Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 19 clash between the Sharks and the Tigers.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Vs Wests Tigers
Venue: PointsBet Stadium, Sydney
Date: Friday July 12, 2024.
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Sharks: 1. William Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Kayal Iro 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Daniel Atkinson 7. Braydon Trindall 8. Royce Hunt 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cameron McInnes 14. Jesse Colquhoun 15. Thomas Hazelton 16. Toby Rudolf 17. Braden Hamlin-Uele 18. Tuku Hau Tapuha 19. Chris Veaila 20. Billy Burns 21. Niwhai Puru 22. Jayden Berrell
Players cut from final squad:
Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula 2. Alexander Lobb 3. Adam Doueihi 4. Solomona Faataape 5. Charlie Staines 6. Lachlan Galvin 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. David Klemmer 11. John Bateman 12. Samuela Fainu 13. Fonua Pole 14. Heath Mason 15. Sione Fainu 16. Alex Seyfarth 17. Reuben Porter 18. Justin Matamua 19. Tallyn Da Silva 20. Starford To’a 21. Josh Feledy 22. Jordan Miller
Referee: Adam Gee
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
In a round featuring 10th Vs 11th, 7th Vs 9th, and even 15th Vs 16th, you’d be forgiven for not getting all that excited about 4th Vs 17th.
But that is precisely why there is so much more to our sport than simply what the numbers tell us.
The Cronulla Sharks may well be nestled inside the top four, but their 20-16 loss to the lowly Gold Coast Titans last week saw them lose for the fifth time in their last six matches. Believe it or not, that is actually worse form than the Tigers. In fact, it’s worse than any team in the bottom four bar Parramatta, who have an equivalent record over that period.
The Sharks face a real Sliding Doors point in their season this week. The Bulldogs sit only two points behind them and are a realistic chance of taking their spot in the top four if Cronulla can’t get the win. As do the Dolphins, who have sat in the top four for the majority of this year and will be desperate to get back into that spot.
To make matters worse, star man Nicho Hynes suffered an ankle injury in training and won’t return until round 26, meaning a halves pairing of Daniel Atkinson and Braydon Trindall will now take control. Impact backrower Siosifa Talakai also misses this game through suspension, which sees Teig Wilton promoted to the starting side and Jesse Colquhoun move onto the bench.
The Tigers side they’re coming up against have been a team I’ve admired all season. They may look set to win their third consecutive wooden spoon, but there is no doubt in my mind that the ’24 Tigers beat their ’23 and ’22 sides comfortably. They’re competing in games and even beat the Sharks 32-6 earlier in the year.
Wests are coming off an unusual game where they lost to the Storm but put 28 points on them. I saw huge positives in that performance for the Tigers, and it should give them confidence that they’re very capable of beating Cronulla if they can turn up on the day.
These Tigers are one of the youngest sides we’ve seen at the NRL level, a substantial proportion of whom are desperate to prove that they’re capable of playing regular first grade and deserve their spot. They’re going to be up for this one, and the Sharks had better be ready for it.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Number Crunch Stats.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
Tigers by 2 points.
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