Sharks
16
Match Complete
Roosters
30
| C. Townsend |  | 79 | ||
| J. Williams |  | 78 | ||
| C. Townsend | | 63 | ||
| S. Johnson | | 62 | ||
| J. Morris | | 59 | ||
| 49 | | L. Mitchell | ||
| 48 | | M. Ikuvalu | ||
| 45 | | L. Mitchell | ||
| 44 | | B. Cordner | ||
| 43 | | L. Mitchell | ||
| 41 | | J. Tedesco | ||
| 40 | | L. Mitchell | ||
| 40 | | L. Mitchell | ||
| 24 | | L. Mitchell | ||
| 24 | | C. Cronk |
| 3 | Tries | 5 | ||
| 2 | Conversions | 5 | ||
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 0 | ||
| 0 | Field Goals | 0 |
The final game of Round 5’s Super Saturday will see the Cronulla Sharks host the red-hot Sydney Roosters at Shark Park. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog, starting from 7:30pm AEST.
The Sharks are looking to bounce back after a 12-point defeat at the hands of the Parramatta Eels, who themselves gave the Roosters a good scare two weeks ago.
For the defending premiers, it’ll be business as usual after stringing three wins together following a Round 1 defeat at the hands of South Sydney. Their most recent outing saw them put Brisbane to the sword 36-4 at the SCG.
The Sharks sit comfortably in seventh place with a 2-2 record. They’ve had a disrupted start to the year with injuries, although they are boosted by the returns of skipper Paul Gallen and new five-eighth Shaun Johnson who both missed last week’s loss to the Eels.
They are still below full strength however, missing three former NSW Origin players in star back-rower Wade Graham, fullback Matt Moylan and bench front-rower Aaron Woods. Adding these three players to the Sharks’ side would make this game very close indeed.
The Roosters too are below full strength, missing captain and hooker Jake Friend and former representative winger Brett Morris – the latter of which is very unfortunate as it’s always a pleasure to see the Morris twins come up against each other.
However, Victor Radley and Matt Ikavalu are both very handy replacements for Friend and Morris – the Roosters do not lose much for having these two in the side.
Prediction
The Sharks are a side with plenty of big-game experience, and at full strength I see them really taking it to the Roosters. Despite the loss of Woods they still have a very formidable pack.
It’s the loss of Matt Moylan that really worries me. Moylan is a try-assist machine, and while Josh Dugan is a great defensive fullback and is fantastic off kick-returns, his struggles with ball playing and pass-selection have been well documented. The Sharks will really struggle to score without Matt Moylan.
Dugan’s fitness is also a worry. He came from the field during the Eels game for an HIA, which saw Josh Morris shift to the back.
He also looked generally ginger for a long time in that game after a few hard knocks. He’s been quite injury prone in recent years – if he goes down in this game the Sharks could be in real trouble.
For the Roosters, their only real concern is Cooper Cronk, who came from the field during the Broncos’ game with hamstring tightness.
As he has shown time and time again, Luke Keary is more than capable of running the show by himself – having Cronk there is just a bonus.
The Roosters’ irresistible form and the Sharks’ injury problems make it very difficult to back Cronulla – even at home.
They’ll put up a fight early, and maybe even scare the Roosters a little like the Bulldogs did to Melbourne last week. But the Roosters will run away with it – they’re too classy to get done by a below-strength Sharks side.
Roosters by 16
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 7:30pm AEST.
Where: Shark Park, Sydney
When: 7:30pm
TV: Fox League
Streaming: NRL Digital Pass, Kayo Sports
Sharks
1. Josh Dugan 2. Sosaia Feki 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Josh Morris 5. Sione Katoa 6. Shaun Johnson 7. Chad Townsend 8. Andrew Fifita 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Matt Prior 11. Briton Nikora 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Paul Gallen. Interchange: 14. Blayke Brailey 15. Jayson Bukuya 16. Jack Williams 17. Scott Sorensen. Reserves: 18. Kyle Flanagan 19. Will Kennedy 20. Braden Hamlin-Uele 21. Aaron Gray
Roosters
1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Latrell Mitchell 4. Joseph Manu 5. Matt Ikuvalu 6. Luke Keary 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Victor Radley 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Angus Crichton 13. Isaac Liu. Interchange: 14. Lindsay Collins 15. Zane Tetevano 16. Poasa Faamausili 17. Mitchell Aubusson. Reserves: 18. Nat Butcher 19. Sitili Tupouniua 20. Sam Verrills 23. Lachlan Lam
Bonza
Roar Rookie
As a Sharks fan last night was a shambles. As a NSW fan I was happier. Let's not forget Cronulla are still playing without Wade Graham who is a massive out. Keeps his edge tight in defence and plays as a big 5/8 in attack. Plus no Moylan, Gallen or Woods. Like to think we'll offer more of a fight later in the year. Having said that these Roosters have the feel of the 94 Raiders. Can score from anywhere, anytime and every position is strong.
KenoathCarnt
Roar Rookie
Hahahaha He would probly overtake Thurston lol. I don’t get why that why the finance side is purely operated by an NRL representative.
db
Guest
Reggie can't relax, feet up in a Jason Recliner, resplendent in a tinfoil hat, reading from 'The Book of Sooks' and agreeing with Pauline's conspiratorial machinations about Port Arthur.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
@ John Allan, db and M The Truth? You can't handle the truth! Next story where there is relevance to the Roosters I'll show you the truth that the Roosters ARE over the salary cap.
jamesb
Roar Guru
Well, Cronulla are missing Moylan, Woods, Gallen and Graham. And they are trying to get used to playing with Johnson.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
"both humorous & ill informed" Great, you make me sound like the mainstream media the creators of "Fake News" and other bedtime stories. "Why don’t you audit their books providing you have the capacity to add up" And WHICH books would "Uncle Nick" give me? Trust me, I can put two and two together so I know what the crooks... chooks are up to.
db
Guest
They're almost as far over the cap as Souths. It's amazing what Rusty gets away with.
Daniel Szabo
Roar Guru
Full Time The Roosters have come away with a fantastic win against the Sharks, cracking the 30 point mark for a second week in a row thanks in large part to the brilliance of Luke Keary. The first half was a very even contest for the most part. The first 20 minutes was a very tight arm wrestle, before a Boyd Cordner offload sparked the Roosters attack in the 24th minute. The ball found James Tedesco, who quickly gave it on to Keary who made a break past Shaun Johnson. Keary then drew fullback Josh Dugan and passed to Cooper Cronk who scored near the posts untouched. Despite the setback, Cronulla were still well in the contest. They got a few chances late in the half, courtesy of some handling errors from Lindsay Collins. However, they couldn't capitalise on their opportunities, and on the stroke of halftime, Keary chipped for Inglis (I mean Latrell Mitchell - easy mistake to make!) who beat both Sione Katoa and Josh Dugan in a 60m run to put the scores out to 10-0. He then converted his own try, giving his side a 12-point lead at halftime. Coming out for the second half, no Sharks fan would've predicted what came next. After Briton Nikora made a clean break in the first set of the half, he looked to draw and pass to youngster Bronson Xerri past James Tedesco before Xerri put the ball down, bombing an almost certain try. To add to the Sharks' troubles, Luke Keary sent Latrell Mitchell back on the inside close to the Sharks' line the very next set. Mitchell beat a couple of defenders before offloading to James Tedesco who scored easily, making it 18-0 after Mitchell converted the try. Josh Dugan then put the ball out on the full off the kick-off gifting the Roosters another chance which they grabbed with both hands as Boyd Cordner barged through some weak defence, beating Shaun Johnson and Briton Nikora to score a very simple try in the 44th minute. 24-0. The Roosters got sick of using their lethal left-edge to score points and decided to send the ball right instead. In one of the best tries of the season, James Tedesco put Joseph Manu into some space, Manu held the ball with one hand, and channeling former greats Matt Gidley and Mark Gasnier, sent the ball to winger Matt Ikavalu with a beautiful flick pass. What happened next defied all logic! Ikavalu, having absolutely no right to score, managed to stay in the field of play by the slimmest of margins. The try was sent upstairs as no-try, but the decision overturned after just one look as Ikavalu was obviously in by the skin of his teeth. Mitchell nailed the conversion from the sideline to give his side a 30-0 lead. It could have gotten ugly for the Sharks at this point. Fortunately for them, the Roosters took their foot off the gas a bit and allowed the Sharks to play a bit of football. It was always going to be too little too late - even after 2 quick tries in the 59th and 62nd minutes the comeback never looked likely. But the Sharks threw caution to the wind once the pressure was off, and looked dangerous playing some ad lib footy - particularly on their left edge through Josh Morris and Sosaia Feki. They managed to save face a bit, scoring 3 late tries - the 2 aforementioned ones and one in the 78th minute to Jack Williams - to finish the game 30-16. However, they will rue the way they finished the first half, and even more so the way they started the second half. A 6-0 halftime deficit would have been an accurate reflection of their effort in the first half - and 6-0 down to the red-hot defending premiers after one half of football is not a bad result at all. However, laziness on the final play of the half turned 6-0 into 12-0. And failing to come out of the sheds after halftime turned 12-0 into 30-0. They'll be very disappointed in how that all transpired. For the Roosters, they'll be proud of their first 60 minutes of football. They took it to the Sharks in a tough early arm wrestle before showing their class later on. But they won't be happy that they let the Sharks off a bit at the end. They would've wanted to go on with it, but they'll still be happy with the result. Sharks - 16 Roosters - 30
M
Guest
Try keeping Melbourne under the cap.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
jimmmy I never let facts get in the way of a good punchline. ;-)
souvalis
Roar Rookie
Wonder how commentators will view this...Broncos flogged and the roof was raised..Sharkies flogged who are viewed as just as valid a contender as anyone..yet,seriously doubt there'll be a ripple..
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
The Roosters salary cap books are like an exercise in Quantum mechanics, figures can be in multiple places at the same time and then nowhere. It's like playing a shell and pea game trying to keep up with where they hide the money. Surely it's time to add a new award... "Dally M Accountant of the Year". Ian Schubert would win it every year! LOL
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
Tough tough night for Cronulla. It was a scrappy performance, and quite rudderless at times. There will need to be a lot of work put into this outfit if they are to be a force at the end of the season. Congratulations to the Roosters. It wasn't pretty tonight but it was ruthless. Up Up
Aw
Guest
Poor defensive effort from the roosters at the end. Need to improve mightily to compete against the storm next week. Robbo needs to rip into them
Joe
Roar Rookie
Nice run of points at the end by the Sharks but the Roosters had put the cue in the rack around the 20 minute mark. I think Cronulla can challenge this Roosters outfit with a full squad but they have to work on their attack. They need more unpredictability in their play as the usual block plays are getting eaten up. Also they can't clock off like Johnson tends to do. The poor kick at the end of the 1st half and his poor defense on Cordner show's he still can't put in an 80 minute shift. Its looking like the Warriors were right if his alleged asking price of 1 mill is correct. He is not a million dollar player.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
You are both humorous & ill informed. Perhaps a touch of jealousy as well. Why don't you audit their books providing you have the capacity to add up (LOL).
79
Daniel Szabo
Roar Guru
80' Townsend kicks the goal and that'll be all she wrote. Roosters absolutely brilliant tonight, but the Sharks managed to save face with 3 late tries to make the scoreline somewhat less embarrassing. Match report to come. Sharks - 16 Roosters - 30
78
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Happy to trade you Braidon Burns for Bronson Xerri. Interested? The kid looks quick (Burns isn't) and he looks like he has plenty of ability he is just very new to the top grade and pressured against the most expensive team in the competition.