Round 24: Sharks v Bulldogs preview
Start spreading the news - the Sharks are headed for September
The Cronulla Sharks will be fighting to keep their top two hopes in tact when they host the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the penultimate round of the regular season on Saturday evening.
Making huge strides in a short space of time under first year coach Craig Fitzgibbon, the Cronulla Sharks will be out to continue a remarkable run of form, which has seen the side triumph in nine of their past ten matches.
Posting an emphatic 40-6 win over the Sea Eagles on the northern beaches last Saturday, the match will hold additional significance for Siosifa Talakai, returning following a fortnight on the sideline, with the strike centre set to make his 50th appearance for the club.
Dominating the blue and whites with eight wins from their previous ten meetings, grand final hero Andrew Fifita will make his final appearance at home after announcing his departure from the club at season's end during the week.
Coming into the round in third position, victory could see the Sharks finish the weekend as high as second on the ladder, should Melbourne and North Queensland falter, while a loss would put the side in the precarious position of needing to defeat the Knights in the final round to guarantee a second chance by virtue of finishing in the top four.
Almost certain to avoid claiming back-to-back wooden spoons, barring a calamitous turn of events over the next fortnight, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs will be out to play spoilers with a rare win in the Shire.
Suffering a humbling 42-6 defeat at the hands of the Eels last Saturday, interim coach Mick Potter has recalled Chris Patolo on the bench in place of Tevita Pangai Jr.
The Bulldogs last tasted victory at Cronulla back in 2011 in a late season contest where current Sharks captain Wade Graham, playing five-eighth as a 20-year-old, was hit by a shoulder charge from Frank Pritchard that would almost certainly have resulted in a send-off and suspension by today's standards.
Facing off in a trial match at PointsBet Stadium back in February, much has changed for both teams in the ensuing six months with the Sharks poised to record their best regular season finish since winning the premiership and the Bulldogs laying the foundations for better days to come with the appointment of a long-term coach.
Last meeting: Round 16 2022 - Bulldogs 6 Sharks 18
Who to watch: Eyebrows were raised when Nicho Hynes was named at halfback in Cronulla's opening match of the season. Fast forward six months and the former Melbourne utility is among the front-runners for the coveted Dally M Medal. Starting in the number seven jersey once in the top grade prior to this season, the 26-year-old has been a driving force behind the Sharks resurgence with 14 try-assists, 20 forced drop outs, six tries and a 72 per cent goal kicking success rate. Considered a strong contender to be included in Australia's World Cup squad due to his versatility, look for Hynes to deliver in the weeks to come.
As the curtain begins to fall on his time in the NRL, experienced front-rower Paul Vaughan will be hoping to go out in winning form. Playing over 200 games since debuting in 2013, the 31-year-old former New South Wales and Australian representative has experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows throughout his playing days with Canberra, St George Illawarra and Canterbury-Bankstown. Set to see out his career with Warrington in the English Super League, Vaughan has acted as a solid short-term solution for the Bulldogs with 134 running metres and 29 tackles on average in every game this season.
The favourite: The Sharks are favoured to record five straight victories - twice in a season - for the first time in the 21st century on Saturday evening.
My tip: Despite the best efforts of the Bulldogs to provide nuisance value over the second half of the season, the chance to host a finals match on home soil for the first time in 14 years should be too much for the Sharks to squander. Sharks by 20.
