A miracle defensive play from fullback Will Kennedy allowed in-form playmaker Braydon Trindall to slot the Sharks' match-winning two-point field goal two minutes from fulltime on Saturday night.
Warriors centre Adam Pompey had the chance to send the match into golden point, but pushed a last-second penalty attempt wide to the despair of home fans at Go Media Stadium.
Seconds before Trindall's sealer, Kennedy rushed desperately out of the line to charge down a Te Maire Martin field-goal attempt to put the Warriors in front in the lowest-scoring match of the season.
Instead, Kennedy pulled off an incredible Ashes-like slips catch to steal possession in one of the plays of the season.
"I don't even know how he caught that. That was crazy but, yeah, unbelievable win and full credit to the boys," Trindall said.
The upshot of a fourth straight win was Cronulla bursting from the pack to surge from eighth on the ladder to fifth, above the Sydney Roosters and behind only the Dolphins and Manly on points differential.
Even without State of Origin reps Addin Fonua-Blake and injured stars Nicho Hynes and Blues hooker Brayden Bailey, the Sharks dug deep to inflict only the second defeat of the season on the second-placed Warriors.
"It's amazing, unreal feeling," Trindall said.
"I just love the boys so much. That was a very gritty win. They were a tough team, the Warriors."
With ferocious defence, as Trindall promised with a pre-game "let's stick it to them" vow, the Sharks dominated the opening quarter hour.
But unable to breach the Warriors' line, the Sharks settled for a Trindall penalty goal to break the deadlock before inspired returning centre Jesse Ramien finally crossed in the 25th minute.
Despite enjoying 24 sets inside the Warriors' quarter, that was the Cronulla's only reward and the visitors were made to pay when Martin scored a soft try for the home team to limit the halftime deficit to two points.
A far cry from the 10-try attacking spectacle in round four, which the Sharks also won, only four points were scored in the second half.
But, ultimately, Trindall scored the most important two to lead the Sharks back to within the cusp of the top four.
"You want to win those big games like that and it'll give us a lot of confidence heading into next week," he said.
But there will be residual implications after three players - Cronulla co-captain Cameron McInness, Sharks interchange hooker Jayden Berrell and Warriors forward Eddie Ieremia-Toeava - were placed on report.
The Warriors remain second and well in line for an all-important top-two finish and home final, but sit six competition points behind Penrith after missing the chance to open up a gap on the pursuing pack.
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