Brawl breaks out between Sharks and Roosters fans at PointsBet Stadium

A violent altercation between rival NRL supporters erupted inside PointsBet Stadium on Saturday night as Cronulla edged Sydney Roosters 20-10 in a sudden-death elimination final, with police opening an investigation after footage of the clash circulated widely online.

Up to 10 people were involved in the incident, which broke out near the Channel Nine broadcast tent while play was under way. Stewards and police intervened to separate supporters wearing opposing jerseys as punches were exchanged. A Roosters supporter was helped to his feet by bystanders and officials as officers brought the situation under control.

New South Wales Police said no arrests had been made at this stage and inquiries were continuing. "An investigation is underway after a brawl involving up to ten people broke out within the grounds of a football stadium in Cronulla last night," the force said in a statement. Police urged anyone with mobile phone footage or information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The incident occurred in a high-stakes match that saw Cronulla overcome an early deficit and hang on late to defeat one of the competition's in-form teams. The Sharks' victory ended a run of results favouring the Roosters and gave Cronulla a second finals win in their past 10 attempts dating back to 2018.

Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon said after the match that the team had faced adversity during the game but had shown resolve. "Everyone's story or journey has some highlight moments, but it has some pain in it. We've experienced a fair bit of pain in the past few years," Fitzgibbon said. "If we were ever going to get flustered then we would have tonight. We were nowhere for a long period there. Nothing went our way, no field position, no good ball. But we just didn't flinch. And they didn't either."

The Sharks, who finished the regular season in fifth place, have won eight of their past nine games and will travel next weekend to face the loser of the Canberra–Brisbane clash in another do-or-die semi-final. The match on Saturday night was described by some spectators as a bellringer, reflecting both the game's intensity and the stakes for both clubs.

Stadium stewards and police personnel were seen intervening in the footage to separate combatants and restore order. Organisers and the NRL have not released further comment on measures being taken in response to the incident. Police said inquiries would determine the exact circumstances of the brawl and reiterated their request for witnesses to come forward.