The Canberra Raiders will host the Cronulla Sharks at GIO Stadium on Sunday afternoon to close out round 10 of the NRL season.
TEAM FORM GUIDE
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are currently 11th on the ladder, however, are only one win outside the top eight. They have won their last two matches against the Cowboys and the Raiders. Canberra was dominant in their round nine display against the Titans, winning 32 points to 18 at GIO Stadium. The side has had a rough start to the season, however, their latest performances are proving their capabilities as a side.
Cronulla Sharks
The Cronulla Sharks have won their last three matches, and are sitting just inside the top eight after 10 rounds. In their last match, they hosted the Parramatta Eels at Southern Cross Group Stadium, winning narrowly 22 points to 20. The Sharks need to work on their finishes, considering they were lucky to win the match after a poor final ten minutes, giving the Eels every chance to win, allowing them to score three tries in less than eight minutes.
SQUAD NEWS
Canberra Raiders
Junior Paulo has been replaced by Shannon Boyd, and Charlie Gubb has been added to the interchange bench. The Raiders side is otherwise unchanged from their round nine win against the Titans.
Cronulla Sharks
Jayson Bukuya has been named to replace Wade Graham who re-injured his hamstring last weekend. Paul Gallen has been named however is still in doubt. Joseph Paulo has been moved back to the bench, and Jack Williams has been named on the bench, expected to make his debut for the club.
PREVIEW
The Canberra Raiders are hosting the Cronulla Sharks at GIO Stadium on Sunday afternoon in the final match of round 10. The Raiders will be looking for a victory in front of a home crowd and are hoping for a spot in the top eight.
The last time these sides met was back in round 22 of the 2017 season, where the Raiders won by 18 points at Southern Cross Group Stadium. The Raiders were dominant in their display against the Sharks, completing at 91 per cent and scoring four tries to the Sharks’ two.
Both the Sharks and the Raiders have had rough starts to the 2018 season, however, their last few matches respectively have shown their capabilities as sides. Cronulla has won their last three and Raiders have won their last two, and both sides will be looking for another win to add to their tallies for the season.
KEY STAT
In their last sixteen matches, the Sharks and the Raiders have won eight each.
SQUADS
Canberra Raiders: 1 Jack Wighton 2 Nick Cotric 3 Jarrod Croker (c) 4 Joseph Leilua 5 Jordan Rapana 6 Blake Austin 7 Aidan Sezer 8 Iosia Soliola 9 Siliva Havili 10 Shannon Boyd 11 Joseph Tapine 12 Elliott Whitehead 13 Josh Papalii INTERCHANGE Ata Hingano 15 Luke Bateman 16 Charlie Gubb 17 Dunamis Lui
Cronulla Sharks: 1 Valentine Holmes 2 Sosaia Feki 3 Jesse Ramien 4 Ricky Leutele 5 Edrick Lee 6 Matt Moylan 7 Chad Townsend 8 Andrew Fifita 9 Jayden Brailey 10 Matt Prior 11 Kurt Capewell 12 Jayson Bukuya 13 Paul Gallen INTERCHANGE 14 Joseph Paulo 15 James Segeyaro 16 Ava Seumanufagai 17 Jack Williams
THE IMPORTANT DETAILS
Date: May 13, 2018
Venue: GIO Stadium
Time: 4:10 PM
WHO WILL WIN
It will be an entertaining match at GIO Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Both the Sharks and the Raiders have had strong performances in recent weeks and will be trying to continue their momentum. Sharks by 4.
