Cronulla has ended Melbourne's 14-match home winning streak with a sensational 25-18 victory to remain top of the NRL ladder.
Without star half Nicho Hynes, who was withdrawn with a calf injury shortly before kick off, young half Daniel Atkinson had the game of his life, kicking five goals and a field goal.
The Storm though, were incensed by the controversial sin binning of Harry Grant shortly before the break for marginal contact on the kicking leg of Atkinson.
Grant looked stunned at the decision, with the crowd howling its derision from the stands.
"I was a bit shocked," Grant said in his press conference.
"I had no intention of going in with any intent to hurt Atko, I just went to put kick pressure on, which is a big part of the game.
"I was going to put kick pressure on and turned away from him to not make contact.
"We can't lose kick pressure in the game. It's a big part of the game."
At that stage the Storm led 12-6 thanks to tries to Eliesa Katoa and Reimis Smith, but with Grant off the pitch Oregon Kaufusi scored to level the scores at 12-12.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy, although initially refusing to be drawn on the incident, said the NRL had backed itself into a corner with its interpretation of the rules.
"With any rules we just want consistency," he says.
"That's the mark now. If you touch his leg, doesn't matter how hard, you go to the bin.
"You obviously can't bump their legs, so we'll go in over the top and wrap them up."
NRL Immortal Mal Meninga said the incident should not have resulted in a sin bin on Fox Sports, reitterating that the kick chase is important part of the game.
Former Storm and Kangaroos forward Ryan Hoffman was more blunt on ABC Radio.
"What has happened to rugby league," he said.
"There needs to be some common sense when it comes to the interpretation of the rules."
After Grant returned, Jesse Ramien gave the Sharks the lead with a score early in the second half, before Tyran Wishart levelled.
However, Siosifa Talakai's sensational breakaway score — set up by Ronaldo Mulitalo claiming a short kick off and breaking through the line before offloading to Talakai — sealed the win.
The win was a massive one for the Sharks, particularly without Hynes, who told Fox Sports after the match that it would be "day-to-day" and that he was "hopeful" that he would be fit for next week.
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said the injury was "not significant".
Earlier, Newcastle Knights secured a third-straight NRL victory with a 20-14 victory over Wests Tigers in Tamworth and St George Illawarra downed a sorry South Sydney 28-14 at Kogarah Oval.
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Key Event
NRL Immortal Mal Meninga says on Fox Sports that the NRL has got that decision wrong.
"Kick pressure is an enormous part of our game," Mal Meninga says on Fox Sports.
"They[ve got to come up with a better solution.
"For me, you can't get a sin bin for that."
Key Event
Harry Grant has expressed his shock that he was sin binned over "brushing" Daniel Atkinson's leg.
The Storm hooker was sent to the sin bin just before half time.
"I was a bit shocked. I had no intention of going in with any intent to hurt Atko, I just went to put kick pressure on which is a big part of the game," he says.
"I was going to put kick pressure on and turned away from him to not make contact.
"I was a bit shocked, but we can't loose kick pressure in the game.
"It's a big part of the game."
Bellamy says that the decision was "out of my control" but he pleaded for consistency.
"With any rules we just want consistency," he says.
"That's the mark now. If you touch his leg , doesn't matter how hard, you go to the bin.
"I never heard that one [being communicated from the NRL].
"He [the referee] might have thought it was worse contact than it was.
"It is what it is, you can't change it."
Harry Grant and Craig Bellamy are speaking.
Bellamy's blunt assessment of the game is that: "They scored more points than us."
"At different stages it looked like the game was more important to them than us.
"I was really disappointed with the way we started both halves."
Fitzgibbon said he wasn't sure that he would be happy if a player of his was sent to the sin bin for what Harry Grant was.
"I'm not sure," he says.
"If that happens to us, you'd probably be sitting there going, 'come on', but it's nice to get one."
Fitzgibbon says the Sharks will have to assess Hynes over the next 24 hours.
"I would suggest it's not significant," he says.
"He's a good chance [to play next week]."
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon is speaking now.
"I was really pleased, with a lot of changes," he says.
"It happened after captains run so we were on the scramble there for 24 hours.
"To hang in there and keep close at half time ... it was really pleasing."
"We had to play Blake in the halves ... it wasn't ideal and we thought that something would give.
"We decided that we wanted leadership out there ... everyone did their job.
"As far as leadership goes, Cam's performance in the middle was the difference."
I am looking forward to hearing Craig Bellamy's thoughts on the Harry Grant sin binning, while also getting some more news of Nicho Hynes.
Key Event
Here is Nicho Hynes, who missed today's game with a calf injury.
"What a game! My heart was pumping in the box," he tells Fox Sports.
"I couldn't be more proud, especially of Atko."
Now he's talking about his calf — and he's not too positive about things...
"It's going to be a day to day process," he says.
"It would have been a bit too much of a risk today."
He says that "hopefully" he will be able to get back for next week but that he's no guarantee and he'll have to see how the swelling goes down.
Key Event
Here's Harry Grant, talking about the incident that everyone is talking about.
"I was ready to challenge it," he laughs.
"I guess they've set that now, so that's part of it.
"I had no eyes for Atko, I was pulling myself away from dangerous contact and just clipped his leg.
"I understand that I put him in a dangerous position and put my team under the pump."
He seems to be accepting the decision, at least.
Key Event
Cronulla has ended Melbourne's 14-match home winning streak with a sensational 25-18 victory.
Without star half Nicho Hynes, the young half Daniel Atkinson had the game of his life, kicking five goals and a field goal.
Siosifa Talakai goes 40 metres!
The Melbourne Storm go short with the kick off - it was risky! So risky! And it didn't pay off!
Ronaldo Mulitalo plucked the ball out of the air and raced through the scattered Storm line.
Talakai is in support and races away to score what will surely be the winner.
The kick is good and the gap is 7 (seven)!
Cronulla leads 25-18.
The Sharks silence the crowd!
The Sharks are back in front 19-18!
Huge call! Harry Grant is pinged for interfering with the ruck and looks aghast at the decision - not for the first time tonight.
Cronulla has a superb chance with great field position to take the lead.
Tyran Wishart scoots over on the fifth tackle!
Munster with the pass, Wishart with an outrageous dummy to take Ronaldo Mulitalo out of the game.
Nick Meany has the chance to kick the leveller, 10 metres in from the right sideline.
AND IT'S ALL SQUARE!
This time they are on the attack and a player is tackled without the ball as they move the ball to the right.
The Storm move the ball left this time and it's almost intercepted by Sione Katoa.
It will be a scrum in the centre of the field.
A dangerous tackle from Williams - and it's a Storm penalty that they'll use to piggy back out of their own half.
Cameron Munster is playing at circus ring master for the crowd - calling for more - he wants more from his team and more from the crowd.
Munster, as it happens, is limping a bit... a lower right leg injury I think.
An escort penalty after a towering Munster bomb!
Jesse Ramien is furious but he has to accept the decision.
The Storm has a chance in the Sharks 10 metres.
Britt Nikora challenges Grant Anderson in the air, and Anderson drops the ball.
Referee Grant Atkins says there was interference = and the Bunker confirms is when Nikora and the Sharks challenge.
The Sharks are really dominating through the middle now - the forward-packed bench coming to the fore.
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