Sharks v Tigers preview

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v Wests Tigers
Remondis Stadium - Saturday 3:00pm

Two last-start losers with contrasting aspirations face off in the Shire.

Having gone down to Melbourne at home on Monday night, the Sharks find themselves in a precarious position heading into the final three rounds of the regular season. Looking likely to threaten for a top four finish only a week ago, Cronulla find themselves in sixth place with Canterbury in hot pursuit. While the Sharks should be assured of a place in the finals, they will want to give their long-suffering supporters reason to be optimistic about their chances heading into September. Sam Tagaetese returns in the front row, while Matt Prior will play his 150th first grade game off the bench in place of Ben Barba.

Forced to play the majority of last week's match with a two-man bench, the Tigers performed valiantly in defeat against the Knights. With Chris Lawrence and Martin Taupau set to return from injury and suspension respectively, the Tigers will be keen to deliver an improved performance which would likely see them avoid the wooden spoon. Having sustained a season-ending injury against the Sharks on debut back in 2012, James Tedesco will play his 50th game in the NRL. In recent seasons the Tigers have performed strongly against Cronulla, winning six of the past eight clashes dating back to 2009.

Last meeting: Round 26 2014 - Wests Tigers 26 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 10

Who to watch: Having recently penned a new one-year deal, Paul Gallen will be desperate to deliver a maiden premiership for the long-suffering Cronulla supporters. With time running out in his career, expect the 34-year-old warhorse to stand up as 2015 may be his last chance to take the Sharks to their first Grand Final since 1997.

While the end result may have gone against the Tigers last week, Mitchell Moses recorded a major win in defence against the Knights. Having been terrorised by Tariq Sims throughout the match, the young five-eighth came up with a number of quality defensive plays which should boost his confidence immensely. Talented with the ball in hand, his combination with Luke Brooks will play a major role in getting the Tigers over the line on Saturday.

The favourite: Despite their poor performance against Melbourne, the Sharks are expected to come away with the win at home.

My tip: If the Sharks are to make a serious impact in the playoffs, these are the matches they have to win. Sharks by 12.

1. Michael Gordon 2. Sosaia Feki 3. Gerard Beale 4. Ricky Leutele 5. Valentine Holmes 6. Jack Bird 7. Jeff Robson 8. Chris Heighington 9. Michael Ennis 10. Sam Tagataese 11. Luke Lewis 12. Wade Graham 13. Paul Gallen
Interchange: 14. Matt Prior 15. Anthony Tupou 16. Tinirau Arona 17. Jayson Bukuya

1. James Tedesco 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Kevin Naiqama 4. Tim Simona 5. Pat Richards 6. Mitchell Moses 7. Luke Brooks 8. Aaron Woods 9. Robbie Farah 10. Sauaso Sue 11. Curtis Sironen 12. Dene Halatau 13. Martin Taupau
Interchange: 14. Kyle Lovett 15. Keith Galloway 16. Ava Seumanufagai 17. Chris Lawrence 18. Manaia Cherrington 19. Jack Buchanan

Referees: Grant Atkins, Matt Noyen; Sideline Officials: Russell Turner, Anthony Elliott; Video Referees: Ashley Klein, Daniel Irvine;

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