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The Cronulla Sharks are coming off a thumping defeat against Melbourne and must bounce back at home against the Parramatta Eels if they are to stay inside the top eight. Join us for live scores and commentary from 7.30pm AEST.
After a run of four consecutive victories, Cronulla’s winning momentum came to a crashing halt last week, losing 38-6 to the Storm.
The Sharks simply had no answers to Melbourne’s clinical and at times perfect attack and were given a footballing lesson at AAMI Park.
Such a defeat would have no doubt hurt Cronulla’s confidence heading into tonight’s match, but they do have a chance to play themselves back into some form against the struggling Eels.
The Sharks welcome back captain Paul Gallen from suspension and will take his place in a forward pack containing in-form stars Andrew Fifita and Luke Lewis.
Parramatta on the other hand is without NSW fullback Jarryd Hayne, who injured his hamstring in last week’s defeat to the Roosters.
The Eels are also yet to win a match away from home this season and may find it tough to match a physical Sharks pack that always rises to the occasion at home.
Prediction
For the Eels to cause the upset, it is imperative that they somehow score the opening try against the Sharks.
Cronulla really does struggle to chase a game, as evidenced by their heavy defeat to Melbourne last week.
The Sharks also tasted defeat against Parramatta earlier in the year due to their inability to chase down points after a fast start from the Eels.
In short, if the Eels can score first, they will go a long way to perhaps frustrating a Sharks side that really struggles to score points when behind on the scoreboard.
If Cronulla however are allowed to open the scoring, then tonight’s match has a Sharks victory written all over it.
The Sharks love to grind their opposition to the ground with their strong go-forward play and remain one of the most disciplined clubs in the NRL when it comes to penalties conceded.
With this in mind, a six point lead or so to Cronulla may prove to be more than enough for the Sharks to go on with the job and register a key victory.
Sharks by 12.