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.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this match from 7:50pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.
qwetzen
Guest
If Gallen was Qld eligible he wouldn't be in the squad because of his record. In NSW they make him captain.
Mushi
Guest
Sorry the laffranchi incident precludes him from "champion for the NRL" status for me.
eagleJack
Roar Guru
Mate your boys are still very much in it. Right now the Storm are miles ahead of everyone else. But plenty can happen between now and October. Cowboys and Roosters will be good tests for the Sharks. Win those and you are back on track.
DJ
Guest
Even if they win the comp, the haters will still dismiss them.
steveng
Roar Rookie
'Luke Smith' are you trying to be funny? Gal has been a champion for the NRL and the game. Not all champions come from Qld. Give credit where its due, but that's a bit hard for all of you Qld supporters. 300 games is a credit to Gal and congratulation to him!!!
Renegade
Roar Guru
Hey EJ, They can't be sitting 4th and have been bad all year was my point. Their basics in terms of completion rate and discipline has definitely been terrible but as above their defence was the best in the competition which is why they are where they are but that's gone too.... no doubt this isn't the 2016 cronulla side who were clearly the best in the comp. The comparison to the 2014 manly side is a good one and a high probability that is going to be the way this season ends for the Sharks... I had Storm down as premiers before a ball was kicked but it's still sad seeing your teams reign as premiers getting closer and closer to an end haha
souvalis
Guest
Go back a month and they copped just as big a flogging from the Titans,12 points coming from simple one on one misses on Ash Taylor by..Jack Bird...30 last night,30 last week,30 in round 19 and 30 by Manly...that was a weak performance last night and probably pushed Maloney out the door with Bird..
eagleJack
Roar Guru
I don't know Rene. My memory is quite long and I've watched poor performances regularly since Rd 1, only for them to get home right at the death. People kept saying that's the sign of a good team. Win when you are playing poorly. Which is true. However it was always the belief of the faithful that when the whips were cracking they'd step up to another level. That hasn't been the case. Which isn't a big surprise given their average form all year. Yes that average form was good enough to beat 75% of teams. But with the talent in their squad you'd expect that. In 2014 Manly came equal top narrowly missing the minor premiership on PD. But they limped there and were never going to pose a threat come Finals time. If you'd just looked at the ladder you would have thought they were one of the favourites. But they definitely weren't. It looks like the Sharks might be following suit.
Joe
Roar Rookie
I think you're right about Origin taking its toll, especially on the losing team. I thought Maloney would have freshened up after a couple of weeks off but he played probably his worst game last night. They also missed Bird big time as Moga's two tries were simple one-on-one misses.
Renegade
Roar Guru
No way they've been that bad all year... that's a short memory comment. Their defence has been the best in the competition for the first 5 months of the year despite their poor completion rate and they were still able to put together for 20 mins which was good enough to beat 75% of the teams in the comp. Agree they've only put it together for a full 80 for 2-3 games this season but these last two weeks they lacking energy and haven't been able to flow at all... they are looking so tired, their wall like defence is a shell of what it was earlier in the year. Origin certainly took its toll and they seem to be getting more tired and worse in performance each week since then... certainly going to be a tough end of season to watch if there isn't a big turnaround.
Ben
Guest
Yep typical haters gonna hate won't ever credit the Broncos It's always the opposition was bad
eagleJack
Roar Guru
If we are being honest that's how they have played consistently this season. Bar a couple of games (v Storm etc) their handling and completion rates have been poor. For months the belief has been that they will come good by the finals. That scraping together victories, despite playing poorly, is the sign of a good team. But they've been tired and lethargic all year. The next 2 weeks (Cowboys, Roosters) will be very tough for them. It would be a miracle for them to turn around a pretty average year enough to make a dent in the finals.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Err yes. Must have been Pangai or Ese'ese. Apologies.
Long Black
Roar Rookie
Joe O is in the stands old mate.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
You don't think the Sharks were abysmal? Completion rate, missed tackle count, and literally any viewing of the game with your eyes open would indicate they played like a bottom 4 team.
Rob
Guest
Could Holmes kicking the ball away from an offside position be classed as a professional foul? It denied the Broncos chase scoring.
Mike
Guest
Game was over around in the 55th minute. Sharks needed to score before then if they were any chance of a fight back. Full credit to the Broncs they play with a lot of discipline through their side and compete really hard. Very good performance.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
That is the worst I've seen the Sharks play for a very long time. The Broncos were good but the Sharks were awful. I thought they would have bounced back after losing to the Raiders last week plus Gallen's 300th but they gave nothing. Their title defence looks in shreds now.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Thanks for joining me here on The Roar this evening for my 500th live blog and our coverage of the NRL season as the Broncos got the better of the Sharks. Hopefully you enjoyed the coverage. The round continues at 3pm (AEST) tomorrow with the Dragons hosting the Titans, then the Roosters play the Storm at 5:30pm (AEST) - I'll be back for that one. Bye for now.
Luke Smith
Guest
Broncos are building well without being too spectacular. It was fun to ruin Gallen's 300th game at a ground where he was well hated!! Moga will be a huge loss for the Broncos next year but great for the Knights!!