A gritty, lung-busting display from the Cronulla Sharks has seen the club claim its first-ever premiership with a 14-12 win over Melbourne Storm.

A 70th-minute try from prop forward Andrew Fifita helped the Sharks overcome a second-half surge from the Storm in front of 83,625 fans at Sydney's Olympic stadium on Sunday night, bringing to an end a 49-year title drought.

Fifita's converted try was enough to take the lead back and some gutsy last-ditch defending from the Sharks saw them send retiring hooker Michael Ennis out a winner and meant captain Paul Gallen has finally claimed some silverware at club level.

Will Chambers, whose brilliant second-half try had put the Storm in front with 15 minutes to go, missed a golden opportunity to win the game at the death for his side when he opted against an inside ball to an open Cooper Cronk who could have strolled over the line.

Andrew Fifita of the Sharks scored the winning try as the Sharks overcame a resurgent Storm. ( AAP: Craig Golding )

"I'm just numb," Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan said after the win.

"We got behind then fought our way back with a great try to Andrew and to scramble like we did at the end, it's just unbelievable.

"We fought our way back into it. I thought the Storm were coming over the top of us in the second half but we showed so much resilience, so tough and with a crowd like this it's just unbelievable."

The Sharks built an 8-0 lead by the half-time whistle, but such was their dominance they could have led by a try or two more. A pattern emerged early, and that consisted of Cronulla's big forwards powering through the middle and the Storm players back-peddling as they attempted to keep pace.

James Maloney was superb as he controlled the match from five-eighth, and he played a big part in his side enjoying 60 per cent of possession in the first 40 minutes.

His decision-making about whether to pass, kick or sidestep defenders was spot-on from the get-go, and his combination with Cronulla's speedy backs added some salt to the pepper being provided by the likes of Gallen and Fifita.

Luke Lewis was a worthy Clive Churchill medal winner; offering a constant attacking menace but also put in a huge shift in defence, with his performance epitomising Cronulla's showing on the night.

Melbourne's captain Cameron Smith completed an astonishing 74 tackles, a demonstration of how much pressure the Sharks piled on the Storm across the 80 minutes.

Smith was typically gracious in defeat, acknowledging Cronulla's magical moment.

"On behalf of the entire Melbourne Storm footy club, I'd like to congratulate the Sharks," he said after the game.

"You guys have been waiting a very long time for this moment. It's taken a lifetime ... and I hope you enjoy it."

The tireless Luke Lewis was rewarded with the Clive Churchill Medal. ( AAP: Dan Himbrechts )

Cronulla starts with a bang

The first flare up of the game came when Koroibete collected Chad Townsend around the lower jaw with a swinging arm and the bulk of the players piled into an angry scuffle.

The upshot was the Storm winger, who is leaving for rugby union next season, going on report, and the Sharks taking the lead as Maloney converted the penalty.

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Lewis came desperately close on a slide to the line after Maloney had sliced through, but moments later Cronulla had the opening try courtesy of an old-school scrum-base play.

Gallen picked the ball up and handed it to a peeled-off Barba, who scooted in for a brilliantly executed try. It was the kind of play you would expect Melbourne to pull out, but on this occasion it handed the Sharks a handy 8-0 early lead.

The team in sky blue had kept up an incredible level of intensity for the first quarter of the game and the Melbourne players already looked exhausted, struggling to keep pace with the play.

A Smith knock-on with four minutes to play in the half meant the Storm were forced into more desperation tackling in order to stay in touch on the scoreboard, and some dogged defending saw them remain within eight points at the break.

Storm stars emerge from their slumber in second half

Paul Gallen and Luke Lewis embrace in celebration as the Sharks break the drought. ( AAP: Paul Miller )

The Melbourne forwards' lack of impact took its toll on the halves, with Cooper Cronk barely featuring until late in the game.

When the Storm finally found themselves in an attacking position early in the second half, Cronk's rushed attacking kick more sideways than forwards, and the Sharks' line remained unbreached.

Next set, the Storm did cross that line, though, as Jordan McClean smashed his way to within two metres of the tryline before Jesse Bromwich crashed over for their first try of the game.

It was a try out of almost nothing, but after Smith converted, the scoreboard showed the margin had been closed to just two points and Storm had the wind at their tails.

A game of thrust and parry developed as the match entered its final 20 minutes, with both defences hanging on. It was the Sharks, who had so much less work to do in the first half, who seemed to have that little bit more in the tank.

It was the Storm's key players who stood up, however, with Smith finally taking charge through the middle and Cronk finding his passing and kicking rhythm.

The half-back was involved as the Storm took the lead for the first time in the grand final after 65 minutes, but most of the credit must go to the scorer Chambers, who produced the flashiest moves of the Big Dance.

From broken play, the Melbourne centre sent Ennis hurling off in the wrong direction and zipped past Gerard Beale as well to score the try of the night.

That lead lasted just five minutes until, down the other end, Ennis fed Fifita and the huge prop monstered his way over the line despite the presence of five Storm defenders. Maloney's conversion meant Cronulla had a 14-12 lead with 10 minutes to play.

"What a way to end. I thought it had got past me when Chambers scored," Ennis said.