Finals Week 3: Panthers v Sharks NRL Preliminary Final preview
The dynasty that is the Penrith Panthers will look to head into their fifth grand final in a row as they host the Cronulla Sharks at Accor Stadium.
Penrith will be fresh from a week off, having taken down the Sydney Roosters in week one 30-10. Four tries in the first 22 minutes sealed yet another Preliminary Final for the Panthers, as the men from the foot of the mountain showcased why their are the defending champions three years running.
The loss of Scott Sorensen just before kick-off was no worry, with Luke Garner causing havoc across the Roosters defensive line. The addition of Sorensen will just be yet another threat for the Sharks this week, with Garner's ability to play across multiple positions from the bench a proven problem in 2024 for opposition teams.
As the competition knows, the major threat comes from the Penrith spine that involves three international representatives and a very underrated hooker in Mitch Kenny, While the attention will undoubtedly be on the halves of Cleary and Luai, the threat from Dylan Edwards and Kenny can and will cause headaches across the board for Cronulla.
The Sharks are coming off a topsy-turvy performance against the Cowboys last week, securing a week three berth with a 26-18 win. Having lead 24-0 at half-time, the Sharks were nearly on the receiving end of a Cowboys comeback, in part due to some flimsy defense. It's a performance that may have been good enough last week, but will not do against the defending premiers.
The Sharks do not have the greatest of records against the Panthers, having lost seven of their last ten games. That said, one of those three victories was a 21-20 win in week two of the 2018 finals thanks to a Chad Townsend field goal.
Only one Shark remains with the club from that 2018 side - Jesse Ramien. Scott Sorensen came off the bench for Cronulla during that win, while Penrith have four from 2018 (Cleary, Yeo, Leota, Fisher-Harris).
The Panthers have named the same 17 that took the field in week one, with Scott Sorensen in line to return from his hamstring injury. Should Sorensen play on Saturday, it will likely be in place of Brad Schneider.
The Sharks have also named the same team that won last week against North Queensland. Dan Atkinson is 18th man, while impact man Braden Hamlin-Uele looks to break into the side from the reserves.
Last meeting: Round 12 2024 - Sharks 0 Panthers 42
Who to watch: As crazy as this may be, Nathan Cleary is not the main threat against the Cronulla Sharks. He will be a spark in attack, but the Sharks need to shut down Dylan Edwards if they want to win. Last time out against Cronulla, the fullback ran for 250 metres, broke the line twice and scored in a 42-0 drubbing. When Penrith don't have Edwards, they lack go forward off kicks. When Penrith don't have Edwards, there can be an over-reliance on the Panthers halves. Cronulla need to avoid Edwards with their kicking game in order to shut down his impact early in the sets.
Despite Nicho Hynes being the main focus for the Sharks, it's been Braydon Trindall who has sparked Cronulla's attack. A career year for the Cronulla half, Trindall's running game has been fantastic in the back half of the year - scoring 12 tries and setting up 18. The attention will be on Hynes to stop his distribution early, but Trindall will be the one to challenge the Penrith right edge.
FAVOURITE: Penrith are well-backed to make a fifth-straight decider.
MY TIP: The Panthers are the team to beat, there is no question about that. The Sharks have struggled in recent times against the Panthers, having not scored at all over the past two games. In fact, as per the Rugby League Project, the Sharks haven't scored in the last 207 minutes against the Panthers. There is something about finals football that brings the best out of Penrith, and that will be too much for a Sharks side who will fall short in 2024.
