Cronulla have advanced to the NRL grand final with a 32-20 demolition of a listless North Queensland at Allianz Stadium.The result sent the 36,717-strong crowd into raptures on Friday night as the Sharks moved a step closer to claiming their first title in their 50-year history and ended the Cowboys hopes of winning back-to-back premierships.They will meet the winner of Saturdays clash between Canberra and Melbourne in Sunday weeks grand final at ANZ Stadium.The Cowboys gave themselves a sniff of hope when fullback Lachlan Coote, who otherwise had a forgettable night and was again troubled under the high ball, crossed for a soft try four minutes after halftime to make it 14-6.However, the Sharks picked themselves up off the canvas to advance to their fourth grand final - following their appearances in 1973, 1978 and the Super League decider in 1997.The Cowboys were blown off the park by a Sharks first-half blitz. Looking fatigued after their 90-minute epic against Brisbane last week, they crumbled under a mountain of unforced errors.When Chad Townsend crossed to make it 14-0 at the break, the Sharks had completed twice as many sets as the Cowboys (16/20 to 8/12), run for twice as many metres (791 to 390), and been tackled in their oppositions red zone 23 times compared to North Queenslands eight.Townsend bounced back from his shocker against Canberra a fortnight ago when he was hooked by coach Shane Flanagan, scoring one try, going close on another occasion and setting up another.The Sharks twice managed to get over the line, through Andrew Fifita and Townsend, but were denied by the video referees before they finally converted their weight of possession into points via a James Maloney penalty goal in the 17th minute.And when they found space on the left side, Sosaia Feki crossed in the corner before a botched Kyle Feldt dropout gifted Maloney another two points.Townsends 35th-minute four-pointer had big question marks on it, with the last pass from Maloney appearing to be forward, however referee Gerard Sutton was in line with the play.Cootes try shortly after halftime seemingly sparked the Sharks back to life as they piled on three tries in 14 minutes via Luke Lewis and a Maloney double.The Cowboys scored three tries in the final 10 minutes via a Feldt double and Cohen Hess but it was of little consolation.NRL PRELIMINARY FINAL 1Result: Cronulla 32 defeated North Queensland 20 at Allianz StadiumKey moment: When Chad Townsend put Luke Lewis over in the 52nd minute for a scoreline of 20-6, any thoughts of a Cowboys fightback were dashed.Key quote: It has taken 15 years for me to finally get to a grand final. - Sharks skipper Paul Gallen.Judiciary: NoneInjuries: NoneWhats next: The Sharks move onto their first grand final in a united competition since 1978 and premiers North Queensland bow out of the title race.Stitched Penguins Jerseys . 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Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week.Rafa Benitez believes his players have taken enough positives from their victory over Swansea to be full of confidence heading into their clash with Champions League semi-finalists Manchester City.The Magpies will move out of the Premier League relegation zone if they claim victory over City at St James Park on Tuesday live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm. Newcastle claimed a morale-boosting 3-0 victory over Swansea on Saturday and Benitez has called on his side to produce a similar performance as they go in search of their first league victory over City since 2005. We have to be ready for a difficult game. We all have to stick together, work hard and try to get three points in this game, Benitez said.If we believe like we did against Swansea then we can beat anyone. We have nothing to lose at the moment and we have confidence.We know that we can do it, we know that we can fight and play with this intensity, sometimes you play better, sometimes you play worse, but you have to keep this team spirit and this fight. Benitez believes Newcastle must play with the same intensity shown against the Swans City claimed an impressive 3-0 victory over Chelsea on Saturday Night Football, just four days after booking their place in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time. Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge, but Benitez says he will not be making any special plans to contain the in-form City forward. He added: Manchester City are a team who are doing so well in Champions League aand have many good players.dddddddddddd Rafael Benitez has urged his Newcastle players to just concentrate on their performances and ignore the other teams They have so many good players that you cant be worried just about Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne or another offensive player because they have very good midfielders and they have a very strong defence.Benitez also confirmed he will still be without defenders Fabricio Coloccini, Daryl Janmaat and Kevin Mbabu for the clash with City.Also See:Mbemba: Benitez fantasticBenitez: Sissoko big influenceNewcastles woeful run vs CityWin stirs Townsends belief ' ' '