The Sharks started with all the running, posting first points through prop Liam Ryan, but a double to Jake Clarke, the second on the stroke of halftime, and another four-pointer to Jarryd Smith swung momentum back to the visitors.

It gave the Roos a 14-6 halftime lead that quickly blew out to 20-6 when Mark Asquith crossed 10 minutes into the second stanza, with the competition leaders running with it from there. Jye Brooker grabbed an opportunitic intercept to briefly peg things back before Asquith's second put the game to bed.

"I thought our attack was a bit off today but I was still really proud of the way the boys turned up when they had to when we were under the pump," captain-coach Jono Dallas said.

"I wasn't really that happy with how we played discipline-wise, we gave them so many free passes out of their end. Shellharbour threw a fair bit at us and looked pretty dangerous and we were good enough to put them away.

"They were obviously really up for the game, it was a big day for them. It was never going to be an easy game... it was a tester but I'm glad we showed enough resilience to get through it."

Elsewhere on Sunday, Warilla were too good for Nowra-Bomaderry at Rugby Park, claiming a 42-20 win, while Albion Park saw off Milton Ulladulla 44-14 and Geringong were unblemished at home in a 52-0 win over Stingrays.