Round 11: Cronulla v St George Illawarra preview
Local Rivals Face Off in Fight to Stay In Touch With the 8
When these two sides faced off in Round 1, the Dragons were considered morals for the wooden spoon, while the Sharks hadn't missed the finals in 6 years and looked on form to make it 7.
But 10 rounds and a sacked coach later and it is the Dragons who look an outside chance of scraping into the top 8m, while the Sharks are all but certain to miss the finals after a promising start to the year.
In magic round last week, it looked like more of the same for the Sharks against a resurgent Souths outfit, however they mounted a 2nd half comeback that ultimately fell short.
The Dragons had every chance of beating the Storm, who were missing half of their starting spine, however a reckless high tackle from Tyrell Fuimaono resulted in him being sent off, and he took any hope the Dragons had of winning with him.
Despite losing 4 out of their last 5, the Dragons are still sitting in 6th place on the ladder, however they will need to get themselves back into form if they are any hope of staying there. They have another good opportunity to do so against the Sharks, who themselves are coming off a 6-game losing streak.
However, the Dragons will also need to overcome the hurdle of injuries and suspension in this one. Jack Bird is the only member of the backline lining up in the same position as last week. Ramsey moves to fullback in place of the injured Dufty, with Jordan Pereira returning on one wing while Max Feagai replaces the suspended Ravalawa on the other. Billy Burns starts at centre in place of Ravalawa.
In the forward pack, Jackson Forward starts at second row and Poasa Faamausili starts at lock, in place of Tariq Sims and Josh McGuire respectively (both suspended). Kaide Ellis, Jaiyden Hunt and Junior Amone all come onto the interchange bench.
For the Sharks, Josh Hannay has apparently liked what he's seen from the team that's lost 6 in a row and named an unchanged line-up. The most bizarre decision in my opinion is to retain Chad Townsend in the 17. Townsend will not be at the club next year and there are 3 players of equal or greater skill in Tracey, Trindall and Moylan who have been forced to play out of position during the year to accommodate him.
Last meeting: Round 1 2021 - Dragons 18 Sharks 32
Who to watch: He has been somewhat of a polarising figure recently, however last week it was great to see Andrew Fifita get back to something resembling his best form. After coming out swinging against former coach John Morris during the week, Fifita clearly had a point to prove in his first NRL game since October last year, and he certainly delivered. Although he only played 19 minutes off the bench, he was able to make a clear impact for the Sharks off the bench, running harder than he has in recent years and showing determination which paid off when he was able to get to a loose ball first and set up fellow big man Aaron Woods for a try which swung momentum. It will be interesting this week to see if Fifita can replicate the effort this week as well as how many minutes Hannay plays him for.
EDIT: Unfortunately, Andrew Fifita has since been cut from the Sharks 17 and will not be playing on Friday night.
Last week, Matt Dufty was undoubtedly the Dragons best attacking threat, however he unfortunately succumbed to a shoulder injury. It's a shame, however it does give Dragons and Rugby League fans a chance to see Cody Ramsey get his first career start at fullback. St George Illawarra have handed Ramsey a long-term deal through to the end of 2024, with the vision of him being the custodian for the bulk of that time. Last week, through no fault of his own, he wasn't able to conjure much with ball in hand, but he did show some nice speed to finish off a long range try at the death. Against a Sharks defence that has leaked 120 points over the last 3 weeks, Ramsey has an opportunity to give the Saints something to look forward to in the future on Friday night.
The favourite: After starting as outsiders, the Sharks are favoured by 6 points over the Dragons in this one.
My tip: Although the Dragons are missing a whole heap of personell and the Sharks looked promising last week, I still think the experience of Ben Hunt will be enough to ensure the Red V will be the ones snapping the losing streak come Friday Night. St George Illawarra by 7.
