The Cronulla Sharks are going from strength to strength in 2016, putting together their 13th consecutive win with a 16-point victory over the Penrith Panthers.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Penrith Panthers 10
Cronulla Sharks 26
The Penrith Panthers will be out to break old rivals the Cronulla Sharks‘ 12-game winning streak at Pepper Stadium, in a match heavily affected by State of Origin. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 4pm (AEST).
There will be a total of seven players missing from this game thanks to State of Origin commitments, although the Sharks have certainly come out of it worse off.
With a 12 game winning streak under their belt, they will be without stars Paul Gallen, Andrew Fifita, James Maloney, Wade Graham and Jack Bird.
Despite that, with the exception of Graham they have been missing that group right throughout the Origin period and still played a strong, entertaining brand of football.
Some will say they got a little lucky the last couple of weeks with a one-point win against the New Zealand Warriors and then a big come from behind victory against the Parramatta Eels – regardless, they are still getting the job done and winning matches.
All of that leaves them top of the table on 30 competition points although the Melbourne Storm have a bye this weekend so could draw level if the Sharks don’t win this.
The Panthers meanwhile, had a very disappointing loss to the Wests Tigers last week. In a high scoring contest, they went down 34-26, however they had won two straight previously.
It has just been an inconsistent season for the Panthers, where they have been unable to keep their best team on the park, at times haven’t seemed to know exactly what the makeup of their best team is and struggled to put performances together week after week.
They sit in ninth position on the ladder, just struggling to break into the eight and will be hoping to find more consistency after the Origin period – when they can have Matt Moylan and Josh Mansour back properly.
Moylan and Mansour will both have to sit out this week, with Sam McKendry also missing Suaia Matagi and Will Smith are the two players confirmed to come in, however it is unclear who will play fullback after Moylan was named for NSW on Tuesday.
The five Origin players will be the only changes for Cronulla with Fa’amanu Brown into the halves, Valentine Holmes back onto the wing and Jesse-Sene-Lefao, Kurt Capewell and Matt McIlwrick all onto the bench.
The key here will be how the likes of Chad Townsend, Michael Ennis, Ben Barba, Bryce Cartwright and Nathan Cleary as they try to stand up with Origin players out of the contest.
Prediction
The Sharks have been an outfit firing on all cylinders, and even with their Origin players missing Chad Townsend and Ben Barba should take them to a tough, hard-fought victory.
Sharks by 2
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this Round 18 match from 4pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde
Alex L
Roar Rookie
That's the joke...
steveng
Roar Rookie
Cartwright made allot of mistakes tonight for the panthers and at SOO level he would be a liability
Renegade
Roar Guru
What would constitute as a tough run for them considering they've beaten everyone in the top 8.... And the next 4 behind them as well.
JVGO
Guest
Not much to test the mettle there. We need to rest some personnel and aim up full strength for the Storm. Nu Brown and Capewell in particular showed they can handle first grade and deserve a run. They might be needed down the line.
Muzz
Guest
The Roosters will flog em.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
1 good team in there, they should pound the rest.
Muzz
Guest
Who does your mob need to overpower on the run home?
Sponebob
Guest
"From here they play the Roosters next Monday followed by the Knights, Titans, Raiders, Dragons, Rabbitohs, Roosters and Storm." Tough gig, some quality opposition to overpower there.
JVGO
Guest
It was great to see Cronulla bring on the generic surfy blond headed second rower for the last five minutes of the game. Tradition runs strong in the shire. If the Sharks win a premiership this year it will be dedicated to Nathan Long, Ken Ebb, Greg Pierce, Rick Bourke, Steve Edmonds. What was his name by the way?
E-Meter
Guest
Great entertainment from the black cat on the field. Also the Cronulla trumpet player - well played sir.
Scott Pryde
Expert
» Click here to read the full match report Final Score Penrith Panthers 10 Cronulla Sharks 26
toputz
Guest
I wish Laurie listen to the NSW selectors on roar and pick Cartwright.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Absolutely - they are just on fire. 13 in a row is incredible.
Scott Pryde
Expert
The Roar's NRL MVP 3 - Ben Barba 2 - Chad Townsend 1 - Leilani Latu
jamesb
Guest
First half defence set up the win for Cronulla. Now it's 13 in a row!
Scott Pryde
Expert
STATS: Tries: Panthers (2), Sharks (5) Goals: Panthers (1/2), Sharks (2/5) Penalty Goals: Panthers (0/1), Sharks (1/1) Possession: Panthers (50%), Sharks (50%) Completions: Panthers (28/36), Sharks (24/36) All runs: Panthers (171), Sharks (168) All Run metres: Panthers (1411), Sharks (1564) Line Breaks: Panthers (2), Sharks (6) Offloads: Panthers (14), Sharks (9) Tackles: Panthers (302), Sharks (291) Missed Tackles: Panthers (36), Sharks (35) Penalties: Panthers (6), Sharks (9) Errors: Panthers (8), Sharks (8)
Scott Pryde
Expert
The Sharks were just too good today, outclassed Penrith in every single way. Full report, stats and MVP to come. Thanks for joining me this evening on The Roar for our live coverage of the 2016 NRL season as the Cronulla Sharks recorded a good win over the Penrith Panthers. Hopefully you enjoyed the coverage. Round 18 will continue tomorrow evening with John Coomer taking you through the Canberra Raiders vs North Queensland Cowboys from 7pm (AEST). I'll then be here to take you through State of Origin Game 3 on Wednesday. Before then, I'll be live later this evening with the men's Wimbledon Final from 11pm (AEST) - be sure to join me then. Bye for now.
Scott Pryde
Expert
FULLTIME Edwards brings it away from the scrum before Cartwright bounces off a tackle in the middle and then finds Cleary. Latu with a run and the ball has come lose in a big tackle with Prior, but none of it matters as the siren goes. What a win for the Sharks against all the odds. Penrith Panthers 10 Cronulla Sharks 26
Renegade
Roar Guru
Haha I hate the tag but it's got to the point where you can't deny this side is exactly that.... Pleasure to watch but back of the mind knows that there is still a long way to go in the big scheme of things.
JVGO
Guest
Nu Brown is better.