Roar Guru
The Brisbane Broncos are without their Origin stars and may once again struggle to secure a much needed win against top four aspirants the Cronulla Sharks tonight. Join us for live scores and commentary from 7.45pm AEST.
Brisbane went down 32-nil to Melbourne last week and will be wondering how they failed to register a single point against the reigning premiers given the amount of chances they had at their disposal.
A combination of great defence from the Storm and poor handling and execution from the Broncos saw Brisbane butcher as many as six genuine try scoring opportunities last week.
With Brisbane’s back firmly against the wall, they must find a way to bounce back against the Sharks at home.
While the Broncos are missing the likes of Sam Thaiday, Justin Hodges, Corey Parker and Matt Gillett to Origin duty, they should still fancy their chances of upsetting Cronulla tonight.
The Sharks are without Paul Gallen, Luke Lewis and Andrew Fifita who have all been picked to play for NSW.
Prediction
Fifita’s absence will hurt Cronulla upfront. The former Tigers forward tormented his old club last week, scoring two tries, including a wonderful solo effort that saw him run 50 metres to score.
With Todd Carney still in the side however, the Sharks still possess the necessary class in attack to win tonight.
For the Broncos to earn the two competition points, Peter Wallace, Corey Norman, Scott Prince and Josh Hoffman will all have to fire for the home side.
If the preceding players do play well, this contest could very well go down to the wire, given that both teams are desperate for victory for vastly different reasons.
A victory for Cronulla will see them well in the running to secure a vital top four birth while a win for Brisbane will keep their faint finals hopes alive.
With a top four spot well within reach however, the Sharks should be favoured to play with the intensity required to secure the competition points.
Sharks by eight.