The win marked the first time the Tigers have beaten the Sharks since Batemans Bay’s return to Group 16.

Tigers’ fans turned out in droves for the match, recording the biggest crowd seen at the ground so far this year.

There was a touch of nostalgia before kickoff, as the Tigers were led out by Col Ratcliff, a member of the Western Suburbs Magpies in the 1950s.

Batemans Bay started the match like a team whose season was on the line, keeping the Sharks scoreless for the first 40 minutes.

Tries to Jacob Bradbury and Mitch Hockey made sure the Tigers would go to the half-time sheds with an 8-0 lead.

The match opened up in the second half, as prolific Sharks’ try-scorer Shaun Staples got his side on the board just after the break.

Staples ran onto an inside ball from Sam Howlett, and beat the scrambling defence to score his 11^th try of the season.

The Tigers hit back shortly after through Brodie Ralph after a fantastic short-ball from captain Luke Farmer.

The game opened up from that point, and a quick two-try raid from the Sharks had them in the lead for the first time.

Vincent Marino scored after a brilliant chip-and-chase from Gavin Olive, before Caine Brierley ran off an Aaron Brierley offload in the very next set to give the Sharks a 16-14 lead.

The two sides traded converted tries, before the Tigers’ match-winning swoop inside the last 10 minutes.

Mitch Freeman barged over in the corner to give the Tigers a 26-22 lead, before Luke Farmer scored off a Peter Lett offload to seal the match with three minutes remaining.

Moruya’s Dean Scott did score a late consolation try, but it was too little, too late, as the Tigers held on for an important victory.

Tigers captain Luke Farmer said the atmosphere at the ground was amazing.

“It’s bringing tears to my eyes, and this is my first year here,” he said. “This crowd was unreal, I couldn’t have asked for better.

“I’ve been lucky enough to win two first-grade finals, but this is up there with that.”

Farmer’s goal kicking was important in giving the Tigers their first win over the Sharks in more than five years.

“The rivalry between these two is unreal,” he said. “I sit in the good position as the captain of the club, but it’s the 17 guys out there that gave it their all, and they deserve all the credit.

“I’m proud of the boys, it’s the first 80-minute effort we’ve put in all year, and we’ve managed to beat the team coming equal first.”

Sharks’ acting-captain Chris Rose lamented his side’s handling errors in the first half.

“We didn’t lack effort today, we just played far too much defence in the first half,” he said. “We dropped way too much ball, and we made far too many tackles on the back of that.”

Rose said the Tigers played like a team whose season depended on a win.

“That first half was tough and physical,” he said. “Their season was probably on the line today, and they played like it.

“We probably had the momentum coming back in the second half, but it was a classic case of too little, too late.”

The Sharks now face a clash against the competition-leading Bega Roosters next weekend for a shot at the minor premiership.

“We need to look at our game, and not worry too much about who we’re playing,” Rose said. “I’ve got all the confidence in the world that if we play our best footy, we can definitely challenge anyone.

“Regardless of whether we can get the minor premiership, we want to win next week, finish the season on a high, and get ourselves a home semi.”