Cronulla have put on a show for skipper Paul Gallen's club record-breaking 329th match, beating North Queensland 42-16 to make up for an otherwise disappointing night for the milestone man.
Gallen left the field late in the first half with a suspected rib injury and did not return, but he moved one game ahead of Sharks great Andrew Ettingshausen's previous mark of 328 first-grade appearances.
"I think it's a rib cartilage, so it will need to get scanned ... he said he felt he popped it," Sharks coach John Morris told AAP.
"He's played with these a few times in his 329 games but we will see how he handles it going forward."
Even without Gallen, the Sharks' pack had the upper hand.
The hosts began Saturday evening's game in Townsville minus injured star lock Jason Taumalolo and it showed after a second-half blitz from Cronulla. The Sharks marched the Cowboys upfield at will, finishing the match with 30 tackle busts to 12.
The visitors began strongly and turned their possession and pressure advantage into the game's first try, halfback Chad Townsend reaching out after receiving a perfect Gallen offload close to the line.
But as the possession turned, so did the game. Cowboys utility forward John Asiata showed impressive footwork to break through the line, before captain Michael Morgan threw an inside pass to prop Jordan McLean who crashed over the Cronulla defence.
The Cowboys led shortly after when Sosaia Feki bungled a Te Maire Martin grubber, allowing the North Queensland fullback to pounce on his own kick.
But whatever Cronulla coach John Morris said at halftime had immediate impact as the Sharks returned a different side, shocking the Cowboys with 30 unanswered points.
Second-rower Briton Nikora jumped on a Shaun Johnson kick, then a blistering run from hooker Jayden Brailey split the defence for Townsend to score his second.
Josh Dugan bashed his way over, centre partner Josh Morris nabbed a double and Blayke Brailey scored on the siren to complete the Cowboys' nightmare.
"Whatever I said (at halftime), I need to throw that speech in the bin," an exasperated Cowboys coach Paul Green said.
"Our ability to defend our errors was the biggest difference in the second half. We lost confidence and were dwelling on the errors, over-thinking about what we needed to do in defence."
North Queensland will host Canberra next Saturday, while Cronulla are away to Parramatta.