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Xavier Savage made his first big mark as a legal NRL player as the Canberra fullback helped his side overcome a Jack Wighton injury and beat Cronulla 34-18.

Just a month after being handed his debut as an illegal 18th man, Savage starred for the Raiders as he claimed his maiden try in just his second official game.

With Wighton forced from the field on the 60-minute mark after suffering an accidental Sione Katoa boot to the ribs, Canberra surged home for the crucial win.

Savage finished the game with seven tackle busts, as the Raiders fullback also broke the line once in the lead up to one Wighton try and totalled 234 metres.

With his family from Cairns watching on, the former junior state sprint champion also played with a shoulder injury late.

"His biggest credit on the night was that he played on with injury. That's where he got a big tick of approval," coach Ricky Stuart said.

"A lot of players can't play with duress like that, he did an outstanding job in handling that pain."

"You can't coach speed. He's still got a lot to learn about the game, but he's a very coachable young man.

"He just showed that he keeps his head down and keeps committed to the hard work he has a future ahead of him."

Corey Harawira-Naera was also brilliant in the second row, as he and Savage tormented Cronulla's lacklustre edge defence on the Gold Coast.

It helped marked the Raiders' first back-to-back wins since round one and two, as they crept into ninth on the ladder and only behind the Sharks on for-and-against.

The match wasn't without drama though, after Canberra's first try became an eight-pointer when Braydon Trindall clipped Jordan Rapana's chin after a Harawira-Naera offload in the lead up.

The contact was hardly forceful, but Cronulla coach Josh Hannay conceded after the call was fine.

Another tough penalty went against the Sharks on halftime when Canberra were able to level the scores following a kick contest.

And the Raiders final go-ahead try in the second half came in the set after Jesse Ramien was pinged for a shoulder charge with what appeared a front-on hit on Rapana.

But still the Sharks could only blame themselves.

They missed a whopping 49 tackles and completed at 76 per cent, struggling to get any ball in good territory early.

Johnson was the worst offender, missing seven tackles while also having next to no impact in attack.

"We were way off the mark," Hannay said.

"We were in the game but didn't deserve to be.

"We had enough players out there putting in enough effort.

"But we we had too many that weren't putting in enough for us to be realistic chance of winning."

© AAP 2021

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Stay-at-home orders are being tightened in three Sydney council areas, retail is being restricted and construction paused as NSW records a COVID-19 death and 111 new community cases.

From 11.59pm on Saturday, Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool council residents are not allowed to leave their local government areas until July 30.

At least 80 per cent of cases have come from the southwestern area, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Saturday.

The only people from those areas allowed to leave their locality are those who work in health and emergency services, including aged and disability care.

Tougher restrictions also apply to the entire Greater Sydney lockdown region.

From Sunday, only critical retailers such as supermarkets, pharmacies and banks will be allowed to open.

Other retailers will have to operate with 'click and collect' or takeaway.

Construction sites, large or small, will be shut.

All office workers and others working from home should not be pressured to go in to work, with employers to potentially incur a $10,000 fine if they push staff to attend.

Ms Berejiklian also told Sydneysiders not to carpool with anyone.

She acknowledged many people would be upset by the new restrictions, but said the decisions had not been made lightly.

The data modelling based on more than 400 exposure sites indicated everyone in Sydney is at risk, the premier said.

She defended the measures taken to curb the outbreak so far, saying they had prevented "thousands and thousands" of cases and the further restrictions were a "no-regrets policy".

The harsher measures were prompted by the persistent numbers of people infectious in the community before they were diagnosed.

At least 29 of the 111 new cases announced on Saturday were infectious before going into isolation, a number authorities say is too high.

"We are seeing some cases still diagnosed late, but we need to see that number get down, it is far too high and that is the basis for why we have recommended much more extensive actions to reduce those interactions," NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said.

Workplaces are a key area where new infections are being seeded, she added.

Dr Chant defended the decision to wait until now to implement harsher directives, saying the time lag in learning about infections was a challenge and referring to her efforts so far in urging workplaces to "do the responsible thing".

The chief health officer was also keen to dispel the myth that it wasn impossible for asymptomatic people to transmit coronavirus, saying a person can be infectious when asymptomatic.

Dr Chant confirmed a Sydney man in his 80s died from the virus on Friday.

Asked about an infected mother who has been separated from her newborn at Nepean Hospital, Dr Chant said: "I can't imagine how difficult the circumstances (are) of giving birth knowing that you are COVID-positive."

Meanwhile, NSW police issued 162 fines in the 24 hours to Saturday to people flouting the lockdown.

Commands are ramping up enforcement in the three southwestern local government areas that are going into an extra-strict lockdown.

Residents were assured on Saturday that government agencies would mobilise between now and July 30 to provide them with supplies and services as needed.

A record 82,000 people came forward for COVID-19 testing on Friday.

The 111 cases recorded on Saturday follows 97 announced on Friday.

Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid endorsed the stricter measures, saying the state would only "win" against the virus if everyone was on board.

"Sydney facing its greatest challenge over next two weeks. Win: return to 'normal' life. Lose: 6 months of heavy restrictions, chaos and closed borders with illness for many, death for some," he tweeted.

A full list of NSW exposure sites can be found at health.nsw.gov.au

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A driver in Tasmania has recorded a blood alcohol reading nearly five times over the legal limit.

Police intercepted the man's vehicle shortly after 3pm on Friday after it was spotted travelling in the wrong direction down a one-way street in Upper Burnie in the northwest of the state.

The 43-year-old driver, from Burnie, returned a positive alcohol test and was taken to Burnie Police Station.

Further breath analysis showed a reading of 0.241, nearly five times the legal limit.

The man was arrested and charged with numerous driving-related offences, including driving whilst under the influence of intoxicating liquor and exceed 0.05.

He was immediately disqualified from driving for two years and was bailed to appear in Burnie Magistrates Court on August 10.

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The NSW government is pondering the further tightening of COVID-19 lockdown settings in Greater Sydney, with the number of new local cases out in the community while infectious remaining stubbornly high.

New rules enforcing COVID-19 testing every three days for Fairfield-based essential workers, meanwhile, have come into effect.

NSW recorded 97 new local virus cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday, with at least 46 out in the community for part or all of their infectious period.

The outbreak has passed 1000 cases since it began on June 16.

With the number of cases in the community while infectious failing to slide despite three weeks of lockdown, the NSW government crisis cabinet met on Friday afternoon to consider harsher COVID-19 lockdown settings.

The outcome of that meeting will be revealed on Saturday.

The Australian Medical Association on Friday called for a harder NSW lockdown, including the closure of all non-essential retail and business activity. It also wanted stronger limits on travel distances from home.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she wouldn't "hesitate to go harder" on restrictions, but only if they had a tangible public health benefit.

She also warned case numbers would likely surge again at the weekend.

"We need to make sure that any decisions we take will have the desired effect of reducing those numbers," Ms Berejiklian told reporters.

Three-quarters of the new recorded cases were recorded in the Fairfield local government area, which has become the epicentre of the outbreak.

From Saturday, essential workers who live in the Fairfield area but work elsewhere will be obliged to take a COVID-19 test every three days. There are currently three 24-hour testing clinics in the council area.

Fairfield-based essential workers who are asymptomatic are permitted to seek COVID-19 testing closer to their place of work, rather than wait in queues.

NSW police handed out 164 enforcement notices on Thursday and gave more than 200 warnings to people breaching the public health orders. Officers would be out in force over the weekend, NSW Police said.

"We will continue to work with the community to achieve compliance, but we will enforce the Health Order where community safety is put at risk," Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said in a statement.

NSW Health has confirmed a healthcare worker at Liverpool and Campbelltown hospitals returned a positive test to COVID-19, after a patient tested positive. Non-urgent surgery has been postponed at both hospitals.

New exposure sites were on Friday evening issued for several venues, most notably the Woolworths Lennox Shopping Centre in Emu Plains, Service NSW at Liverpool, Coles at Hurstville and a Lakemba butcher.

IKEA at Marsden Park was also listed as an exposure site.

The NSW government said on Friday night anyone travelling to the state from Victoria will be required to follow stay-at-home rules.

© AAP 2021