Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 18 clash between the Sharks and Titans.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Vs Gold Coast Titans
Venue: C.ex Coffs International Stadium, Coffs Harbour
Date: Friday July 5, 6:00pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Sharks: 1. William Kennedy, 2. Daniel Atkinson, 3. Jesse Ramien, 4. Kayal Iro, 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo, 6. Braydon Trindall, 7. Nicho Hynes, 8. Thomas Hazelton, 9. Blayke Brailey, 10. Oregon Kaufusi, 11. Briton Nikora, 12. Siosifa Talakai, 13. Cameron McInnes, 14. Jack Williams, 15. Royce Hunt, 16. Toby Rudolf, 17. Teig Wilton, 18. Jesse Colquhoun, 19. Tom Rodwell, 20. Braden Hamlin-Uele, 21. Tuku Hau Tapuha, 22. Jayden Berrell
Titans: 1. Keano Kini, 2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira, 3. Brian Kelly, 4. Phillip Sami, 5. Jojo Fifita, 6. AJ Brimson, 7. Kieran Foran, 8. Moeaki Fotuaika, 9. Sam Verrills, 10. Erin Clark, 11. David Fifita, 12. Beau Fermor, 13. Chris Randall, 14. Isaac Liu, 15. Josiah Pahulu, 16. Keenan Palasia, 17. Joe Stimson, 18. Tanah Boyd, 19. Iszac Fa’asumaleaui, 20. Jacob Alick-Wiencke, 21. Ken Maumalo, 22. Jaylan De Groot
Referee: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
Just the two changes for the Sharks as Daniel Atkinson comes in on the wing for Sione Katoa, who is in the concussion protocol. Tom Hazelton has also been named to start, with Toby Rudolf switching to the bench.
For the Titans, AJ Brimson is back from a groin injury and will do a straight swap for Jayden Campbell at five-eighth, who will miss this clash with a hand injury. Jojo Fifita returns on the wing, with Phillip Sami moving into the centres, and Beau Fermor back to the second row. Moeaki Fotuaika is back from Origin duty, which means Josiah Pahulu drops back to the bench, while Jacob Alick-Wiencke and Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui have been named in the reserves.
The Sharks come into this clash on the back of two tight losses, most recently a Golden Point defeat to the Bulldogs in round 17. They still sit comfortably inside the top four, but Craig Fitzgibbon’s men need to turn things back around to be taken seriously as premiership threats.
Meanwhile, the Titans are coming off the bye, but their round 16 demolition of the Warriors will mean they head into this match with plenty of confidence. It was just their fourth win of the season, but that 66-6 victory was a brilliant display of a Gold Coast side that is desperate to turn their years of misfortune around.
The loss of Campbell in this clash is not ideal, as he has been a standout in recent weeks, but the return of Brimson should fill that gap. Finals might be out of the picture for the Titans this season, but a win against a top four side here will go a long way as they look to build towards season 2025.
They will have to overcome a dominant patch from their opponents, however, as the Sharks have won their past nine games against the Titans.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Number Crunch Stats.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
Sharks by 6 points.
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