Joshua Knox previews the clash between the Newcastle Knights and the Cronulla Sharks as the away side look to lock in a top two finish with a win.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Newcastle Knights Vs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium
Date: Sunday September 4, 2pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Related: NRL Team List Tuesday
Embed from Getty ImagesKnights: 1. Tex Hoy 2. Edrick Lee 3. Dane Gagai 4. Krystian Mapapalangi 5. Dominic Young 6. Phoenix Crossland 7. Adam Clune 8. David Klemmer 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Brodie Jones 13. Mathew Croker 14. Chris Randall 15. Jacob Saifiti 16. Pasami Saulo 17. Jack Johns 18. Simi Sasagi 19. Ben Talty 20. Enari Tuala 21. Jirah Momoisea 22. Hymel Hunt
Anthony Milford is missing due to injury with Phoenix Crossland taking his spot in the halves. Mat Croker gets a start at lock with Sauaso Sue dropping out.
Embed from Getty ImagesSharks: 1. Lachlan Miller 2. Matt Ikuvalu 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Siosifa Talakai 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Matt Moylan 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Braden Hamlin-Uele 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Royce Hunt 11. Briton Nikora 12. Wade Graham 13. Cameron McInnes 14. Teig Wilton 15. Braydon Trindall 16. Aiden Tolman 17. Andrew Fifita 18. Luke Metcalf 19. Jesse Colquhoun 20. Mawene Hiroti 21. Kayal Iro 22. Dale Finucane
Matt Ikuvalu returns from injury and replaces Kayal Iro on the wing. Dale Finucane is amongst the reserves as he looks to return from a rib injury.
Referee: Chris Sutton
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
The Knights come into this one with not a lot to play for other than pride after suffering a disappointing 36-26 loss to the Gold Coast Titans last week. The Knights were up against 12 men for thirty minutes against the Titans after Brian Kelly was sent from the field for a dangerous tackle. They failed to capitalise on the numerical advantage summing up the season that the team has suffered. Newcastle sits in 13th position but could fall as low as 15th with a loss on the weekend with a win potentially seeing them finish in 12th position at best. Phoenix Crossland gets a start in the halves with the injury to Anthony Milford and he will look to cement a position in the halves for the 2023 season with a strong performance.
The Sharks have now won their last five games and shot into second position on the ladder after they kept the Bulldogs scoreless last round with a comfortable 16-0 win. With players beginning to return from injury at the right time for Cronulla, the sky is the limit for this side as they enter the finals full of confidence. A win will cement second position for the Sharks while a loss could see them slip to third position. The Sharks have only conceded 18 points over the past three weeks while piling 92 points onto their oppositions.
Embed from Getty ImagesINTERESTING FACT
The Knights have won four of their past five clashes with Cronulla however were kept scoreless in the last meeting between these two. The Knights have only won one of their last eight matches this season.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Sharks by 16.
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