Vale: Terry Hill
69 mins ago | National Rugby League
Sharks v Roosters preview
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v Sydney Roosters
Remondis Stadium - Sunday 4:00pm 
Will The Sharks tumultuous season continue at the Hands of the Roosters?
Sunday afternoon football heads to the beautiful Sutherland Shire for this intriguing Round 13 clash between Cronulla and the Sydney Roosters. Both sides are sitting at different ends of the ladder with the Roosters on the charge in the top 8 with 6 wins and placed in 5th, the Sharks meanwhile are 14th, smarting after a 42-6 drubbing by neighbors St George Illawarra last Sunday.
Since the Sharks upset the Roosters all the way back in round round 5, both clubs have had differing fortunes. The Roosters have bounced back and are playing some of their best football of 2015. Whilst the Sharks are badly out of form and pressure is now mounting on half back Jeff Robson as well as coach Shane Flanagan after poor performances over the last 4 weeks in which the Sharkies have won only once.
To compound issues they will be without big off season signing Ben Barba who failed to get through the contact session yesterday with a rib injury. Valentine Holmes will move back to fullback and Sosaia Feki comes onto the wing. Captain courageous Paul Gallen make a long awaited return for Cronulla, with the Sharks faithful hoping he can bring an end to this torrid run for Cronulla. Chris Heighington also returns on the bench in a further boost.
The Roosters have been marching of late and shocked competition from runners Melbourne on Monday night 24-2 in a complete performance from the tri colours. With the rumored return of Blake Ferguson, things are getting better. No fresh changes for them. They will be looking for revenge after losing to the Sharks by the tune of 20-12 in round 5, they have also dropped 3 of the past 4 against the shire based club. Expect to see the Roosters coming out of the blocks at a 100 miles an hour on Sunday Afternoon.
Last Meeting: Cronulla 20 Sydney Roosters 12 at Allianz Stadium, Round 5, 2015.
Sharks have won 3 of the past 4 against the Roosters including their surprise victory in Round 5. However The Roosters have won the last game at Remondis, 24-18 last year. The Roosters have the third best record of any club at Remondis with 24 wins in 42 matches, form Is pointing towards a Roosters victory on Sunday.
Who To Watch: Jack Bird has not been intimidated by First Grade Football since his debut In round 4 for the Sharks. He has been a constant attacking threat as well as a solid defender in the middle of the field. With the poor form of Jeff Robson, Bird is putting a lot of the attacking impetus on himself and he is thriving. His short kicking game is improving every week and he showed great vision to set up Valentine Holmes for Cronulla's only try last week via a short grubber. His stats in 2015 show that he is a shining light for the struggling Sharkies. His 4 tries and 2 try assist are the best at the club.
Roosters have been running amok with their backs of late but the platform has been set up by their huge forward pack. Jared Waerea Hargreaves has been playing some great football. His big frame is a nightmare for opposition defences and his ability to offload and create second phase play has been a big part of the Rooster's outside backs getting some good, early ball. His aggression is also a great asset in the weekly forward battle. Expect him to be butting heads with the lies of Fifita and Gallen in what is a tantalizing forward battle on Sunday.
The Favorite: Roosters strong favorites for this clash and plenty of bets heading in their direction.
My Tip: Roosters will win this fairly comfortably I reckon. They have hit some form and the Sharks just seem to be so off the pace at the moment. Gallen is a big inclusion but don't think it'll be enough.
Roosters by 16
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. Luke Lewis 12. Wade Graham 13. Paul Gallen
Interchange: 14. Jayson Bukuya 15. Chris Heighington 16. David Fifita 17. Sam Tagataese 18. Sosaia Feki 19. Ricky Leutele
1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Michael Jennings 4. Mitchell Aubusson 5. Shaun Kenny-Dowall 6. James Maloney 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Jake Friend 10. Sam Moa 11. Boyd Cordner 12. Aidan Guerra 13. Isaac Liu
Interchange: 14. Jackson Hastings 15. Siosiua Taukeiaho 16. Kane Evans 17. Dylan Napa
Referees: Ben Cummins, Dave Munro; Sideline Officials: Ricky MacFarlane, Anthony Elliott; Video Referees: Steve Chiddy, Daniel Irvine;