The Sharks' Holden Cup side bounced back from last week's loss to the ladder-leading Panthers to hold off a fast finishing Broncos 36-26 at Southern Cross Group Stadium.
Cronulla looked home and hosed up 36-8 with 10 minutes to go but three late tries to the visitors gave the scoreline some much deserved respectability.
Sharks centre Keenan Yorston and Broncos winger David Fauid both grabbed hat-tricks while Brisbane's Jamayne Isaako looked lethal whenever he had ball in hand.
It didn't take long for the Broncos to get the scoreboard ticking with Isaako taking advantage of a Will Kennedy error to score in the corner courtesy of a big right foot step.
Filling in for the injured Bessie Aufaga-Toomaga, Yorston hit straight back for his side, fending past Isaako to level the scores after 10 minutes.
The back-and-forth affair continued on the other side of the field as some magical hands from Gehamat Shibasaki and David Fauid saw the winger scorch his way over the line for his ninth try of the year.
Isaako looked to have created something again down the left edge, but a forward pass was ruled instead, and three plays later Yorston strolled into a gap to bag his second of the afternoon.
A very even first half suddenly swung in Cronulla's favour with two tries in the final 10 minutes to help them open up a 12-point lead at the break.
The first was a very simple effort from acting half as Sharks centre Lachlan Stein dummied his way over for an easy four pointer before Yorston set up his winger Josh Tuilagi four minutes before the break.
The Sharks wasted little time to extend their lead in the second stanza with back-rower Jesse Savage storming onto a Ryan Savage grubber to cross under the posts.
The less said about the next 20 minutes the better as both teams competed to see who could come up with the most enterprising ways to drop the ball.
Thankfully Yorston ended the error-fest in the 64th minute to complete his hat-trick and seal the Sharks' sixth win of the season before Savage barged over to complete his double.
Despite the scoreline, the Broncos wouldn't die wondering with Fauid crossing for two late tries, while Isaako capped off a terrific performance with a blistering solo effort in the dying stages.
Cronulla Sharks 36 (Keenan Yorston 3, Ryan Savage 2, Lachlan Stein, Josh Tuilagi, tries; Rhys Davies 4 goals) defeated Brisbane Broncos 26 (David Fauid 3, Jamayne Isaako 2, tries; Jamayne Isaako 3 goals) at Southern Cross Group Stadium. Half-time: 20-8 Sharks.
