Penrith punish rusty Roosters
2 hours ago | Aidan Edgecomb
Gold Coast Titans v Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Cbus Super Stadium - Saturday 5:30pm
Can Gold Coast bounce back from a record defeat? Or will Ben Barba hit his stride as Fullback?
Sunny Gold Coast is our destination for game 2 of 3 in our Super Saturday bonanza of Rugby League. This match will be a very intriguing one as it involves two teams that are completely out of sorts.
The Gold Coast had built a very respectable 4-4 record going into last weeks clash with Canberra down in the nation's capital and had been playing some pretty enterprising and smart football. However that all went out the window last week and they were comprehensively beaten by the tune of 56-16. They were outmuscled in the battle of the forwards making 500 metres less than Canberra, so I expect to see a change in intensity in their big men, namely Ryan James who has been a shining light so far in this campaign and will be hoping for a NSW origin jumper on the back of some very strong performances. The Titans 33 missed tackles also attributed to last weeks big loss, if they can tighten up their defence and complete their sets (they only completed 73% last week) then that will go a long way to them winning the game.
The Titans are unchanged from last week. No folks you read that correctly! No Changes.
The Sharks! What can I say about the luckless Sharks?? They on paper have one of the most formidable forward packs in the competition as well as some classy backs. ON PAPER. This hasn't transpired into actual form and has seen the Sharks slump to a 3-6 record after more than a third of the way through the season. Things need to change and change fast. Andrew Fifita had one of his best games of the season last week against the Warriors and the Shire faithful will want to see more of that in 2015. HIs 6 tackle breaks, 36 tackles and over 200 metres of running was a sight for sore Cronulla eyes.
The Sharks lack any real spark in the halves and this is shown by only scoring 156 points in 9 games at an average of 17 points a game, good for 13th in the league.
Half back Jeff Robson who came under scrutiny for his poor performance against the Warriors has only 2 try assists in 9 games, 2! That is unacceptable for a halfback in the NRL and especially for a team that wants to try and compete for the top 8. Add to that his 6 errors and only 1 line break and it tells a sad old story for the Sharkies. Jack Bird has been a revelation at five-eighth but he is a running half and the Sharks desperately need a playmaker. For now they'll have to go with what they have got and that is Jeff Robson.
The Sharks need to stay disciplined like they were last week in complting 81% of their sets and only making 7 errors, more effort like that and their luck is sure to change.
The Sharks have made two changes with Anthony Tupou out with that gruesome broken jaw replaced by David Fifita and Michael Gordon returns from his mysterious leg injury and replaces the error prone Mitch Brown.
Last meeting: Round 4 2015 - Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 22 Gold Coast Titans 24
The Titans took the spoils in earlier match this season. These two clubs have met 12 times with the ledger tied at 6-6.
They have met at Cbus Stadium 3 times with the homeside grabbing the spoils in two of those games.
The Titans have won their last two against the Sharks having beaten the Sharks 18-12 in 2014.
Who to watch:For the Titans keep an eye on young James Roberts. After having put his earlier troubles behind him, Roberts seems to be flourishing for the Titans (his 3rd club). With pace to burn and silky footwork, Robert's has all the makings of a classy outside back that can devastate opposing defenses for years to come.
So far in 2015 he has 9 tries, 113 tackles, 90 hit ups, 915 metres, 3 try assists and 5 line breaks. Phenomenal stats for a young centre. Titans faithful will be cheering him on and be hoping he gets the space and time to continue that form and damage the Sharks backline on Saturday night.
Valentine Holmes is a name that not too many people outside of the Shire will know. He has certainly made his name known in circles in the Sutherland Shire with some inspired performances from both fullback and wing. Holmes seems to be one of the few Sharks players capable of creating something from nothing and giving them a creative spark. His nifty running style and burning pace is something that hasn't been seen at the Sharks since a young bloke by the name of Mat Rogers graced the touchlines of Shark Park n the Early 1990's.
Holmes has the ability to be a game changer and if the Sharks halves (or anyone for that matter) can get the kid some quality ball and in space, then he will cause opposition teams a lot of headaches. His stats in 2015 are nothing to shy away from either: 5 tries (leader for the Sharks), 91 carries for 915 metres, 1 try assist and 6 line breaks. Not bad for a guy who has only played 14 first grade games!
The favourite: Hard to find a favorite here, but the Titans home ground advantage has them just ahead of the Sharks in this one.
My tip: I'm going out on a limb here and am going to tip the Sharks. I don't know why but just have a feeling that Cronulla will turn around this sinking ship. No disrespect to the Gold Coast as they are a great footy team and some very talented players. I'm expecting Shane Flanagan to turn this around using his experience to get one over counterpart Neil Henry. Expecting a big game from Valentine Holmes. Sharks to win by 12.
1. Josh Hoffman 2. Anthony Don 3. James Roberts 4. William Zillman 5. David Mead 6. Aidan Sezer 7. Kane Elgey 8. Luke Douglas 9. Kierran Moseley 10. Nate Myles 11. Ryan James 12. Dave Taylor 13. Lachlan Burr
Interchange: 14. Matt White 15. Eddy Pettybourne 16. Mark Ioane 17. Daniel Mortimer
1. Ben Barba 2. Valentine Holmes 3. Gerard Beale 4. Blake Ayshford 5. Michael Gordon 6. Jack Bird 7. Jeff Robson 8. Andrew Fifita 9. Michael Ennis 10. Matt Prior 11. Jayson Bukuya 12. Wade Graham 13. Luke Lewis
Interchange: 14. Sami Sauiluma 15. Tinirau Arona 16. David Fifita 17. Sam Tagataese
Referees: Adam Devcich, Dave Munro; Sideline Officials: Adam Reid, Belinda Sleeman; Video Referees: Steve Clark, Luke Patten;