The Cronulla Sharks beat the Canberra Raiders 32-22 at GIO Stadium Canberra.
Both sides entered the clash eager to recover from disappointing home defeats the previous week.
An early professional foul by Raiders prop Corey Horsburgh saw him sin-binned and tensions rise.
The first try came from Sharks second-rower Teig Wilton, who burst through on the left and was converted by Nicho Hynes to make it 6-0.
Shortly after, centre KL Iro sliced the same left edge to add another try, with Hynes again landing the extras to push the margin to 12-0.
About 16 minutes in Raider winger Xavier Savage produced a strong run on the left and fed Kaeo Weekes, who finished under the posts.
Ethan Sanders' conversion reduced the deficit to 12-6 and gave Canberra some momentum.