Round 7: Sharks v Roosters preview
Two contenders in search of consistency face off for the 100th time in premiership history.
Both the Sharks and Roosters were expected to be title contenders this season, although like many other teams in the league right now it is hard to get a read on either side after six rounds.
Cronulla flashed its enormous potential with halfback Nicho Hynes steering the ship in a dominant win over the Dragons and looked set to back that effort up after racing out to a 20-point lead against the Warriors.
Instead, the Sharks crumbled under pressure to suffer a tight loss to their fast-improving trans-Tasman rivals and come into this week's game well-rested off the bye.
As for the Roosters, they took down the Eels a fortnight ago in a tight contest and were expected to give the Storm a serious shake at AAMI Park last week.
Instead, what first appeared an early contender for game of the year failed to deliver as Melbourne ran away comfortable winners.
For Cronulla, Wade Graham (suspension) and Oregon Kaufusi (concussion) return to offset the losses of Toby Rudolf (foot) and Dale Finucane (suspension).
Both Graham and Kaufusi have been named to come off the bench with Royce Hunt and Cameron McInnes promoted to the starting side.
Braydon Trindall, meanwhile, is out of the 17 entirely with Thomas Hazelton set to play his first game of the season.
There is plenty of positive team news for the Roosters this week and that extends to the NSW Cup forward pack, with Angus Crichton, Dylan Napa, Sitili Tupouniua and Nathan Brown all set to feature in reserve grade.
Centre Billy Smith, meanwhile, is also expected to run out for what would be his first game as he looks to force his way back into the NRL picture after suffering an ACL tear last season.
As for the NRL side, James Tedesco is back in action after missing a week due to concussion, seeing Joey Manu move back to the centres with Drew Hutchison joining the bench and Jake Turpin missing out.
Last meeting: Round 12 2022 - Sharks 16 Roosters 36
Who to watch: As will be touched on again later, if the Sharks are to pull off the win this weekend it will come off the back of another man-of-the-match performance from Nicho Hynes. Both Luke Keary and Sam Walker are exciting playmakers and instinctive ball-runners who can lift the Roosters' attack on an individual level but chemistry and cohesion has broken down at times this season.
Hynes, on the other hand, immediately is able to lift Cronulla's standards as the kind of player who makes everyone around him better. Should the Sharks force a few early dropouts and build pressure, look for Hynes to really start to pull apart the Roosters' defence.
Going to the Roosters, a lot of their success - and at times failure - starts up front. You only have to look at a guy like Jared Waerea-Hagreaves, who ran for just under 90 metres in last week's loss to Melbourne. That is despite playing just 50 minutes and yet it's not all great news for the Roosters up front. Sure, the return of the injured brigade may help.
But it seems like sometimes the Roosters' big men can at times become susceptible to buying too much into the emotional, rivalry or personal battles in games. That in turn can lead to errors or ill-discipline. Waerea-Hagreaves though over time has come to emerge as a genuine leader in the Roosters' pack, aware of his role in the squad as someone who helps set the tone. Waerea-Hagreaves will do just that against Cronulla this week.
The favourite: There is very little separating the two teams but the Roosters are slight favourites.
My tip: A tough one to pick and the returning troops should give the Roosters a boost but this is the kind of game where having a halfback like Nicho Hynes could prove especially important. Sharks by 4.
