Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 1 clash between the New Zealand Warriors and the Cronulla Sharks.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
New Zealand Warriors Vs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Venue: Go Media Stadium, Auckland
Date: 8 March 2024, 6:00pm AEDT
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Warriors: Warriors: 1. Taine Tuaupiki 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Rocco Berry 4. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Luke Metcalf 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitchell Barnett 11. Jackson Ford 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Tohu Harris 14. Freddy Lussick 15. Tom Ale 16. Bunty Afoa 17. Dylan Walker 18. Adam Pompey 20. Jazz Tevaga 21. Te Maire Martin 22. Ali Leiataua 23. Jacob Laban
Sharks: 1. William Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Siosifa Talakai 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Oregon Kaufusi 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Royce Hunt 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cameron McInnes 14. Dale Finucane 15. Jack Williams 16. Toby Rudolf 17. Thomas Hazelton 18. Kayal Iro 19. Tuku Hau Tapuha 20. Daniel Atkinson 21. Mawene Hiroti 22. Jayden Berrell
Referee: Peter Gough
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
The Warriors will start as favourites in this one and rightly so, as they look to get off to a winning start at home in front of an electric Auckland atmosphere. They finished top four last year and were a game away from making a grand final appearance, a finish they have their sights sets on beating this year.
To help them take that next step, one of New Zealand’s favourite sons Roger Tuivasa-Sheck returns after a stint in rugby union and starts in the centres, where he looked impressive in the trials. There were rumours of Roger starting at fullback when Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad succumbed to a hamstring injury in the pre-season. However, the Warriors have opted for young gun Taine Tuaupiki to fill the void left by Nicoll-Klokstad. Joining them is new recruit Kurt Capewell, who starts in the back-row and is a class off-season signing from a Broncos team that made the grand final last year.
The Sharks will be no easy beats however, having finished in the top eight last year as well. They had a disappointing end to last season and Craig Fitzgibbon will have used that as motivation to drive his team to be better in 2024. They will travel to New Zealand with the hopes of spoiling the Warriors’ first home game and leaving with an upset win.
Superstar Nicho Hynes has overcome quad soreness from the pre-season and has been named to take his place at halfback. His new halves partnership with Braydon Trindall will be one to watch, and will be pivotal in deciding how the Sharks fare in this game, and indeed throughout the season. Up front, their forward pack remains mostly the same, with Oregon Kaufusi getting a start alongside Royce Hunt. Braden Hamlin-Uele is out injured and Toby Rudolf has been named to start off the bench.
The last time the Sharks played the Warriors in Auckland, the Warriors trounced them 44-12. That was only round 20 last year, however given this is round 1 and both teams are likely to show some rust, it should be nicely poised for a tightly fought contest.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Round 1 Number Crunch.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Warriors by 4 points.
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