Race you to 50: Sharks flyers locked in tryscoring battle

Sharks wingers Sione Katoa and Ronaldo Mulitalo may have debuted a year apart, but almost everything else about their careers is running in perfect unison.

Katoa has played 68 games since debuting in the opening round of 2018 and Mulitalo has chalked exactly the same number of appearances since getting his start in Round 7, 2019.

Remarkably, the two flyers both have 48 tries to their name, and the race is well and truly on to be the first to crack the half-century.

It's a friendly rivalry that drives 23-year-old Mulitalo and 25-year-old Katoa to try and outdo one another, and in the process help the Sharks to another finals appearance.

“We always have a bit of a giggle about who's chasing who but it’s pretty crazy we’re both sitting on the exact same tries and games this week," Mulitalo told NRL.com ahead of their Round 5 clash with the Warriors.

“I love him as an athlete and respect his game but even though we’re good mates we’re going to battle every time we get the chance.

“We’ll have to make it a race to see who gets to 50 first."

Heading into last Sunday's game against the Dragons on 46 tries, the left winger added two to his tally with four-pointers in the 44th and 58th minutes. Not to be outdone, Katoa grabbed a slice of the action in the 69th minute to draw level with his mate.

“We’re just trying to better each other all the time. Every time he pulls off something cool, I’m like, ‘Oh, now I’ve got to do something'. So it’s kind of tit for tat," Mulitalo said.

“I think for us, we just want to keep producing for our teammates and the big boys in the middle.

“I think that’s what motivates us even more so, is the team. I think they really get a kick out of us scoring tries.”

Having taken a similar path to first grade through the NSW Jets reserve-grade side, Mulitalo and Katoa have forged a close bond away from the field.

“I’m a bit younger so we first came across each other when he was playing 20s and I was on the fringe, I wasn’t really making any moves there,” Mulitalo said.

“Then I got called up to play centre in (NSW) Cup and he was my winger. Then we ended up being both wingers in grade.

“We had a couple of bumpy years with injury but I think now we’ve really found our identity within the team and the game of NRL.

“We’re very honest with each other, we tell the truth to each other and sometimes if we’re feeling like we need to go after games then we set goals for each other.

“We pull each other up when things are wrong but we’re also there to support each other off the field.

“We speak about things more than footy on a personal level - any time I’ve struggled he’s the one I’ve gone to. He’s just like an older brother to me and always looked after me ever since I was coming through.”

The Sharks are coming off a 40-point haul and looked like a different side with Nicho Hynes in control but Mulitalo is wary of the resurgent Warriors.

“They’re hitting their straps as well, they’ve really found themselves this year and it’s good to watch,” he said.

“Shaun Johnson is killing it and they’ve got so many players out there that have been outstanding teammates for each other.

"They'll be up for it but we’ve just got to make sure we take the competition to them as well.

“It’s a good direction we’re heading and we’ve just got to keep going now.”