watene-Zelezniak score the third goal and secure the win for the team.

Warrior 30 (Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3, Luke Metcalf, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Marcelo Montoya tries; Shaun Johnson 3 cons)

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 28 (Samuel Stonestreet 2, Dough Wilton, Kayal Iro, Thomas Hazelton; Braydon Trindall 4 cons)

HT: 22-4