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Paul Gallen plays his 300th first grade game, but the reception could be icy when the Cronulla Sharks head north to face the Brisbane Broncos in an all top four battle. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:50pm (AEST).
Gallen, one of the Sharks greatest ever and their only premiership winning captain will play his 300th at Suncorp Stadium, a ground that has given him plenty of ordinary moments leading the Blues over the years.
In front of a raucous home Brisbane crowd, it’s unlikely he is going to be given a standing ovation, as he would in the Shire.
The Sharks are coming up against a Broncos side who are going to be full of confidence after thrashing the Titans 54-0 in the second half.
Their attack was on fire as they scored seven tries in the second half, but they had to defend well early and then get on top of the fixture, before the Titans defence folded underneath them. The Broncos scored plenty of long-range tries as well, only having seven tackles in the opposition 20 during that second half.
Ben Hunt seems to have found himself at hooker after only a single game, replacing Andrew McCullough. All of that has to be taken with a grain of salt though, given the Cronulla defence will offer a significantly tougher challenge.
Hunt had a hat-trick of tries and a pair of assists, combining well with Kodi Nikorima and Anthony Milford who will again shape up in the halves. If Brisbane are to keep their attack rolling though, watch for Darius Boyd to become heavily involved in the back.
Where the Broncos may struggle is to match the Sharks up front. They have been inconsistent at best during 2017 and are currently on a pattern of win-loss-win-loss.
While they were sitting in second position, Shane Flanagan’s men have fallen away to fourth, errors and penalties finally catching up with them on the scoreboard. Their pack though, is still one of the grittiest in the league and led by Gallen and fellow 300 gamer Luke Lewis, they will aim to grind Brisbane into the ground.
That’s not a knock on Brisbane’s pack either, but the Sharks on paper have one of the stronger forward packs in the game and without McCullough to average 48 tackles per game, the defensive workload is going to be tough to make up.
The Sharks must stay patient in a game like this. They have tried to force things all year, and nowhere was that more evident than in their loss to the Raiders last week. If they do what worked in 2016, they are a chance – if not, the Broncos will cruise.
Prediction
At home and on the back of 54 points, it’s hard not to tip the Broncos.
There have been plenty of close games over the years recently between these sides. Golden point, here we come.
Broncos by 1.
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